Gypsynan

I have been reading random blogs about how people relate to language - em and Thalassa and even rimi. And I have been thinking about it too. Every time I go back to Kolkata I notice huge changes - one of the big changes I noticed is how casually people slip in Hindi in the conversation. Mind you, I am a probaashi Bengali too and grew up in places like Lucknow and Bombay and Hyderabad and Dad spent his formative years in Allahabad - each of which have their own take on the language - Kolkaata I moved to for college - dad was in between transfers and I stayed with my grand mom, in North Calcutta (yes! and I think South Calcutta pride is ridiculous too) - studying in Presi was a huge ... I won't say culture shock but culture shift - certainly. I loved the exaggerated Bengaliness of the people - how it was not considered polite to speak in English in Public places like buses or even stores, unless they were "Marwari" or "nonbengali" stores.

I happen to be ridiculously well read in bengali - complete works of Bankimchandra at 9 anyone?-taught to read by my thamma in the summer vacations, since I was a toddler. I was a book not a worm but a baby bookpython. I read the Chheleder Ramayan at 6 and remember sobbing away at the fate of Sita and hating Ram - the gormless hero. And why chheleder I ask you. Graduating to Sarat Chandra and eventually Tagore, with passionate flings with Sukanto and Jibonanando Das along the way. Shakti Chattopadhyay too but, that was timepass I think.
My summer holidays are remembered by the books I read, Robinson Crusoe in Class 4, Pride and Prejudice in class 5. There was this lovely book called Banglaar Dakaat. And Syed Mujtaba oh Stop!OK can I mention Anandamela, way, better than Target!

Bengali kids have the privilege of reading fiction written by the finest writers in the language. Worlds away from the babyfied, age specific vocabulary, of most children's fiction. I do not know of any other Indian language that has such a strong tradition in Children's fiction. One of my favorites is Shirshendu's Jheeler Dhaarey Baari - and he is such a pessimist in his adult avatar.

My thamma was the principal of a school in the hills and there are beautiful memories of quaint wooden bunglows with flowers - shiuli phool and gandharaj and huge dahlias asbig as your head, and reading in the garden. And later after she retired, moving to a baagan baari in a little village closer to Kolkata. It was a fantasy retirement, which my grandparents enjoyed hugely for about 10 years - before old age and CPM goons forced them out to the evil city, where they exiat as shells of their former selves, stripped of dignity by decrepitude and alzheimers.

So anyway Bangla is special to me in a very unique way. At Presi, none of the girls I knew read Bangla. Loreto house and La Marts students, very incestuous, everyone knows everybody who are somebodies in a very Kolkata kind of way. Fascinating. All very Bengali.

So it was either English (BBC, not CNN) with friends and Bengali with non friends or parents of friends. Speaking English in the wrong place was just not done. And what, Bengali teen agers speak Hindi now! Shiva Shiva! That's a Southie thing by the way. NOt to mention that I saw kids preparing for a Bollywood dance competition-at Presi. Promode da goes - bujhlay na .... aaj kaal ja hochhey!

I guess the notion that speaking unmixed Bengali is a sign of good manners is a stiff pretension that is disappearing along with much else. But hey, you have malls and money instead and its all good and I am over the hill. Let me tell you in my days....cackle cackle!

I never write rambling blogs like this.... feel free to criticise.

Bhaalo theko, shobaai.