More on Bengalis and Bangladeshis
Monday, 6 June 2011
Shamsher Chowdhury
Dear readers bear with us when we say Bengalis and Bangladeshis we mean the whole lot of them including self. For hundreds of years Bengal has been a point of considerable curiosity and concern both for the people of the West and the rest of India and other non-Bengali speaking population. To the British in particular Bengalis played a pivotal role during its rule in India. To them Bengalis have been both a source of pleasure and pain at the same time. Nonetheless, Bengal and the Bengalis have been a worthwhile experience for anyone who came in contact with them. Be that as it may we shall make an attempt to put forward some of the general characteristics of Bengalis. Incidentally our observations have been well founded in the sense that these have already been reflected and discussed in the writings of many a well known littérateurs and writers of consequence both of Indian and western origin. Bengalis thrive on ceremonies and festivities. We in Bangladesh spend enormous amount of time in all kinds of celebrations. We know of no other people who spend so much time in celebrating New Year's Day Nothing wrong with it except for the fact that often it stretches into a month or so. The scenario is the same while commemorating the death and birth anniversaries of dignitaries and national heroes. We believe this manner of celebrations and commemorations is turning us into a nation that loves to live in the past and a world that has little relevance to the modern-day world. It also narrows down the horizon of our thinking. We don't discuss, we quarrel. We reject a proposal before going through it. We are both poor listeners and poor readers. We are ready to lecture on a topic that we know very little of. We are extremely intolerant of people having opposing views. We are suspicious in nature. We are jealous of others' success. We are into all kinds of betrayal and deception both at state and personal levels. We say something and do something else. Loyalty is not our forte. We are ungrateful even to our Creator. Bengalis and Bangladeshis are generally poor as professional sales personnel. Here right in the heart of the capital you enter a drug store to buy some medicines you have to wait an unreasonable period of time. At times you have to pass an agonizing time before the balance due on the cash you submitted on the purchase is returned to you. You buy some comparatively costly house-hold equipment like a refrigerator, a toaster, or a micro-oven. When you ask the salesman on the counter about an after sales service warranty, he will provide you with one, but most reluctantly and before you leave the counter he would smilingly say, "You see, Sir, no one can tell about electronic goods but if problems occur , come to us, we shall try to help you out". How very encouraging? Most Bengalis thrive on self- pity. In the case of a failure, will promptly tell you as to how he had to work under difficult circumstances and that he had received very little co-operation from his colleagues. Bengalis have an eternal problem in integrating themselves with other cultures, particularly in an unknown environment. They are of the opinion that theirs is the best there is. We are an extremely emotional people. We suffer from a false sense of ego and vanity. This is rather widespread from the man on the street down to the rich and the affluent. It is a poor country; yet there is an element of class consciousness that you seldom come across in a developing or a developed nation. Perhaps one could also call it, a kind of misplaced ego. Funnily, this matter of "status consciousness" is entirely based on one's costly acquisitions of fancy and flashy cars like BMWs, SUVs Lexuses, sprawling luxury apartments at vantage locations so on and so forth. Bengalis are incapable of admitting a mistake. Our trustworthiness of late has hit the bottom. Try and ask any Bengali if he or she is capable of handling an assigned job, you will be confronted with a ready response, "Shmashaya nai" ( no problem). Nine out of ten times the incumbent is bound to fail you. It is true in the case of a plumber, a carpenter or your Office Assistant. Bangladeshis in particular are hospitable people. They are hospitable to foreigners, both visitors and resident expatriates. Bangladeshis are also known for their resilience, capable of fighting a calamity and survive under all kinds of deprivations. The educated gentry of Bangladesh are as good as they come anywhere but unfortunately, unlike in other countries, no significant contributions have been made by them to the development of the country. We as a nation are a slow learner. We are very shy in learning from the experience of other countries. In our efforts in doing "something unique and different", we often end up in making a mess of it all. We are an impractical people. Our ambition often crosses the limits of our power. These are some of the principal characteristics of Bengalis and Bangladeshis. We are sure there are innumerable other attributes that portray Bangladeshis favorably but it is our impression that Bangladeshis are not a progressive thinking people. Their minds are often shallow and full of pettiness. The writer can be reached at e-mail: chowdhury. shamsher@ yahoo.cam
Dear readers bear with us when we say Bengalis and Bangladeshis we mean the whole lot of them including self. For hundreds of years Bengal has been a point of considerable curiosity and concern both for the people of the West and the rest of India and other non-Bengali speaking population. To the British in particular Bengalis played a pivotal role during its rule in India. To them Bengalis have been both a source of pleasure and pain at the same time. Nonetheless, Bengal and the Bengalis have been a worthwhile experience for anyone who came in contact with them. Be that as it may we shall make an attempt to put forward some of the general characteristics of Bengalis. Incidentally our observations have been well founded in the sense that these have already been reflected and discussed in the writings of many a well known littérateurs and writers of consequence both of Indian and western origin. Bengalis thrive on ceremonies and festivities. We in Bangladesh spend enormous amount of time in all kinds of celebrations. We know of no other people who spend so much time in celebrating New Year's Day Nothing wrong with it except for the fact that often it stretches into a month or so. The scenario is the same while commemorating the death and birth anniversaries of dignitaries and national heroes. We believe this manner of celebrations and commemorations is turning us into a nation that loves to live in the past and a world that has little relevance to the modern-day world. It also narrows down the horizon of our thinking. We don't discuss, we quarrel. We reject a proposal before going through it. We are both poor listeners and poor readers. We are ready to lecture on a topic that we know very little of. We are extremely intolerant of people having opposing views. We are suspicious in nature. We are jealous of others' success. We are into all kinds of betrayal and deception both at state and personal levels. We say something and do something else. Loyalty is not our forte. We are ungrateful even to our Creator. Bengalis and Bangladeshis are generally poor as professional sales personnel. Here right in the heart of the capital you enter a drug store to buy some medicines you have to wait an unreasonable period of time. At times you have to pass an agonizing time before the balance due on the cash you submitted on the purchase is returned to you. You buy some comparatively costly house-hold equipment like a refrigerator, a toaster, or a micro-oven. When you ask the salesman on the counter about an after sales service warranty, he will provide you with one, but most reluctantly and before you leave the counter he would smilingly say, "You see, Sir, no one can tell about electronic goods but if problems occur , come to us, we shall try to help you out". How very encouraging? Most Bengalis thrive on self- pity. In the case of a failure, will promptly tell you as to how he had to work under difficult circumstances and that he had received very little co-operation from his colleagues. Bengalis have an eternal problem in integrating themselves with other cultures, particularly in an unknown environment. They are of the opinion that theirs is the best there is. We are an extremely emotional people. We suffer from a false sense of ego and vanity. This is rather widespread from the man on the street down to the rich and the affluent. It is a poor country; yet there is an element of class consciousness that you seldom come across in a developing or a developed nation. Perhaps one could also call it, a kind of misplaced ego. Funnily, this matter of "status consciousness" is entirely based on one's costly acquisitions of fancy and flashy cars like BMWs, SUVs Lexuses, sprawling luxury apartments at vantage locations so on and so forth. Bengalis are incapable of admitting a mistake. Our trustworthiness of late has hit the bottom. Try and ask any Bengali if he or she is capable of handling an assigned job, you will be confronted with a ready response, "Shmashaya nai" ( no problem). Nine out of ten times the incumbent is bound to fail you. It is true in the case of a plumber, a carpenter or your Office Assistant. Bangladeshis in particular are hospitable people. They are hospitable to foreigners, both visitors and resident expatriates. Bangladeshis are also known for their resilience, capable of fighting a calamity and survive under all kinds of deprivations. The educated gentry of Bangladesh are as good as they come anywhere but unfortunately, unlike in other countries, no significant contributions have been made by them to the development of the country. We as a nation are a slow learner. We are very shy in learning from the experience of other countries. In our efforts in doing "something unique and different", we often end up in making a mess of it all. We are an impractical people. Our ambition often crosses the limits of our power. These are some of the principal characteristics of Bengalis and Bangladeshis. We are sure there are innumerable other attributes that portray Bangladeshis favorably but it is our impression that Bangladeshis are not a progressive thinking people. Their minds are often shallow and full of pettiness. The writer can be reached at e-mail: chowdhury. shamsher@ yahoo.cam