For the past few days, one very basic question has been haunting me and that’s the source of inspiration of trying to scribble. The question is a very basic one – “What is a person’s identity?” Since our childhood, we have been very much acquainted with the term “Identity” and one rectangular locket or amulet type of object called “Identity Card”. In school or offices, the security system recognizes you by your identity card. The criminologists identify one person more uniquely by finger prints or even by DNA testing – in a nutshell, whatever be the process or scope, the basic objective is identity determination.
The fundamentals of identity is not rigid, it’s very much flexible and can be stretched or contracted as per the requirements or even can be defined in a totally different way. When I am in office – my unique identity is my “Name and Employee ID”; when I am in Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata watching an East Bengal and Mohan Bagan football match, my identity is a “Bangal”; similarly while in Mumbai, I am a “Bong” and in Dubai or Kuwait, I am an “Indian” or an “Asian” on the streets of NY. This is just the identity determination process based on demographics. There can appear other attributes as well. To the banker, you are nothing but a “Customer Number” or an “Account Number” while doing some transactions. From the ideological or political view points, people can also brand you as a “Leftist” or an “Atheist” or a “Muslim” etc. The truth is that at any moment, we don’t assume one particular identity but a combination of multiple identities satisfying different roles and responsibilities. Our actions are heavily influenced by our roles and identities we are assuming and thus identities build our culture, heritage, circles, and degrees of freedom and surprisingly sometimes we take birth with a new identity from our surrounding cultures or circles.
In my first blog, I want to scribble on which I feel one of the most interesting topics of discussion in bringing up of every Bengalee , at least applicable to all my Bengalee friends. Please don’t take it otherwise, but I feel somehow the sentiments over “Ghoti-Bangal” demarcation have died down in recent times, more precisely after 90’s. It can be a matter of debate – whether it’s good or bad. Very sad to say, but I have seen in many occasions, finally the alliance could not be made as the boy and girl were not from the same sect (or social group) “Ghoti” or “Bangal”. In this age of globalization, should we support this type of internal segmentation? In this context, I want to refer to one article authored by Vir Sanghvi on “Kolkata”. Mr. Sanghvi mentioned in that article, Bong (surprisingly have discovered one interesting fact – the word “Bong” is not giving any spelling suggestion in MS Word; but the word “Bengalee” is giving; can you guys check the same?) people love to call Kolkata as a “Bong-city” whereas the Delhites or Mumbaikars don’t. So by nature, we like such brandings because we feel that they add some spice to our culture and traditions. I feel only we, Bong people can spend (or idle away) 2-3 hours at a stretch on talking, leg pulling with our creative thoughts and ideas on – politics, US policy on Iraq, how fish can be cooked in a better way or even by taunting a “Ghoti” friend or a superb mimicry of “Bangal” version of the Bengali language. Anyway, I apologize for talking a lot in different directions – finally coming to the main topic of this blog “Ten ways to identify a Ghoti or a Bangal”.
1. Origins & Dialects: - This is the most distinctive way by which a Bong can be recognized as a “Ghoti” or a “Bangal”. The people from erstwhile East Pakistan are called “Bangals” and the other people who inherit their origins to districts of modern day West Bengal are called “Ghotis”. The Bengali dialects used by these two sects (or social groups) also differ significantly. Both the dialect forms are primarily differentiated by phonetic effects of epenthesis. But now-a-days, the dialect difference is gradually disappearing. Most of the Bong people in and around Kolkata stick to one standard form of Bengali speaking and that can be coined as “Kolkata Bengali or Bookish Bengali”. However, the pronunciations like ‘Nebu’, ‘Nuchi’, ‘Nouko’ etc. definitely point to a “Ghoti” while ‘Ilsha’, ‘Khamu’, ‘Jamu’, ‘Maira Phatai Dimu’ are the characteristics of a perfect “Bangal”.
2. F1 Factor: - In our school days, to identify “Ghoti” or “Bangal” I feel all of us used to play one trick – asking one new student or even a close friend one particular question. The question is “Which club do you support – East Bengal or Mohan Bagan”? If the answer is “EB”, then definitely he or she is a “Bangal”, else the other option left. Believe this or not, this is the only way yielding almost 100% accuracy.
3. F2 Factor: - If F1 factor is “Football”, definitely the F2 factor is liking of “Fish”. “Bangal”s are characterized by their love of “Ilsha” (Hilsa) fish while “Ghoti”s by their love of lobsters and prawns. Apart from all other significant differences in food habits and cuisines, the Hilsa and Lobsters are so sound that they can be used as the symbols or emblems of these two sects. Even during the football matches between East Bengal and Mohan Bagan, I have seen people going to stadium with Hilsa or Lobsters to support their teams.
4. Food Habits: - One “Bangal” is totally rice oriented – he starts his breakfast with rice, takes rice in lunch and finishes his dinner with rice. On the other hand, one “Ghoti” likes to have a variety with some other things apart from rice say “Nuchi” and they are known for their all time fascination for poppy seeds based dishes and that’s truly awesome. There is also significant difference between “Bangal” or “Ghoti” cuisine in terms of using spices like cumin, mustard, coriander etc. It may be a debatable comment but I feel “Bangal” cuisine is more diversified and longer than that of “Ghoti” cuisine.
5. Professional Inclination: - From my point of view, what I have realized that “Bangals” are good risk takers and they like to try their luck with businesses and entrepreneurships, while “Ghotis” are much more oriented towards fixed salaried jobs and some secured ways of income.
6. Richness factor (funny oneJ):- When asked about their ancestors in East Bengal, most of the “Bangals” reply that their ancestors were very rich in East Bengal. The volumes, they cite about their ancestral farming lands, groves or ranches are so huge that if we add all of them (cited by all the “Bangals”), 2-3 additional Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) will be required to match that accumulated figure.
7. Surname Factors: - Not in all cases but there are certain surnames like Maiti, Ghorai, Hati, Guchait, Modak etc are the distinct identification that the person is a “Ghoti”. “Bangal”s have no unique list of surnames by which they can be distinguished distinctively.
8. Padma vs Rupnarayan: - Above 90% Bong people like Hilsa but the opinion on the “Best Hilsa” differs between “Bangal” and “Ghoti”. “Which river is the best for Hilsa?” – When asked, the “Bangal” answer is “Padma” while the “Ghoti” version is “Rupnarayan”. And believe it or not, an expert Bong gourmet can tell you blindfolded the exact source river name just by tasting the Hilsa dishes prepared.
9. Folk traditions and cultures: - “Ghoti” and “Bangal” identifications are mainly based on food habits and cuisines. But their folk traditions and cultures also significantly differ in many cases like customs or rituals in Pujas, celebrations like marriages, rice-ceremonies and also day to day lifestyles. One good example is (indebted to Wikipedia) – “Bangal”s celebrate Laxmi Puja on the fifth day after Durga Puja while “Ghoti”s celebrate Laxmi Puja on the day of Kali Puja.
10. District tag: - In this age of globalization, though this tag has lost its relevance a lot. Still some theory of probability can be applied on the home district name associated with a Bong. It seems that the exodus from Bangladesh (or East Pakistan) came to West Bengal but in rare cases dared to cross the Hooghly River. That’s why if a Bong is from a district on the western side of Hooghly, he or she is inclined to being a “Ghoti” while from the districts like Nadia or 24 Parganas, the chance of being a “Bangal” is more.
I feel the sixties and seventies were the golden days of “Ghoti”-“Bangal” theory and in recent times this has been fading away. Apparently to identify a person black or white is not good at all. In that context, what is happening is good. I have scribbled the above ten ways not to start branding people as “Bangal” or “Ghoti” – but more to memorize the eternal sportsman spirit of Bong people, to memorize those days of tensions hovering over East Bengal vs Mohan Bagan football matches, who will be the winner – Paltu (Paltu Das – ex head of East Bengal) or Tutu (Tutu Bose – ex head of Mohan Bagan).
Actually frustrated with many problems in their daily life, inflations, unemployment, futile politics etc - Bong people found a small simple way of amusement in football and the “Ghoti”-“Bangal” theory added some spice to that. Still visible before my eyes –furious over the defeat, Chhotka (my youngest uncle and a diehard Bangal) was preparing for going to his bosom friend Gopal Manna’s (Ghoti) place to have dinner with prawns after Mohan Bagan won the shield defeating East Bengal by 3-2; dinner with prawns is always mouth-watering but somewhere it was pinching Chhotka (of course the reason was East Bengal’s defeat); He was roaring – “Sala.. aijka emon khaoa khamu je beta ar konodin Mohan Bagan-re jitanor nam loibo na (<’Sala’ is a very decent slang and very popular in Bengal. Unable to find the exact counterpart in English language where the slangs seem to be very hard> Tonight I will eat so much in his treat that he’ll never think again about Mohan Bagan’s win and will invite me for a dinner to celebrate the same)”.
