Facts about Bengalis You Didn't Know

Hello dear readers!!

Yes, I am not dead yet. I'm on my bi-yearly pre-exam hibernation. Will be back soon. Till then I shall leave you with a few pearls of wisdom. This post is inspired from the Some facts about Punjab and Being a Punjabi post series by Bikramjit sir on his blog. (Check out his blog to read all his Oh-So-Awesome LOLarious posts). So here I bring you some lesser known (or ill famed) facts about us Bengalis-

1) Every third person in the state has a name with the "Debo" prefix, irrespective of gender. Debopriya, Deboprotim, Debashish, Debojit, Debopriyo, Debnath - the list is never ending my dear ones.

2) Every child in the house has two names - one his proper and official name that we call the "good name" (first thing Bengali uncles/aunts ask you when you meet them for the first time - "Shona, your good name??" ) and his pet name which is usually something not even remotely close to his real name and serves the purpose of embarrassing the person in public. Most common of them being shona, mona, babu, pocha, buri et cetera et cetera.

3) No meal is complete without a sweet - rosogolla, mishti doi, shondesh , cham cham or any other variant is a compulsory for every meal.

4) Sourav Ganguly and Mamata Banerjee are the universal "dada" and "didi" respectively (literally translating to "brother" and "sister" resp.). And we don't give a damn to what India scores in the match...all we need to know is if Dada scored a century or not. And anybody who has wronged our Dada dear is our sworn enemy. Topping this enemy list is Greg Chappel closely followed by Shah Rukh Khan.

This is our Mamata Di !!
Source

5) This one is a corollary of 4 - Every male you meet on the road is your "dada" and your maid is your "mashi" (literally translating to "maternal aunt")...irrespective of their age.

6) Evenings are not complete without "parar adda" (sorry dear people, there is no direct translation for this word. The closest would be rendezvous, but then it wouldn't carry the essence of the evening "addas") and "telebhaja" (fries and fritters). Oh I forget the "chaa" (tea).

This one is called vegetable chop.

7) Corollary of 6 - Every street has a "chaa er dokan" (tea stall) and a "mishtir dokan" (sweet stall) and of course a phuchka wala (Golgappa stall. Sorry, dear non-Indian reader, there is no English word for this extremely unhealthy but heavenly yummy street food).


8) No dish is Bengali enough unless cooked in high-cholesterol Mustard Oil. Yeah, it is not good enough unless the spicy zesty fervor of the dish makes your eyes shed a few tears of joy (literally!!). And no meal is complete without fish.

Source

9) Every Bengali is a born artiste - painter, poet, chef, singer, musician, dancer, football player, swimmer - either or all of these!! And no, I am not kidding. (Sadly, yours only is the most unskilled Bengali that was ever born on this planet :-| ).

10) We do not buy clothes during sales or on our birthdays like most people on this planet. Our species buys 15-20 sets of clothes a month or two before the Durga Pujo :D

I shall leave you with 10 for this time. Might add a sequel to this one if I come out alive after the exams :P

Till then, bubbye.
Wish me luck!!

P.S.- This post is not meant to insult or demean Bengalis. Everything here is meant to be taken in good humor and with a pinch of salt.

A Surprise Package!

Good morning, beautiful world! This is the review for a book that truly was a surprise package:  ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’.

About the Author:  Rishi Vohra recently relocated back to Mumbai after completing a green MBA from San Francisco State University and a Masters Diploma in Environmental Law prior to which he had a successful career in the Indian entertainment industry.

Having been a guest columnist for various newspapers in India, he currently writes for delWine and is a Certified Specialist of Wine. This is his first novel. For more information, log on to 

www.rishivohra.com

1^st Published:  2012

Price:  Rs.175/-

(I was sent a signed copy of the book by the author.)

ISBN: 978-81-8495-305-3

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis:

Autistic. Schizophrenic. Psychotic.

They use these words to describe Babloo- the doctors, his family, his teachers, everyone. Except 

Vandana. She treats him the way he wants the world to see him.

Mumbai...the city that defines his ultimate desires. Will it allow him the love and ‘normalcy’ he so craves?

Vandana...yearns for a soul mate to rescue her from the confines of the Railway Colony they all live in. Is she looking in the right place?

Rail Man...a fearless, real life hero who succeeds in doing all that Babloo secretly wishes he could do...is Babloo his inspiration or is it the other way round?

A random twist of fate on Mumbai’s endless, serpent- like, jangling local train tracks ties all these characters together in a complex weave of love, heartbreak and courage.

Babloo draws the reader into his fascinating, heart rending journey through the twisted, choked lanes of Mumbai  into an open space where he can finally exhale, be born again.

Excerpt:

Darkness started swallowing the sunset and the fashion parade began retreating from the buzz of Carter Road. By the time my watch struck nine, Carter Road was mostly populated by cars making their way home. The days of the sturdy Fiats and Ambassadors were over, replaced mostly by big flashy cars adapted to Indian roads by joint ventures with foreign companies. These expensive cars were driven by two categories of people. The first were the ones who wanted to flaunt their wealth. Their windows had no tint so that they could be seen and envied. The other category comprised of those oblivious to attention, who used their luxurious cars only as a means of transport. Their windows were always accompanied by a dark tint.

Arpita Speaks:

They say you should not judge a book by its cover. They are so right. If it hadn’t been for books like these, I would have assumed that this genre has nothing substantial to offer.

The author has mingled fact with fiction to produce a plot that is alternately sinister and pleasant. The protagonist’s mental condition has been portrayed well, and while this is what drives the action of the novel, there are various other issues brought to light- not subtly, but definitely with ease.

The plight of women is one of the most prominent themes in the storyline- which I hadn’t expected, when I went through the synopsis at the back of the novel. Babloo’s approach towards the issue is so matter of fact, that he never sounds preachy- in fact, he makes more sense than the ‘sane’ people in the story.

The most appealing aspect is the delicate balance between the exposure of social tribulations and the day to day challenges that every man, woman and child has to face. Just as ominous circumstances begin to overwhelm you, the author shifts the focus of the plot to a scene of domestic harmony, giving you a chance to recover from grave thoughts and enjoy comic relief.

This novel has something to offer to everyone- love triangles for the die-hard romantics, serious subject matter for those who like novels to be true to life, action for the reader who likes a little ‘masala’ and strong female characters for the feminist. The narrative has been structured in a manner that allows each of the central characters to bask in the limelight for some time.

Babloo gets the first person narrative, while Vandana (the ‘heroine’), their parents and even the ‘villain’ get an entire section to themselves from time to time, in the third person narrative. It helps one relate to the characters much more, and gives the reader a chance to understand the different points of view- it saves you from being blinded by the protagonist’s own judgment, whether right or wrong. There are a number of people in the novel whom I liked just as much as Babloo and Vandana, and I was myself surprised at the kind of characters who appealed to me most.

The most palpable motif in the storyline is the importance of the railways in the lives of the characters. At times, one feels a little put off by the intricate details of life by the rail tracks, but I assume it’s natural for the protagonist to ponder over it so much, considering his entire existence was initially dominated by the incidents that took place there.

There was one slight flaw which should have been taken care of: we understand that Vandana cares about Babloo like she would any of her friends; it’s exactly what makes her special- that she treats Babloo like a ‘normal’ guy. However, she hardly thinks about him when he’s not by her side, and we never get to know exactly why she is so fond of him even though she has a very small friend circle- I expected a more detailed analysis of her perspective towards a guy with this condition.   

Although some incidents are larger than life (like those including the ‘Rail Man’) the conclusion of the story is deeply satisfying- it’s neither melodramatic, nor unrealistic. A certain twist towards the end was interesting, and appreciable: not because it was exceptional, but because it was something of a paradox; what people would assume to be punishment, turns out to be a boon for the hero. ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’ is one of those rare popular Indian fiction novellas that have substance, and make you feel like reading the book was a time well spent.

Rating: 3/5

Dress Up with Shopper's Stop

The final three months of every year are filled with celebrations of all kinds. And if you happen to live in my city, festivities never stop. People here at Kolkata celebrate anything and everything....we just need a reason to be merry!! Be it Durga pujo or Diwali or Christmas, dressing up is a major part of all of it . Here are two looks I created for these occasions-


1) The Indian Ethnic- I selected this net saree and added the accessories around it. Had Durga pujo and Diwali in mind. Could also be good for a wedding ...if you are planning to attend one :)

French Connection Clutch / Ashika Net Embroidered Saree / Lemon Pepper - Ladies Footwear / Pretty Women Earring PW-ER-3760

2) Festive Chic - This one was created for the late night Christmas and New Year parties.



French Connection Dress/ Clutch handbag / Earrings / Watch / Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color Copper Brown / Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner Black

And here is a random quote from pinterest that I couldn't help sharing :D


All pictures are from www.shoppersstop.com and the collages are created from www.polyvore.com (used Polyvore for the first time today. So please excuse my bad editing skills).
Check out Shopper's Stop's website for more amazing collections of clothes and accessories.

This post is an entry for a contest at Indiblogger in association with Shopper's Stop .

This post was selected as one of the winning entries :) 

The Morning After

THE MORNING AFTER

The sun rays came slanting though the partings of the closed curtains and fell directly on the round face. Two tiny eyes were forced open and blinked thrice. Sneha sat up on her bed, her hair tousled, making her look all the more childlike.  The bed sheet on the opposite side of the bed was half on the floor, all crumpled. Her eyes ran across the room searching for Raj. She could smell the faint scent of his Hugo Boss perfume in the air reminding her of the previous night which she spent in his arms. He still wears it, she smiled to herself. She rubbed her arms and crouched on the bed as she mused about the things that happened.

Raj has come back, finally. I knew he would. His guilt is
too strong for him. I will forgive him, like everytime. He thinks

I don't know the real reason behind those nights he stays

away giving the excuse of late night office meetings.

Ah ...those red roses he brings for me every morning

he comes back from Richa's. He knows red roses are

my favourite. Making love to me every Saturday and

making me breakfast every morning is his 

way of compensating for what he did. His scrambled eggs

are the best in the world, if only they changed everything he did.

He is probably doing the same again now, fixing me

breakfast and a cup of tea, with extra cream and less sugar,

exactly the way I love it. He knows every detail about me.
Does he knows everything about Richa as well?
Raj is good at picking up details and remembering them.
Too bad, it increases his guilt all the more.

Sneha ran down the stairs to the dining room. Her eyes fell on the bunch of red roses on the tea table as a look of puzzlement crossed her face. Why are the flowers here today?, she wondered. Raj wasn't in the kitchen. She ran across to the patio looking for him. 

"Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me."

James Blunt's voice blasted at full volume. "I've to change that ringtone, how I hate it!! It has always been Raj's favourite. He must have changed it after I slept off last night" , she talked to herself as she came to get the phone.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Rajesh Malhotra's residence? " the voice came from the other side.

"Yes, I am his wife, Sneha"

"We are very sorry to inform you that we found your husband's body in his car. We also found another lady's body in the car along with your husband's, but we couldn't identify it. The accident took place yesterday evening and both died on the spot. We need you or somebody from the family to come down to Colaba police station to identify them."

"How is it even..."

The words froze in her mouth as Sneha looked across to the tea table which was empty except for a few drops of water in the place where she saw the red roses a few minutes back.

Source

The phone slipped from her grip and fell on the floor with a thud.

~The End~

This was my first attempt at a short story. Do let me know your thoughts :)