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Waste Bengal! Really? Bengalis are doing better, I hope The print gives better articles than this. Sick writer and such hate-mongering post. Shame, that A Bengali writes this non-sense and has the audacity to think, people will applaud
Very well said. Its quite a disrespectful article.
No i am not agree with this.
Economically we lagging but intellectually bengal still holding same glory.
If we see the achivement of last 40 years your perception will change.
Here are some achivement of last 40 years.
1) Bengal produced another 2 nobel laureates
2) One Osker winner
3) one Miss Universe
4) 2 Grammy award winner
5) 14 Dada shaheb Phalke award winners in Film which is the highest no from any community.
6) 6 Jnanpith award winner in literature.
7) 12 Fellow of Royal society scientists, London, UK
8) 8 Chess Grand masters
9) Indian/ Bollywood music is predominantly dominated by Bengalis.
10) Bengal is Indian Football champion.
Bengal continuously producing many many sports persons who won medal in Asian games, world chsmpionship and national championship make india proud.
Some are
Jhulan Goswamy, Jaydeep Karmakar, Saurav Ghosal, Paulomi ghatak, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar,
Swapna Barman, Pinki Pramanik, Wridhyman Saha, Dipa Karmakar, Dola Banerjee, many chsmpion footballers.
11) Bengalies are also present significsntly in higher education.( research )
Within 2 years bengal industry scenerio will change as many mamy industrial projects
supposd to finish this year. Hope for the best
You missed Satyendra nath bose?
Known for Bose Einstein statistics and Bosons. The pride of Bengali.
yes. agree with u..
Again a true example of following pride over jobs/development/modernisation.
ALL (read all) industry in India (Nuclear Plant, Power plant, Chemical, Railway Engine, Turbine, All Scientific instruments used in University, College & Engg College all over India, IIT system) are created by those Bengali Royal society Fellows. Don’t be ignorant, Wake up, go to school, read lot, then may be you will able to understand. Also before commenting think about it might show your ignorance and complete lack of understanding. And remember we are still doing it. One Dirac fellow in Physics will created many scientific and intellectual industry in future.
These Bengali bhakts need to wake up and smell the coffee. The state has certainly become Waste Bengal due to poor work culture & their love for flaunting their so called ‘intellectual’ prowess-
Today Waste Bengal is one of the most poorly developed states as the people just day dream about their imaginary superiority without doing any work. No wonder the wiser ones are moving to better states such as Maharashtra & Karnataka to dp well in life.
Bengalis don’t need to listen to your crap, you don’t need to be insulted your face is one all by itself.
Bengalis are the most educated, nerdiest people in India. They have given loads of Intellectuals. You deserved to be kicked out of India. We don’t need you in this country anymore thankyou?.
This is what I hate about Bengalis ( urf Bengalis like the one writting this post) . Leave aside all points let me come to the point of imposing bengali as official language of Bengal.. it’s indeed needed . I presently stay at UP and here hindi is imposed day in and out on me. All the letters are in Hindi.. it’s taken for granted that you should know Hindi… Then why won’t bengali be the official language here what’s so alarming in this. West Bengal with the name bengal in it represents bengali .. if someone is trying to be oversmart here he or she should be pulled to a region A of the country and made to reads rather get forced to read letters in hindi … Thanku
Haha! Such a sub-standard article! There’s a saying in Bengali “Ghente Gho”. You reminded me of it! Some facts I do agree, but mostly the current state of Bengal is not because if it’s cultural orientation but absolutely political. Bengalies are still surviving and doing fairly well because of their cultural orientation. Bengalies who have done fairly well in life also have retained their strong cultural orientation. Further, nothing has stagnated as you blindly pointed at. Culture in not what you invent today but what you do today based on your learnings from yesterday. If one ignores or forgets ones yesterday, then the one becomes disoriented and clueless and messed up just like you here! People who start writing articles with their disoriented mind are foolish too. So I’ll leave you at your peace. If you ever come out of this cultural ignorance, you’ll probably be a good writer too. Bengalies have time and again survived any situation and proven themselves because of their cultural orientation and respect for their past and belief in their learned ancestors. I see your ignorance and perversion, and being a Bengali myself, I pardon you and wish you be blessed with some culture! Best regards.
West Bengal Bengalis are so much into arts and culture , Dr. Subhash Mukherjee the first Indian bengali scientist to develop the first test tube baby in India was forced to commit suicide for these high well known Bengali intellectuals of Arts graduate. Never was such kind of Shame bought to any part of India like it did in Bengal. Clever Bengalis are only for arts and literary work Nothing else. Mukherjee never got any recognition for his work in his lifetime. Such a shameful act they committed by killing a scientist and Bengalis still claim arts to be superior to science is either their ignorance or they are proud brainwashed creatures.
Bihar and Biharis themselves are useless trash. All they do is infestate other Indian states and start causing problems, like the 2018 voilence against hindi speakers in gujarat began with a Bihari who raped a 14 month old girl. We need to send back these coward Biharis to their own state so they develop it and stop causing disaster in India
Ask your government not allow any non bengali to your state. Then we will kick out your bengali people from our city Mumbai and other states. We will shut all non bemgali business, inter state transport and all . Where ever bengali will be seen we will kick out them from our states
Really? LOL then you will surely miss out on these things because-
Today 67 % of India’s top academicians are from Bengal.
3. Today 54% of Indian scientists are Bengalis.
4. Today 90% of phd scholars in science in top 5 IITs and IISc Bangalore are Bengalis.
5. Today 70% of scholars in Indian Institute of Mathematics Chennai are from Bengal.
6. Bollywood is set up by Bengalis and is still dominated by Bengalis.
If we have to, we will also kick out people like you from our state
And also, I was only talking about Bihari’s, not other Indians. So if you want to make a fit at me and threaten me, then remind yourself that people like you will be the ones being kicked out not Bengalis.
Either writer is old, or she wants Bengali to remember two great personalities from Bengal.
In Bengal peoples busy in their daily works, After BJP rising in West Bengal Swami Vivekananda name is cropped up many times.
I just want to ask one question, how is having Bengali as the official language of Bengal bad??????? Hindi is the official language of U.P. is that bad???? Bengalees are not asking the rest of India to adopt Bengali and teach Bengali in the schools of Kanyakumari. They are continuing the language of their own state in their own state. What is wrong in that????? When Hindi is the official language of Bihar it is their culture and when Bnegali is the official language of Bengal it is linguistic chauvinism!!!!! It is like when son comes home at late night from office he is working hard and when daughter in law does the same she is characterless!!!! First stop this nonsense. We are not going to be apologetic about loving our language and culture. ‘worshiping’ Tagore and Ray do not make us bad. What makes us bad is the lack of work culture, political violence, illegal infiltration as well as economic stagnation. If you really care about Bengal then talk about these things and if possible try to come up with some suggestions that people can work on. Only hurting the cultural sentiment of the bengalees may gain you some favor of North India, it will not help Bengal in anyway. If that is what you want then do it openly. We already have hundreds of such bengali/bihari people residing in bengal and doing it day and night. You will be one more addition to that. No problem. But don’t take the garb of being a wellwisher of Bengal. That way you unnecessarily waste the time of serious readers who get misled by the appearance and waste time reading the article thinking there will be some sense in it.
This article was written based on mixed priorities. The writer is confused between the past glory and the current state of matters. True, we are behind many states in growth and development. This is because of the political climate we embraced for the past five decades and Bengalis are suffering from that. However, how can I blame my past achievements because of the current situation? British Raj is gone. In London, you will see hardly any white English man or woman. It is a new demography there. But did they forget Shakespeare?
In the Pandemic, no one can say anything?.
I know that Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu showed the best result in their hospital infrastructure.
West Bengal is underveloped because so many people leave their state rotten, following this those Biharis come and infestate west bengal with hindi language and try to impose it on Bengalis, even calling them bangladeshis and to go back to bangladesh. Bengalis have had enough of this crappy trash Biharis, we need to kick their asses out of our state and go back to their undeveloped poor dirty filthy Bihar.
Why don’t you kick Bihari’s out of Bengal? Act! Just don’t write article.
May the writer be damned…..He seems to be a traitor to the Bengali community………Young man, you should keep in mind that Bengal is still producing the majority of India’s stalwart academicians………Do not daydream anymore, you should be furnished with the correct data before you venture out to comment on anything………You should remember that culture forms the basis of unification……..If we do not have culture, then we simply do not have any specific identity……..Thus, taking pride of our culture should be a part of our ethics……….
I personally think you don’t have to worship anybody. But every person should know their history. I don’t understand how feeling proud about Tagore and Ray is related to our economic diaster. Can you please elaborate?
Are you suggesting that due to our economical status we are not allowed to be proud of them?
You are absolutely correct. You have been quick enough to identify the flaws in the article.The writer is an unworthy member of the Bengali community.
Past is past. We should stop living on past laurels. We need industries and jobs. The leftist buddhijibis (so called intellectuals) are groups of losers who cannot even carry a file sucessfully from one table to another. I dont disagree with the writer. She is right when she tells that we have to develop ourselves.
I am a Bengali first and since Bengal is a part of Indian Union, I may also call myself an Indian after sipping 2-3 pegs of whiskey. So, I am not worshipping other states because I consider them foreign countries voluntarily creating a commonwealth of Inidan states.
Indian Union is more like European Union (culturally) and you have to sweat and bleed if you want to grow. If we fail to produce jobs, industries, modern intellectuals, good movies etc , rest of India will always look down on you.
No wonder, many Bengalis suffer from inferiority complex.
I disagree with the writer on one point. In Bengal, Bengali language should be given preference and once and for all, Hindi is NOT the national language of India. Entire India is not UP- Bihar. Any non Bengali staying in Bengal for more than 30 years should be able to speak Bengali. We are not a colony of North India.
Satyajit Ray was a loser. He harmed Bengali cinema and I would have wiped out his name from every record if I had a chance to do so.
So, Bengalis should be proud of their language and heritage but should strive for economical growth. Just reading story books and singing songs will not lead you anywhere. Man up and fight. Get out from the stupid notion of India first. India DOES NOT EXIST as a cultural and social unit. It is a commonwealth of autonomic states. Every state is a semi independent country. You have to develop yourself. You cannot keep on crying and glorifying old poets and writers. Poor people with intellectual powers are not respected.
We need to come together and drive this bihari-culture away from our state, they are main reasons why we are moving out of our state, uneducated parasites, they are actually brought here by the other non bengalis living, they are much more united and they have used dirty politics and by doing so they have taken control of our state and our beloved city. There are uncountable scenarios of bengali families getting affected due to this, people are dying in poverty here though they are educated. I want anyone to create a group. We are gifted with our emotional and creative abilities, no one can replace us in this planet. Let’s come together dadara, didira and sobai.. amader k ebar uthe daratei hobe.. nahole sob sesh.
Woaa ! How can uneducated parasites drive self claimed intellectuals like you out ? Does that mean you are less educated than them ?
And which research provided you this extremely superficial data ?
Well since you seem so curious about these parasites ,go do a research on most number of IITians , IAS , IPS officers, toppers , and all sorts of administrative officers , shit!!!! Most of them are these uneducated parasites right, who cracked these highly competitive exams and not intellectuals like you ? Aaah they must have cheated right?
If biharis stop working , more than half of the work and labour force of india will be gone,
Now you’ll say ” then go to your own land and leave us” , Haha kiddo , for us India is our land . You want to be where these uneducated parasites are ? Go get it child , they aren’t holding you back .
Just like labour biharis, there are labours from rural bengal working in Bihar, ask how many of them are labelled uneducated parasites there .
Seen the gesture of biharis recently towards migrant workers ? Oh ! Do you get time to read newspapers ?
And let’s come to the ” glorious history ” of these uneducated parasites,
You know who is the inventor of zero ? the great mathematician Aryabhatta ?
Yea guessed it right , he was a bihari
first president of India ?
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Haha such an uneducated parasite
Great Indian emperors who established the idea of India ,
Ashoka , Chandra gupta Maurya they were all biharis
And yes one more , Chanakya , well he needs no introduction
Where did Gautam Buddha attain enlightenment, aaaah again Bihar.
Who won the ramon magsaysay award for journalism?
Again a bihari aaah
And the list is never ending
You self claimed intellectual will go and write long essays on social media about racism but will endorse racism when it comes to your own land .
Eee hypocrisy kaise chalega bhaiyaa
The motive of this reply was just to help self claimed intellectuals like you erase the false belief of ” my culture is better than yours ” .It was not to offend any culture or glorify mine , you treat the way you expect to be treated , simple enough ?
Work hard and achieve what you want and don’t rely on excuses to justify your miserable failures.
Be grateful that you live in the most culturally diverse nation in this world
Thankyou
Well said bro!
yes this biharis are polluting west bengal and abusing bengalis each and every day. they should be washed out
wash it out, go ahead! Act! Don’t just write article.
yes. agree with u.. its true that there are no industries in bengal. . But bengali people are still doing good in their job in education in every sector.. Bengalis are progessive people and they will be also in future.. And bengal culture is ruining due to Biharis and UP people
LOL !
How you telling that biharies get most number of seats in IIT, IAS ?
LOL! Its fake. Varify the records properly.
And yes, IIT, IAS get you a job for earn a living but can not make grate personality like
1) Swami vivekanda
2) Rabindranath Tagore
3) pandit Ravishsnkar
4) Satyait Ray
5) kishor kumar
6) R D Burman(music)
7) S d Burman(Music)
8) Satyan Bose (Scientist)
9) Gagadish chandra bose(scientist)
10) Amartya sen
11) Abhijeet banerjee
12) Subash bose
13) Bankim chatterjee
14) shyama pradas mukherjee
15) Prasanta mohonalobois
16) magnad Saha
and many many mor.end less.
Indiand are following them and their work.
if you do not know just check.
bengal produces most number of nobel prize winner
bengalies get most nmber of Dada saheb phalke award.(film)
bengalies get most number
of Gananpith award(literature)
indian music and film dominated by bengalies.
bengal produces grate scientist.
bengal produces grate interpreneur like
bose corporation
chatterjee group
Sahara group nd many more
Biharies are most backward in all fields including education in india.
Shutup your mouth.
Do you have laloo Yadav?
Change the criteria of IIT, CSE other all India academic and employment exams criteria from English and hindi question paper to English and state official languages and see the result than does the results stays so or take a total u turn
LOL
Since you began this war, were going to finish it. Just look at the list of Bengalis:Iqbal Ahmed, CMD of Seamark Group
Syed Ahmed, British entrepreneur, businessman, television personality
Arundhati Bhattacharya, first woman director of State Bank of India
Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya, Director, Warwick Manufacturing Group
Moorad Choudhry, former Managing Director, Head of Business Treasury and Global Banking & Markets at Royal Bank of Scotland
Ashok Sekhar Ganguly, former chairman, Hindustan Unilever
Asim Ghosh, former CEO of Husky Energy
Rajat Gupta, first foreign-born Managing Director (chief executive) of management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company from 1994 to 2003; sentenced to two years of prison in 2012 for insider trading
Omar Ishrak, Chairman, Intel
Aktar Islam, restaurateur, curry chef and businessman
Sir Birendra Nath Mukherjee, IISCO
Bhaskar Pramanik, chairman, Microsoft India
Subir Raha, former head, ONGC
Aveek Sarkar, chairman, Ananda Bazaar Patrika
Mutty Lal Seal, businessman and entrepreneur
Dwarkanath Tagore, known for partnership with the British East India Company
EntrepreneursEdit
Subroto Bagchi, founder and former Chairman, Mindtree
Somen Banerjee, Indian American entrepreneur and co-founder of Chippendales
Siddhartha Basu, founder and CMD of BIG Synergy
Sanjit Biswas, Indian American entrepreneur and CEO/ co-founder of Samsara, built and sold Meraki to Cisco for $1.2 billion
Amar Bose, founder of Bose Corporation
Amjad Khan Chowdhury, founder of PRAN-RFL Group
Samson H. Chowdhury, founder of Square Pharmaceuticals and Square Group
Anjan Chatterjee, founder, Speciality Group of Restaurants
Purnendu Chatterjee, founder, TCG Group
Bicky Chakraborty, Sweden’s biggest hotelier;[2] President and founder of Elite Hotels of Sweden and The Bishop’s Arms[3]
Alamohan Das, founder, India Machinery Company
Sadhan Dutt, founder, Development Consultants of Kuljian Group
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, founder of Bandhan Bank
Samit Ghosh, founder, MD and CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
MA Hashem, founder and chairman of Partex Group
Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, first person to upload a video to the site
Rajat Neogy, founder and editor, Transition Magazine in Kampala, Uganda in 1961
Pritish Nandy, founder of Pritish Nandy Communications
Sir Rajendra Nath Mukherjee, co-founder, Martin Burn Ltd, IISCO
Diptendu Pramanick, founder, Secretary of Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA)
Kamal Quadir, founder and CEO of CellBazaar Inc, First Mover Fellow of The Aspen Institute, TEDIndia Fellow
Subroto Roy Sahara, founder and chairman, Sahara India Pariwar
Barun Sengupta, founder of Bartaman
Moosa Bin Shamsher, founder of GATCO
Neeraj Roy, co-founder, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Prannoy Roy, founder, NDTV
Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, founder and Chairman of Bashundhara Group
Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, “father of micro-finance”, Nobel laureate
Bibha Chowdhury–First female particle physicist of India
Kadambini Ganguly–First female doctor of Asia
Ashima Chatterjee–First female Scientist of India
Susmita Sen–First Miss Universe of India
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WAS INVENTED BY PC RAY—A BENGALI SCIENTIST??
BJP-founder is SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE–another Bengali..??
FR Khan–Father of Tubular Designs ??
Tubular Designs is the study of modern architect ??
Dont compare filthy and uneducated people that abuse in the name of mother and sister
Biharis. What do you mean. First eliminate the racism which existing like poison in you. We are Indians first than comes everything caste,religion,ehinic origin. When we got the independence way back in our proud history,it was a collective efforts from all the individuals accross the country. Its a a effort and unity which bring victory and not the racism and division. Exploitation of politics is existing in us also not only in them. First of all we are not United among ourselves. We don’t bother about ourselves. We resemble the character of crab,by pulling down ourselves if someone is rising.. we need to change our attitude ,way of thinking polite and receptive first than only we can succeed. Being a Bengali iam not ashamed to state the facts. Pls don’t perceive me in a wrong way. PROUD TO BE BENGALI.
Hats off to you, bro!
Ms. writter,
You said everything negative but you did not say West Bengal is 6th position among all states in GDP in 2018-19. West Bengal’s GDP growth is highest in the country among all states in 2018-19.
Why I am mentioning 2018-19 because that is the latest data available. Check facts before posting anything. It’s very shame that people with half knowledge, come up to distribute “prabachan” without even knowing facts and figure just for money.
All those commenting negative here are nothing but those having brains but don’t wish to feed practicality into their knowledge.
Bengal is only proud of the past? Not of the present?Why so? Cause Bengal is no more producing new generation Tagores and Rays from within the state.
The actual scenario of West Bengal:-
For better jobs, people are forced to move out of Bengal.
For better education, move out of Bengal.
For better treatment, move out of Bengal.
If to achieve all this one has to leave Bengal then what is left good in the state?
I saw one comment that number of Biharis have increased now in West Bengal and that the state should be named Bihar Bengal…
Why so? Because Biharis or other state people are replacing those talented Bengalis who have to move out of their homeland to be something, to achieve.
Firstly stop dragging the political parties into this…. No one is good in this country , but if the people of a state only know to PNPC and be noshtalgic (the actual spelling is nostalgic) then such a state will never develop, no matter which ever party comes.
Secondly, Criticism should be accepted positively in order to succeed, to develop. The people living in Bengal only behave like Cry Babies on getting criticized.
Bengalis were the foremost people who had brought the feeling of independence within every Indian while the colonial rule was destroying the country. We were leaders. West Bengal literacy rate was the highest in the country. Not now. Kolkata was the capital. And today Kolkata has just remained a City of Joy.
Remember the struggles of the great Bengalis and don’t be nostalgic only about their outputs.
This is for those fellow Bengalis who live in West Bengal.
All those commenting negative here are nothing but those having brains but don’t wish to feed practicality into their knowledge.
Bengal is only proud of the past? Not of the present?Why so? Cause Bengal is no more producing new generation Tagores and Rays from within the state.
The actual scenario of West Bengal:-
For better jobs, people are forced to move out of Bengal.
For better education, move out of Bengal.
For better treatment, move out of Bengal.
If to achieve all this one has to leave Bengal then what is left good in the state?
I saw one comment that number of Biharis have increased now in West Bengal and that the state should be named Bihar Bengal…
Why so? Because Biharis or other state people are replacing those talented Bengalis who have to move out of their homeland to be something, to achieve.
Firstly stop dragging the political parties into this…. No one is good in this country , but if the people of a state only know to PNPC and be noshtalgic (the actual spelling is nostalgic) then such a state will never develop, no matter which ever party comes.
Secondly, Criticism should be accepted positively in order to succeed, to develop. The people living in Bengal only behave like Cry Babies on getting criticized.
Bengalis were the foremost people who had brought the feeling of independence within every Indian while the colonial rule was destroying the country. We were leaders. West Bengal literacy rate was the highest in the country. Not now. Kolkata was the capital. And today Kolkata has just remained a City of Joy.
Remember the struggles of the great Bengalis and don’t be nostalgic only about their outputs.
This is for those fellow Bengalis who live in West Bengal.
Shameless published. You are also on those branch of crab who only knows how to pull legs. If you are really concerned about Bengals then do something about bengal and our motherland. Don’t just criticize. What you have done so far that’s why you have post some shameless article. It’s a natte kinds of people like you.
Plase open your eyes and realize whre Bengal is going.
Shut up.
i Hope you are doing something too and not just ranting here and there being polemic and defending our apple pie bengal.
The original article is partly true and rest is simply trash. Nothing wrong to be proud of your past provided you don’t underestimate others. But one can’t live only on the past. Bengal was never a power house of industry. Eastern India has the concentration of heavy industry which started suffering from mid 1960s. Another reason for decline is the policy of freight equalization. No industry is closed due to labour problem for example, MAMC, Burn Standard, Jessop, Dunlop, Metal Box, National instruments, many more. The states without trade unions like BIHAR, Orissa, UP, MP are also not industrialised heavily. But majority of Bengalees have favoured recently not to industrialised their state, example Singur automobile and Nandigram for chemical hub. These two projects would have changed the industrial scenarios of WB. They want to send the industrialists to Alipurduar, Raigunge, Coochbihar. They are waiting this to happen. Every community including Bengalees have few positive and negative aspects.
Positive: average information level of Bongs is usually higher than other indians. Still money can’t purchase social prestige in WB. Perhaps it is slowly changing. Influence of caste, religion and province is less in WB. Importance of education is high in Bengali society. HDI indicators are good amongst the large states during last 35 years.
Negative: very much conscious about rights,but, least concerned about duties. Underestimate the education quality of other indians. Amount of bribes in govt offices are comparable with Bihar and UP. Social indiscipline only comparable with Bihar, UP,MP which creates hindrance for development. Politics is gradually moving in the hands of goons. Influx of poor, economically and intellectually, people from neighbouring states, Bihar and Jharkhand, with political patronage. Fanaticism with few football clubs where good players are mostly nonbengali or non indian. There are nonexistence of multiple equivalent cities in WB as in other states.
All these have finally turned out to be
1) kolkata is the richest village of Rajasthan
2) WB is the safest place for criminals of Bihar and UP
3) state name can be changed to BIHAR-BENGAL as the number of hindi speakers are increasing exponentially.
BONGS NEED TO INTROSPECT why it happens in that way in spite of many positive aspects.
Sir you are either ignorant or deliberately trying to suppress the facts.
No body is perfect so are the Bengali people but the problem with them is that they don’t like criticism .The writer did not express her views against Gurudev n other intellectuals .She is saying that the present situation is very alarming Because of TMC government ‘s appeasement policy where muslim community gets advantages over other weaker sections of society ..She gifts money to clubs which can be used for relief work .Why her almost every decision is questioned be it Saving RAJEEV KUMAR ,SHARDA CASES etc.She is totally failed to fight Corona ,why she is hiding facts about death cases , distribution of relief food to poor sent by Central government .The press is not free n she files n defeated in court against ZeeTV She does not respect The governor n even PM she did not allow opposition political leaders to enter Bengal.The Violence during n after election is a black spot of Bengali culture .Accept the reality n give productive suggestions for improvement of future of West Bengal .She commited a blunder with the future of Young generation when she did not allow TATA to do business in Bengal
That’s really very sad face of media. You are demeaning legends and using their names out of context just to grab some attention. Since the author has no strong evidence to describe the course of events, they are trying to create controversy.
Next day you will wake up and challenge Shivaji Maharaj’s heritage because Maharashtra is struggling with COVID situation.
And they other day, may be you will want a selfie on Indian currency, because you are not happy with peace theories of Mahatma Gandhi, and you would rather disown the father of your Nation.
What is really questionable here is your style of writing with sheer lack of judgement and bias intentions of creating controversy than content.
Ms. Dey, congratulations on writing such an enlightening article. It has drawn the attention of many in such a short span of time. Perhaps that was your focus. However, if there was any other objective beyond that, it is unfortunately lost amidst the “waste”. Were you trying to create awareness among Bengalis? Is your article about the wasted pride in culture or about the economy, or the political scenario, or permit me to extend the imagination, to COVID cases found in Bengal? Whatever be it, it seems you are not even sure what you want to write about. And either way your knowledge about neither seems commendable. What it has achieved is sensationalizing and stripping a sentiment and earning a few brownie points with the likeminded. Undoubtedly, it would be very easy for your kind to categorize the critical responses to your article as personalized or biased. If you disagree, I’m sure you have read Hume, Locke, Hobbes, and others (they are not Bengalis btw), leave alone current affairs to counter the responses. If not, please refurbish your knowledge and realize that your pen has more responsibility than aggrandizing cheap publicity. Best wishes.
Firstly the narrative is myopic and distraught in nature. Tagore, Ray, Bankim Chandra, Sarat Chandra, Netaji, Rishi Aurobindo, Raja Rammohan Roy, Swamiji, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, A Jagadish Bose, Satyen Bose, Amartya Sen, Dr BC Roy names are countless for Bengalis, Indians or World has Esteem, Faith, Respect or Adoration.
Merging or Mixing present political societal and economic condition of WB with the thoughts, ideology, contribution of such stalwarts as above and countless many more that have not mentioned here, is sheer-disdainful oblivion or purposeful propaganda.
Personal Prejudices or Bisases or apparent few experiences cannot contest the colossal Quintessential Bengali Mind Spirit and Soul.
Please remember that Entire Bangladeshi population both in Bangladesh and all over the world are proud emissaries and torch bearers of the rich cultural heritage that “Bangla” offers and possibly more than many of us Bengalis hailing from WB.
So please reflect upon your writings in introspection and write for a cause not only applause (cheap publicity negative or positive) . Jokes shall exist about Bengalis and this article is also just good joke for people who know what Bengalis are all about.
Do not live in the past. Come to the present. bengal can not provide any tangible neretive to the Modern India.
Ok let’s talk about present, as per the latest data of 2018-19 West Bengal ranks 6 among all states in terms of GDP. Bengal is has highest GDP growth among all the states across India. Now tell me what is the rank of your states?
Your past is munshi babu and present is chetan bhagat. Do you have any idea about how many writers wake among bengalis each year? Our past, present and future is full of great personalities who are extremely specialised in their respective fields . Every year we get to see such people and ofcourseo Tagore, Ray and Islam above all. Show me one indian as great as them and we shall gladly make them our idols. Don’t teach us what’s good for us. Worry about your own culcult
Wow! I wonder how such a half baked article could even get published? Where’s the data? Where did this goldmine of information come from? Amit Shah’s office?
According to this dimwit Bengalis should not be proud of their culture and heritage but the only propaganda that BJP has is our “glorious Indian Hindutva”. How much progress has BJP brought in India? Since the time they came in power what great industrial trend have you seen in the country? But they have definitely managed to deepen the communal divide and violence to play their dirty games.
If you are so apalled by Bengal time to shut your gujju/baniya shop from our land and go to where you belong. I am sure you will find what you are looking for in UP or Rajasthan. Now STFU.
The main problem with my state and it’s people, is jealousy. No one can deny, that my countrymen and women hates it when others do well. This comment is only about the lay Bengali, not the celebrity in general. Like they will hate the capitalist making money using the labourers sweat. That is when the jhanda comes out, red or blue.
And then they will always (almost) will find ways to look down upon you, whoever you are, in a given context. At the “para” level, at the state level, and at the caste level. My people will look magnanimous when others are watching, and when only your own tribe is watching, you will hammer down, beat up, anyone who in the given context is an “outsider”. Complex bigotry plays out all the time. If Tata builds a factory, this you-us game is played out in a certain context. Change the context, we will all shout at the top of our voice to award the same Tata the Bengal Ratna award.
I think one should file a complaint against this press for publishing such a poor article. You know nothing about bengalis …..we are not just proud of two names you mention but there are many brilliant and succesful faces in the past present and will be also in future. SEE YOU CALLED BENGAL WASTED and you earned from it as well. Money is not everything for us otherwise we would have been richest in the world.we are not HARAMKHORS and thieves like others. thank you all
Wow! I wonder how such a half baked article could even get published? Where’s the data? Where did this goldmine of information come from? Amit Shah’s office?
According to this dimwit Bengalis should not be proud of their culture and heritage but the only propaganda that BJP has is our “glorious Indian Hindutva”. How much progress has BJP brought in India? Since the time they came in power what great industrial trend have you seen in the country? But they have definitely managed to deepen the communal divide and violence to play their dirty games.
If you are so apalled by Bengal time to shut your gujju/baniya shop from our land and go to where you belong. I am sure you will find what you are looking for in UP or Rajasthan. Now STFU
I think one should file a complaint against this press for publishing such a poor article. You know nothing about bengalis …..we are not just proud of two names you mention but there are many brilliant and succesful faces in the past present and will be also in future. SEE YOU CALLED BENGAL WASTED and you earned from it as well. Money is not everything for us otherwise we would have been richest in the world. Bongs are most talented ones because we are not HARAMKHORS and thieves like others. thank you all
I think one should file a complaint against this press for publishing such a poor article. You know nothing about bengalis …..we are not just proud of two names you mention but there are many brilliant and succesful faces in the past present and will be also in future. SEE YOU CALLED BENGAL WASTED and you earned from it as well. Money is not everything for us otherwise we would have been richest in the world. Bongs are most talented ones because we are not HARAMKHORS and thieves like others.
It is clear you wanted to provoke bengalees but the point is Tagore, Ray, Nazrul and others are still mirrors through which bengalees see the world and cease to amaze by the depth of their understanding of the milieu in which we live in. They make the really educated bengalees what they are. I sincerely wish Tagore,Ray , Nazrul and others of their I’ll never become irrelevant to bengalees. As for your grievances which are political in nature you may make a study about centre state relations, state finances, over centralisation over the years and it’s impact on state finances, discriminatory policies from center, effect of partition on the state etc then take a realistic view . Also find out which communities are responsible for gigantic NPA’s of banks, Swiss bank accounts etc and looted the country mercilessly all these years since independence what is Bengal’s contribution in it. Don’t judge bengalees by what’s app forwards.
Has Bangladesh with all her inclination on science and maths developed since 1971?… then this theory of Mr. Basu doesn hold good. Next abour scntist and engg in West Bengal knowlege is to be taken in how many bengali scientist and engg are working in prominent position in various parts of world in compared to other non bengalis. How many nobels we have received in comparision to other states…. the diff between a Baniya state and West Bengal is mainly in its amalgamation of artistic culture and other abilities. But other state are like only money making business units … thwy donot have the broadness in thoughts as we have. Do they have the fine intellect as ours…. these are achived genetically through generation of similar thots amd values and not suddenly and we are proud to have it within us . Yes other state are rich … but they definitely have some negetive points which we need to look into if for argument sake. One small eg , we love music , one of my North Indian colleague told me they dont preffer music in household as they associate music with Tawaif culture. .. so we have long overcome these ideas.. this is where our success is. Money is not the only requirement in life… Culture equally is important for a human growth.
I agree and appreciate your honest writing and along with that I would add the growing hindu intolerance in the state…..talking to ppl there I realise they take more pride being bengali than indian… your state is important but your national identity should me more important for u…
“the words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living” – Auden wrote on Yeats. So, I disagree that one has to come out, but I rather feel that one should include other talented poets and artists in their lingo. The problem is that they both cater to the colonial hangover and an assuming and pretentious ‘babu culture’ that perpetrates among the urban bangalis. Partly, this issue is propagated by current film-makers and creative personnel, who are too afraid to appropriate contents beyond Tagore and Ray. As far as this piece is concerned, Debalina has a long way to go to write well. The title does NOT capture the sentiment present in the text. The problems in healthcare and jobs are different issues that do not fully pertain to the modes of education and cultural development. Of course, healthcare and jobs need a boost, but Bengal is not even among the top 5 Covid affected states. I know that the TMC govt has allegedly misreported cases but, given the dominant state of investigative journalism, I doubt they could hide any large numbers. Jobs– only a post-pandemic era will say what jobs are “important” and what are dispensable. Until then, I still think all forms of education are important and indispensable for collective growth. Also, we don’t need terrible writers like this claiming a belonging to an established cultural hegemony!
Sir, with due respect, it should be noticed that the intention of the article was to directly attack the ideology of Bong Intelligentsia, that stands against the political vendetta of this media. They have paid Google to target population so that this veiled idea can be catered well. Why do they fear Tagore and Ray? For sure their agenda will never succeed as long as their ideas of inclusiveness remain. That’s why they were singled out.
At first, we make them idols and then we try to throw them away and terming motherland as waste Bengal. If you are ashamed of being a Bengali then please discard your last name because that also carries a Bengali legacy. It is very easy to write prophetic suggestions without giving a solution and also without any knowledge of ground zero. Your approach is extremely vague by maligning the rich Bengali culture and our heritage due to unavailability of jobs, proper healthcare??? Ha ha ha… So funny you are Ms. Debalina Dey. Come here and try to revamp the system. We will work together for a brighter Bengal. No, but you’ll never come for this cause because it is easier to write few strong maligning words in an AC room rather than working at ground level for years for a brighter Bengal. Its really alarming when Bengalis like you grow up here, learn from here and then fly away to someplace else to earn a few extra rupees/dollars and deliver free online personal lectures about Bengali community. But the truth is that we are never ashamed of people like you because we are least bothered about your literary works in your fantasizing world who is trying to malign her own race. This is not what Rabindranath Thakur or Satyajit Ray taught us. Moreover, I believe that your knowledge is somewhat bound to only these 2 great legends because there are innumerable Bengali legends to name and believe me the list is exhaustive. And many of them are alive today and still contributing to the society and the world at large, silently. Are you one of them? Nope. You are THE famous critic with a critical, complex mind and trying to gain popularity by maligning your own past.
Note: A kind advice for you. If you want to express personal opinions in public forums, please do not write a small footer below that views are personal. If the views are really personal, please note it down in your personal diary and keep it safe for your own future reference.
Shri Siddhartha Gupto babu, Debolina Dey did not malign the glorious past. She has said what lies ahead of our glorius past. Talked about collective thinking for a prosperous tomorrow. She said not all is lost and suggested some basic economic need according to present need. She is against migration but in favour of relf reliance, and nostalgia about the glorious past doesn’t often pave the way for future.
My earnest request do not go by the phrase ” Waste Bengal” alone. It will not make our states future better.
Disagree…
What kind of a Bengali is this writer who terms her own state as “Waste Bengal”! No wonder her knowledge is limited to only Tagore and Ray.
I don’t understand what’s so wrong in being proud of one’s culture. It’s a uniting force. Moreover, people of other states also do the same, you have to be proud. It’s a part of your identity.
And you say you come to know of from media that “West Bengal has the worst situation among all the states in the country !” I hope you saw the propaganda of media from their Amphan coverage. For years a very cruel propaganda is going on. But yes evidently you don’t have the brains to comprehend that.
I agree job situation is not good and can be improved. But there are so many other things that are good.
Hope you could get something better and constructive to write about. Anyway there is not much hope from journalism in today’s India. Please stop using that surname of yours. You don’t deserve it.
This is another low end rag which has crept into my mobile like a cockroach. Need to use hit. Who is this Double D?! A crap!
The author is a Bengali herself. Her name shows “Devalina Dey” and she has pointed out to be a Bengali herself , read the article . It’s a shame when your own people demean you. See , Gujjus or Marathas whatever always mind their own buisness. Don’t blame others unnecessarily. Please brother.
I am not sure why this article has got so much reaction. What I mostly get from twitter and news channels these days is that Bengal is most underdeveloped, unindustrialised, dilapidated state in the country. I lived in Bangalore for 8 years, spent a few days in Bombay too, was in Chennai last summer, maybe I am biased and don’t understand how economy works but Bangalore and Bombay roads are full of potholes, there is a big water tanker service in Chennai and Bangalore, the slums in Bombay are smaller than my school playground and the people who live there are not counted below poverty line. I respect the respective states for creating job opportunities for me but someday we’ll realise that a thriving economy is not the only parameter. Bangalore runs of foreign money, some people I know in Bombay live in smaller house than my mom’s kitchen. All these cities are great, they have their own beauty but if you allow me to write a negative article about these cities when Bombay is flooded or Chennai is facing water crisis(last year), I’ll probably not write it. I request all the commentors to please look at the health/ poverty/ iip / mmr/imr data of west bengal , please check how West Bengal has a good and successful food security programme. There is so much to improve , we need to think of it as one, Bengal does not deserve to be called Waste Bengal, anyone who calls it so does not know her facts.
Hey Bengalis, you’re beautiful people. I was pointed for my Bihari accent in Delhi, called a North Indian in Chennai, my accent just didn’t matter when I was in Salt lake many times. I’ve friends from my school working in Durgapur, Asansol , etc. There may not be too many jobs yet but it will come, best of luck my countrymen.
Love your comment! One simple thing can bengali do is to come out of women’schangul and think and work independently
The comments are as entertaining and reflective of the article. This pride in historic figures with individual achievement has ruined entrepreneurial spirit across the country. This hero worship is not doing anyone any good.
Dear Debalina,
If being proud of Tagore and Ray is a misplaced pride, let me say that I am not ashamed of that. I wonder what induced you to write such an ill-formed opinion piece. What do you take pride in? Godse? RSS? Look at the COVID -19 situation in Gujarat. If you want to criticise the government of West Bengal, that is fine. But give your arguments substantiated by facts and figures. Unfortunately, the piece reveals that you are not familiar with the works of either Tagore and Ray. Otherwise you would have had some idea of what they mean for India. Do you know that the Nobel Prize and the Oscar were not given by Bengalis, e.g.?
By the way, it is always a good idea to know about the subject you are writing. Go, do some reading, girl!
May be ‘mia’ke bibi You need some reading! West Bengal is run by the most autocratic, Jack of all trade leader in the country. Not that the party with 18 LS seat of any good in WB. Each and every word written in this article is absolutely to the point & the very reason where we are today. As a Bengali I don’t see any hope in next 50 years! It was the commies who ruined 3-4 generations but at least they didn’t dilute the education system.We need someone like Jaylalitha who could bring some sense to the Governance with minimum fuss. Present govt is run by the goons and antisocial elements.
May be ‘mia’ke bibi You need some reading! West Bengal is run by the most autocratic, Jack of all trade leader in the country. Not that the party with 18 LS seat of any good in WB. Each and every word written in this article is absolutely to the point & the very reason where we are today. As a Bengali I don’t see any hope in next 50 years! It was the commies who ruined 3-4 generations but at least they didn’t dilute the education system.We need someone like Jaylalitha who could bring some sense to the Governance with minimum fuss. Present govt is run by the goons and antisocial elements and if its continue for another 6 years then we probably gone for ever.
My entire preceding generation lived through corporate houses and industries. Bengalis are not hardworking? All tradeunionionism filth? The writer needs some good upbringing she is definitely missing. Shallow knowledge is a dangerous maggot she/he is well fed masquerading as intellectual grey. You need to do some serious research and choose some platform infested with bootlickers to digest this as sumptuous.
Article is bad in spirit with poor perspective. Doesn’t merit any detail review.
Mr. Gupta apart from perception do you have real data points such as sate wise GDP , GDP (PPP) and wealth figures of major cities in India . If you have please share the links .
Agreed.We Bengalis need to wake up from slumber when roaming around the oast glory.Now our state has been ruined,no industry,no job,no creativity as well.. politicians took advantage of our cultural pride and they looted Bengal.
Now its time to move on,only past glory can’t save us.we should move forward with our cultural heritage but at the same time we should be following how our beloved India is moving and we must match with them.Else Bengali class will be no where…
C the comments and reply give u an idea why this city will never change . Why I mentioned city as West Bengal is a Kolkata centric state . Other than kolkata every district and their people are totally different . They r not as cunning , as over smart , as over educated as Calcuttans . They only want their WB to change and get them Job , money and a peaceful life . But if u try to fight against calcuttans ha ha boss there will b lacs of people who will tear u apart by verbal fighting at least for 365 days without getting tired. They can do 1 lac negative things to pull u down I bet but can’t do a positive thing . So don’t be a fool by showing them the reality , they r much ahead of u by knowing everything . That’s why WB is number 1 state in every corner in India . Who ever is working outside WB they know how others make jokes of Bengalis and WB. R baki district e Sobai bole baba kolkatar manush na bhai jodi thokiye dai ba fasiye dai ….
1. Problems are plenty man. Administration, health, infrastructure, industry, economy – everywhere. Thanks for showing that like any other person conscious of the situation. I am not even intended to ask for statistical data or comparison with other states (and I shall explain that reason later of course). Tell me, do you have a solution? The hooligans, the syndicate, the muscle flexing hoodlums will sure change parties after parties, you will secure your basic needs and higher ambitions and then maybe buildup one Mumbai, Bangalore here. Still you will forget the Dharavi (winks). That suits the hypocritical interests right?
2. You were very much focused on the nostalgia of Bongs. And Bengal’s past to you is only Ray, Tagore. How amusing! Satyendranath Bose, Meghnad Saha, Brahmananda Upadhyay, JC Bose, er, why naming them man Google it. You never heard of Nandalal Bose who designed the cover of constitution right? Neither of Abanindranath Tagore, who Nandalal was disciple of. Ramkinkar Beiz, Chittoprasad, oh leave it. I think you weren’t interested in this past either. Yours burn was somewhere else. Considering your good intentions, practical problems, which you left unsolved like any other Bong intellectual critic should.
Or your deep burning is somewhere deeply rooted in the visions that the two pioneers mentioned by you chose. That’s your personal view and you publicized it with the help of a media that too fosters some plans and programs. (Double wink)
3. The Bong intelligentsia is strong and it’s hell against this manipulated hooliganism. You are not so very blind person with words carefully chosen against them, practically. Words that can be dubiously rejected in translation. Words worthy of a paid IT Cell handler.
This article is a direct attack in a veiled way on the visions itself to deem them obsolete. Skillfully you have portrayed or tried to give an impression that the visions and the batonbearers are the root cause of all problems, while also choosing words to stay away from the blame.
Is it now the new policy of The Print? To measure the water and then to trade. Fantastic! If only He knew that His name will be used in such crudely hideous political agendas!
Let’s see, who wins.
Yes, we do take pride in our past because there are things to take pride in our past, unlike others. If you want to take a closer look into the present, you’d find Dr. Abhijeet Banerjee, Sourav Ganguly, Rituparno Ghosh, Md. Younus Khan among others…. And not only the Bengal, the whole country is suffering from joblessness. While, unlike rest of the country, West Bengal’s GDP growth has been on a upward trajectory, up untill CoVid pandemic.
Boss , see the comments and reply which is why this city will never change . Why I mentioned city as West Bengal is a Kolkata centric state . Other than kolkata every district and their people are totally different . They r not as cunning , as over smart , as over educated as Calcuttans . They only want their WB to change and get them Job , money and a peaceful life . But if u try to fight against calcuttans ha ha boss there will b lacs of people who will tear u apart by verbal fighting at least for 365 days continuously. They can do 1 lac negative things to pull u down I bet but can’t do a positive thing . So don’t be a fool by giving them a vital info they r much ahead of u by knowing everything . That’s why WB is number 1 state in every corner in India . Sobai bole baba kolkatar manush na bhai jodi thokiye dai ba fasiye dai ….
Viewing an object from self perspective and subsequently delivering judgment or creating a direction, certainly fails to suffice the requisite precision and quality. Any presentation must be balanced, with critical analysis, discussions of shortcomings/lacking, options of possible remedial measures. Saying is much easier than doing this. Knowing the history and past facts, self understanding and obtaining clarity on the facts as of day, knowing India beside Bengal, many more incorporation of knowledge can start the formation of a helpful idea.
None can deny that change is the utmost eternal truth, birth is uncertain but not the death.
The meaning, significance and direction pertaining to the actual practice and use of ‘development’, merely whirling in confusion and floating like a jargon besides other lingos, such as; ‘…very professional’, ‘acted under good faith’ etc.
A country is of people, of lives. An apt thinking must be centric to people and lives of present and future. But can we ignore the past? If we must, thus modern CV’s must not also demand the briefing on one’s self experience. Experience is the past, experience is the knowledge. Learning must be cyclic within unlearn and relearn. Knowledge is like tree, it grows on the soil having the roots deep down.
COVID has come before us as a teacher and has exposed the entire human class across the globe. We don’t want the virus part of the COVID Positive, but certainly we need to read and understand those positive lessons that COVID has served to the human class.
To be honest I’ve never read such a disgusting and poor article. You call yourself “bengali”? You should be ashamed of yourself and you need proper education too?
What’s harm writing such article. It is truth. Bengal is lagging behind other states by miles specially those states from west & south. bengal is even behind Orissa.
Shut up. How about Bihar?Atleast Bengalis aren’t behind such filthy and uneducated people.
And bam, another Bengali won a Noble prize! We are proud because we have things to be proud of. We, in Bengal, live in peace and harmony. We prefer to be knowledgeable and poor than to be dumb and wealthy.
The author is bent on making a fool of herself. As far as intellectual capabilities are concerned , Bangali’s have always been in the forefront. The last Nobel for the country (of in Indian origin)in economics was won by a bengali. Dr Satyen Bose was one scientist to have half the particles named after him but failed to get a noble. The list is endless. Such demeaning articles should not be published in reputed forums.
All the intellectual comments are highly appreciated.
The missing points on which most the Bengalis will ignore are:
1. Why industry rate is falling?
2. Why the number of bengali migrants increasing?
3. Why the economic condition is falling fast despite of so much intellectuals living in the state?
I can bet on every 10 youth in bengal today gives priority on politics and other useless things over their professions.
I am an artist form west bengal. I was struggling over 10 years at Kolkata, gave up and migrated outside. Justifying the creative profession.
Every state or country should be proud of their past. If they don’t, then they can’t move to future. Your writeup shows that you are a bengali but not a proud bengali. If a person forgets his roots then they are no where. It is same like being a proud Indian. If you are not proud to be the citizen of your country / state how can you proceed. No development can happen. The way you have told about Bengal, likeway, any one say 1000 words for each state. Don’t be so cheap. Be a proud bengali and an Indian.
Pride comes before a fall. Learn to accept constructive criticism, debate with arguments, instead of attacking an author personally.
Well then, India is proud and obsessed with many things like The military (as any other anarchy is), the cricketers, and of course Hinduism, so are you saying That what will follow would be India’s fall?
I totally agree to the author’s opinion. I live in Calcutta and the situation here is getting worse day by day. I can already see some Bengali intellectuals being furious on this article but the fact is fact. Stop living in the past, accept the present and build a better future.
What is the rank of West Bengal in all states of India in GDP and GDPS? And GDP growth?
The Problem with Bengalis is Lack of Hard Work. Intellect without Work Wii not Yield Positive Results..C.P.M added Fuel to the Fire to the already Existing Trade Unionism Besides Illegal Immigrants Islamic Fundamentalist gained Ground in the state during East Pakistan Days and after Formation
of Bangladesh Mamata s Appeasement of Islamic Fundamentalism is proving Fatal to the state
Fantastically written article!! As a fellow Bengali who has worked in Calcutta as well as worked outside (and now opened a Business here) . This article nails it.
Most Bengali’s won’t understand this sentiment because they have not seen the world or even seen the progress of other states in India.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. If you take away the cultural ethos represented by Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray from the Bengalis you will reduce it to the level of a wasteland of the scale of the hindi heartland. I know many people for their bigoted vision want to do that, which will actually be more detrimental.
It is amusing to read passionate views on both sides of the aisle and yet one of the main issue has been left out. Bengalis are by and large not wealth creators. They shun business. We are brought up to be educated , ethical and polite. But business requires a totally different approach which is imbibed in them at a young age by the business communities like Gujrati and Marwaris. Nothing wrong in both the approaches except that Bengalis become Services holders and not Profit takers. Am a CA who worked in MNCs & when I began my own business there was a horror.My sons are eminently qualified are employed in M NC banks. I also did not imbibe in them the animal spirit of business.
Consequently the decline of Bengal as the British left was that they did not have any significant business on their own, got tied to the horrible leftist philosophy and and are yet to move into own businesses as an aspiration.
All the talk of cultural superiority is a non issue
The impact of Modern Bengalis ( still living in past, as opposed to being contemporary ) is absolutely irrelevant in the field of modern music ( be it Indian classical, Bollywood, Western), cinema ( both commercial & artistic ), Art, Economic’s, Science, Literature. The writer of this article is definitely a Non Bengali, hence she has this ingenious creativity which Bengalis were once upon a time thought to have possessed. Now, we are a shallow state of nothing but political puppets swinging in the direction of our so called political goons. What can we do, if we have Manikda & Gurudev in our blood. It’s not just them actually : We are also made of Sarat Babu, Ram Krishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekanda, Sunil Ganguly, Uttam Kumar, Sirshendu Mukherjee, Janini Roy, Ramkinkar Baiz, Arijit Singh, Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee. The list goes on. As a Bengali brought up in Kolkata, it’s unlikely this is going away. The food, the richness of the language, the pride, the Puja. We are what we are not quarantined in just bread & butter thoughts. Unfortunately we will hence continue to dent the status quo by producing brilliance across all spheres of profession across the globe. Unlike the Rajputs or Marathis or South Indians or like them ? Who too are still living in the land of Shivaji or Man Singh or Ramanujan or Shankaracharya. That’s bad isn’t it ? Not to know how to be only bread butter and mortal business oriented. It’s as close to saying the entire country of France or for that matter Europe is bad. Since, they too are proud of their culture, art and heritage. The author is right you know – not drawing global comparisons unnecessarily. Being shallow and superficial is the new cool. So what can she do ; however it is good or bad. It’s a publicity no wonder.
PS : I wonder how many books the author read in Bengali or how many authors ? I will live this forum with this question in mind.
Hello , First thing what need to know from you is did read The Rabindranath Tagore or seen The directions of Satyajit Ray … If yes then pls sir use Ur brain n u will get to know what is right …. N talking about economy agreed there is no jobs in West Bengal how ever people of West Bengal are still more intellectual n have more humanity .
I m living in Delhi from last 5 years working here
However what I got is people with show off about there status by banded wears .
Atleast Bengalis did show off with knowledge.
Thanks hope u visit n able to understand what is Bengal n who are Bengalis actually.
Such a shame print published such article. Yes we are proud of our past because we have glorious past and we are also doing better in lots of things than rest of india. We also consider ourselves as integral citizen of India but sadly in recent time I have seen peoples try to disintegrate it as it has taken different view /stand from centres perspective or voiced against centre ‘s stand. It is not bad thing , perhaps it should have to have in democracy. I am not follower of anyone not tmc nor bjp and not congress. Its just my personal view.
What is there to laugh about? Not a single person said Bengal doesn’t have any problem, but directly attacking Bengali pride is a stupid thing to do. This passive aggressiveness will lead nowhere. And if the Central government is pushing people to speak Hindi throughout the country, then why is it wrong for the CM to say ‘ People in West Bengal should speak Bangla’. Waiting for response.
Do you really believe that pride in a glorious heritage (which continues in the likes of Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee to name only a few) has led to the economic collapse? Bengalis celebrate their achievements because there is much to celebrate. And Bengalis are still striving forward. Unfortunately, politics of the last 7 decades, an anti-Bengali sentiment which I personally account to jealousy and regressive mindset of many, have come in the way of progress. That I do admit. But Bengalis are not arrogant Ma’am, they are respectful — of a history that is undoubtedly rich.
I am of the same opinion and agree with every statement in your article. It should be an eye opener for certain class of people who wish to awaken to the present while the senile rest can rot in the time wrap. Would like to add about people in Bengal in general being lackadaisical about healthy body and spiritual mind and unexplained lack of adhering to discipline and respect the Authority. Can only describe you as a person who feels for and loves Bengal.
Well said and I totally agree..Being born and bought up in Bengal for almost 13 yrs I know the fact that how they blabber over their past, I must say every state has their own glory then why to show off?? rather they should find solutions to tackle the present scenario through which the state is going through.Once a king is not always a king I would rather say..N yes none of the other states have ever gossiped about their culture, traditions, people etc coz perhaps they know blabbering all the time doesn’t change the facts…I strongly appreciate the writer’s article ???
All I can say is you have spoken my heart out.
Even after 1000 years from now…we bengalis will still be proud about Tagore, Ray and a handfull more. Yes they make us proud.. no doubt. But that pride is not helping develop bengal.
Will there be any Bengali alive after 1000 years, coz the level of progress already says that we can beat Uganda in 100 years.
Dude, time is knocking the door and Bengali’s will be trashed in their own state. You Bengali’s are self-proclaimed intellectuals but don’t understand that the government me have been fooling you for decades, be it left or TMC. Time has come to use your wisdom before casting your vote.
Well, when Debalina Dey says: “Bengal does have the intellect to again be the symbol of modernity and prosperity. But for that, it needs to shed its colonial baggage and move forward.”
Referring to admiration for Tagore & Ray as conjuring a “colonial past” seems a stretch. They were hardly “colonial” in any meaningful sense (beyond having both been born prior to 1947).
Yet when the author says: “A state’s pride lies not just in the number of Nobel laureates it produces, but also in the way it takes care of its citizens”
that point seems fair enough.
I’m confident both Tagore & Ray would concur.
Almost all the Bnegalis who landed in UK on work permits, are from Delhi, Mumbai or Pune. Very few have come from Calcutta. there are hardly any job opportunities there. Bengalis are good in doing politics and they feel they know the solution of every problems in the world. From nuclear bomb to artificial intelligence, Bongs know everything. Very arrogant people they are, and for their so called intellectuals, the less said the better.
Thank you for venting out the real feelings about bengalees among it cell staff.
You have not written correctly the spelling of Bengali in the very first sentence. Moreover, you have written”every problems”,, make necessary correction.
I thank you in advance, anticipating that you will edit your comment.
xProbably you all have Either Intentionally or By Mistake left out Sourav Ganguly d Biggest International figure after Ray, Mamata returned Land of Singur , which is Greatest Achievement for Poors …
These two r current ,
REGARDING TAGORE onr HVE TO BE VERY MUCH EDUCATED not my Degtee but By Mind,,Heart.
Very true; and Crores of cars / paddy is being produced there.
Returing Land to the owners in Singur was the biggest Mistake. Not a single industry came during mAMATA’S TENUE.
We only talk about past??
well because we have a glorious past..and we r proud of that..And for ur kind information, in recent time Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee also got nobel on their respective field..And the most memorable innovetion of this decade is Higs-boson..and do u know that boson name after our another pride Satyendranath Bose..I hope i have enhanced ur knowledge..
And dear The Print, u should ashamed to allow this to publish in ur webpage..
There you go again. This pride never helped anybody. Learn to become humble. Just because we take pride in our ancestors, the bloody politicians take advantage of that.
And there is one more thing you imbecile-try to understand what is written and try to read the whole thing before giving a stupid remark.
There’s is no denying that Tagore and Ray are great. But it’s time to move on and do something important for Bengal as state so that we can justify our pride
God knows what you have been smoking! And who allowed it to get published! We are not stuck we cherish what we have because other states doesn’t have that. You Moron!
When Maharashtra talks about maratha pride, Rajasthan about Rajput vain pride you keep your tail between your legs. We are Bengalis we are Proud and Happy the way things are here.
Who is this stupid lady writing this piece of Crap??? Remember Swamiji Netaji Tagore or Satyajit Ray are extraordinary people,who are you to talk about them and our adulation towards them.I grew up in Shillong with Khasi people insulting Bengali people all over but we were strong enough to rise above them,those meele mouth tribals but never lost pride of being a Bengali..We will rise only if we can rise above petty politics..
Yes other states talk about Maratha pride and Rajputana pride because the Marathas and rajputs use to protect their religion and pride against the mugals and they also fought against the colonial Britishers and also they fight for their languages but in Bengal if we see the history we were dominated by the mugals and Britishers and the idiot like satyajt ray was a pure leftist and also a communist but yes Tagore was our pride and also Netaji Subhash was our pride and yes the idiot ray was a slave of British in the name of modernity he use to put the western culture on us and he also didn’t respect our religion now Bengal is need to came out of it and start a new legacy
I request you to please do your necessary research before you go on to write with an orange cloth wrapped around your eyes. However I must have forgotten that idiots and useless fools like you are too bloated with wrong facts and Hindu Propaganda to see and maturely understand the art of filmmaking or for that that matter even literature. You have no idea, as your comment reflects about how much work it takes to become one, rather than sitting and commenting online. Have you studied anything about communism in school? I guess not, because you are too bloated to understand any of it. However when it comes to the country (which only includes Hindu states for you) you seem to know everything, but today, everyone knows everything, because we have zee news, republic TV and of course now The Print. So I hope that you, along with your pointless propaganda burns in hell and hell yeah we are proud of our culture , and will continue to be so, till eternity. Bengal is free.
Yes other states talk about Maratha pride and Rajputana pride because the Marathas and rajputs use to protect their religion and pride against the mugals and they also fought against the colonial Britishers and also they fight for their languages but in Bengal if we see the history we were dominated by the mugals and Britishers and the idiot like satyajt ray was a pure leftist and also a communist but yes Tagore was our pride and also Netaji Subhash was our pride and yes the idiot ray was a slave of British in the name of modernity he use to put the western culture on us and he also didn’t respect our religion now Bengal is need to came out of it and start a new legacy and to forget bastards like ray
Rana Pratap fought against Raja Man Singh, another Rajput and soldiers were also mostly Rajputs on both sides. What pride you are taking about? Marathas! Have you heard of borgi’s? Part of Bengali folklore.
How much money do you get Prateek from IT Cells? Enough to carry that much cowdung in brain?
Ms Debolina..plz stop writing such articles..u r nothing but a bhakt..trying to malign d bengalis..we dont need ur ideologies…dumb female..and if u hav so many problems..plz step out of bengal
Ms Debalina dey,plz send us what u are smo***g these days.There was COVID mismanagement.That has been rectified.The corona figures are now the most transparent in BENGAL with the state having done almost 1.5 lakhs tests.per million tests are way more than Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh,Bihar,Assam etc.Ask proud Gujaratis, not to invoke gujarati pride and move beyond Ballavbhai patel,who they have immortalized by making a statue from the taxpayer’s money and now the 2 motabhais have failed miserably in tackling COVID throughout the country.Print could hire better journalists.
I am shocked at your arrogance. It has been almost a week the electricity and water is not there for many people. And believe me, everything she said is correct hundred percent.
That is true Anirban.. and dear Gopal mamata isn’t a yardstick and neither is our nalla gas chailwalla pradhan gujju
Gopal…it’s about what you’ve known or seen before upon which your decision rests. I have seen six naturalcalamities up close, being in the Defence services for 21 years, which include, Gujarat Earthquake and Draughts, Indian Ocean Tsunami, 1999 Supercyclone at Odisha, HudHud at Vizag and the recent Kerala floods. Take my words, it takes a whole lot of time for the state to rewind. Electricity itself takes almost about a week to 10 days to get restored fully. So in this context, I believe Kolkata as a city and Bengal as a state is doing pretty good work. It has almost been restored in many places and the Electricity Guys are doing a great job despite the Corona fear looming all around. We should be really proud of our men and women working day in and out beyond the call of duty to meet these ends.
Mr. Gopal, if you stay in Bengal, step out of your fairy tale door and take a look at the massive destruction which has occurred. The workers are working day and night to rebuild the city again to normal which is not at all an easy task.
But you MORON think everything is very easy and it’s the government to be blamed.
So stop speaking bullshit and go to sleep with your teddy bear.
Please do not change the topic…
In the matter of Tagore and Satyajit Ray…please find one equivalent master in our generation (across India) and we will surely idolize and worship them.
They were the best at what they do…and they have been globally acclaimed and still very relevant in Bengali way of life. So we celebrate them with joy and gratitude…whats wrong in that.
Bengali Nobel laureates may invoke envy in others but that should not deter Bengalis from being justly proud. All such Nobel laureates had their birth and education here.
Every nation takes pride in their own culture and identity.
This girl might need some money so unnecessarily wrote an article of B’s and this is what Rabindranath Thakur said – education, you need to be educated properly. But Indian politics killing the education producing this kind of low merit mass com students or content writers. The entire humanities group study in college universities nowadays very rarely any talented students go and graduates . So now in media now we have a bunch of low marit nonsensical stupid creatures . They serve only jokes and full of astonishing nonsense illiteracy.
I wanna sue The Print for spreading hatred and defaming bengalis and their culture …. “Rabindranath and Satyajit are past” …So do you remember who earned 5nobels for this country ….Bengalis. The one who wrote national anthem of this country …A “Bengali”. Netaji Shubhas Chandra Bose who was one of the freedom fighters under whose leadership India got it’s Independence was a “Bengali “. The Print kindly get a life ..and do better .This is bullshit ….
It is a pity, Bengalis are getting into the root of the problem, Illegal Bangladesh migrants/ Rhoyiangs enrolled as voters are ruling W Bengal, Jyotida fooled U and ruled for 34 years with all industries closed, Mamta follows same pattern fm 10 years, 10 border districts / NE filled with Illegal Bangladesh migrants used as vote banks, bengal born Babu’s migrating to other parts of India for jobs, leaving Bengal to Bangladesh migrants…for vote banks, unless this trend is reversed, not only bengal entire area will be under threat…Gift of Indiraji in the name of bangla liberation… migration/ refugees/ vote banks…relax bengali babus
Relax Tamil Telugu, sorry for that,but if you are not a Bengali, don’t speak about Bengal.
Bengalis have a good relation with the Sixth Nobel Prize winner for Physics Dr. C. V. Raman. You cannot separate Raman from Bengal.
Every nation takes pride in their own culture and identity.
This girl might need some money so unnecessarily wrote an article of bullshit and this is what Rabindranath Thakur said – education, you need to be educated properly. But Indian politics killing the education producing this kind of low merit mass com students or content writers. The entire humanities group study in college universities nowadays very rarely any talented students go and graduates . So now in media now we have a bunch of low marit nonsensical stupid creatures . They serve only jokes and full of astonishing nonsense illiteracy.
The comment section here is a clear list of antels/buddhigibi ( intellectuals).
Forcing students of Bengal to study Tagore and Ray is neo-naxism in Bengal. This is why Bengal do not have Oscar or Pulitzer. How can they get if they only dwell only in past and make remakes of it.
In TamilNadu unless you speak the language even autowallahs do not respond to you. In Bangalore all bus numbers are in Kannada , In Maharashtra non marathi people are regularly targeted and here Bengalis are accused of shoving their culture into peoples throats!!
I live in Tamil Nadu for the last 5 years. I haven’t learnt the local language. Yet I can talk with autowallahs in English and they understand and respond properly
I will correct you..Satyajit Ray did win an Oscar….Arundhuti Roy won the Booker…and some of the finest modern Indian English writers are bengalis.
I understand and appreciate your concern. Yes I do agree with you, but rather being vocal you should have researched a bit and came up with facts and evidences.
Audience does not like to be biased and opinionated without facts.
First of all, don’t call yourself bengali…you must be a non resident Bengali…thumping your narrow view of an entire state…
1. Bengali intelligentsia was never the reason of economic slowdown…and they exist in all cultures not just bong… We happen to like ours..thank you very much…if a culture likes its intellectuals and pseudo intellectuals who are you to throw price tag on it.
2. Bengal was a powerhouse maybe in the British era..after that in the 70s-80s as labour price was cheap..that also in jute…all these are long gone cases
3. Yes we ruminate over our past. Because we have it.its not we are lacking behind. We bengalis do not run behind money..knowledge has a place much much high above money.
4. Bengal has way less subnationalism vibes than all over India. We accept everyone. Caste colour religion ..go to Maharashtra and tell that…go to chennai and talk Hindi..I have roamed all over India we are the most open people.
5. Print please do not allow such misinformation to be printed..
problem with Bengalis is that they love poverty. otherwise how un-natural arguments crops up.
Rejoinder: This story has proved the psuedo intelect of the writter since she doesn’t even know what #RabindranathTagore and #GreatMasterSatyajitRay means to #Bengalies. I know many non-Bengalies who too admire and love them. I CONDEMN The Print (I had gread respect) for carrying such a objectionable and irrelevant story… I being an #journalist myself for over 20 years am ashamed of this degradation to #journalism or was there some vested interest….
You have said the unpleasent truth. It may be bitter firs;t but will benefit a critically thinking society. Being a Malayalee I am afraid that, once the Gulf money stopts, same fate is waiting for Kerala. Having said this many will attack me, beacause it is eassy to blame the intergerity of person than countering the argument with facts.
Completely the WORST ARTICLE ever…..whoever has written this completely useless piece of crap has no idea what she is talking about…..legends like Tagore and Ray can never be a PAST…….their visions have been so FUTURISTIC that their creativities inspire millions and will keep doing so for generations to come…..plus to make a stronger foothold of current economy or scientific progression why would one need to give up their Cultural and Literary inheritances and glory?? This is the most demeaning and disagreeable piece of writing any of us has ever come across and we strongly suggest the author to immediately put an end to her so called writing skills and get herself treated to restore her sanity
What the lady M/s Dey want to say, was ecconomically Bengal has become so weak ecconomically that the scociety has lost the power to think new ides. Because all cultural inovations and ides emanate from ecconomy. Ecconomyical strength is the mother of all thee ideas. No jobs, abject poverty. that is the innier meaning.
What is wrong with The Print? It’s NOT some ‘Insignificant’ past! How many ethnicity in the world can achieve what Bengalis have achieved as an ethnic group? So let us stop mentioning all the Heros from our past? Shame on The Print! If you are not getting any news to publish,then don’t publish at all stop hacking up conspiracies that will stir up the public just to get Traps. Fire the writer and publicly apologize to the whole Bengali community.
The same self aggrandizing and self destructive bengali. Never could take an honest argument.
So immature article.
I don’t think there has ever been a great scientist without having an interest in art and literature.
I am an MS scholar in Engineering and I love to spend time understanding art and also trying to be creative.
Worst article ever…..how could you just drop Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, our pride….a Nobel laureate of recent times … who has presently joined hands with Bengal to tackle this challenging situation? Also Bangalis won’t forget that he wore traditional Bangali attire while receiving the prize, expressing deep love for his own culture.
What is the point? Should a British forget the fact that once, more than half of the world was British colony? Should jews forget the nazi regime? Shouldn’t anybody be proud or ashamed of their own history? Should Bengalis forget their roots? What is the point? Just a cheap effort to get better TRP?
This article was written probably keeping in mind the mind set of person like you…..
Well when a dog barks, only another dog barks back……oops
For British also colony is past glory where as Bard of Avon, Keats etc lives on forever.
I think she was referring to the fact that a huge percentage of people in Bengal live in the past. Bengali’s in the comment section are proving her right by attacking the artical for calling the past insignificant or what not, but all about the past. She talks about dilapidated health infra and economy and yet no one is acknowledging or even criticising that. As if that’s accepted and no cause for concern or shame.
A very well written article to waste data and time.. 🙂
You don’t need to stop celebrating art and culture to move forward with industrialization and nation-building. The article says nothing new. We all know about the lack of employment and industries in West Bengal. What is well-documented yet the author chooses to ignore is that a large percentage of research scholars in scientific field in IITs and IIS are from West Bengal. This singular state constitute the largest proportion of science students from India who get scholarships in foreign universities. This is not past, this is the present. Ofcourse the political scenario is quite hopeless in West Bengal with leaders in both contending parties being corrupt and crass. Forgetting art and culture is not the solution to that problem. It’s ridiculous to think so. All those who think arts is not as important as science, have you even read about the European Renaissance? I dont know about the author’s achievements, but as a Bengali, I am doing pretty well in my field and I am happy to see so many Benglais in the middle and top level positions in so many industries. Maybe what you say is a reflection of your own experiences, rather than that of a collective.
Emotions will keep u blind , keep it up . Nxt time don’t send ur wards to different states for studies and job , and also don’t expect them to come back. Migrants coming back will show the true color . You can’t feed people by literature and Art.
This is rather a strange thing to ask honestly, and living in Kolkata, I find a ton of biharis, odiyas and people from other states. If you want to talk about ‘not sending people to other states’ and ‘not expect them back’, I think it will be already strange and unfair. Also, if you are talking about people in IITs and other institutions, please note that they intake students on the basis of merit, not what state are they from, same goes for different companies that hire them. What makes migrants from different from this? I found a huge population of non Bengalis working in jobs that allows them to transfer to other states, which they suspiciously don’t do as well. I have nothing against these migrants, but if you are willing to say something that is this rude, you may as well see what’s actually there.
”This singular state constitute the largest proportion of science students from India who get scholarships in foreign universities. ” Do you have any data to support this?
Nicely composed. It seems we are standing in front of a mirror, image laughing at us. These so called intellectuals are the riding factors of converting the state to Waste Bengal, be it naxal movements, industrial destructions or depleting moral of politics. Tussel with Centre whoever be the ruling party at centre or state got embedded in DNA of Bengalis.
I wonder how Print could allow such a novice on Bengali art, culture and sentiment to publish an article when we Bengali as a community is facing challenges from all fronts!
Her thoughts are shallow and are void of in-depth analysis of what all went wrong over last 5 decades or so!
I lost the respect on Print is all that I can sum up to publish such an article!
Mr. Mukherjee do not keep your eyes closed. Bengsal’s Ecconomy has nosed dived to such extent that Calcutta does not come into top 15 cities in India. You do not have to belive me. Check Googles. By size as a city Calcutta is not even in top 15. in India. By population calcutta is 7th in India. what is ecconomy ?It is the size of the total walth creatd by the local population. I stay in Ahmedanbad. Due to my work I have to travel between Pune-Mumbai -Ahmedbaad. I know How people perceive bengalis there. Accept the fact make self and critical ssssment and where bengalis have gone wrong. Imagine a lunatic like Mamta banerjee who could not bring a single inustry to Bengal and who drove out tata from Singur got second chance. here nobody talks about Bengal, people perceive it as a lost state. See what happened after math the Amphen. even after five dayss, electricity could not be restored through out .south Bengal. Such situation cannot be dreamt off here.
Perfect ….
What exactly are you suggesting Miss Dey? That Bengalis are emotional fools who do not think about the present? Well, then I suggest that you talk to the Bengali intelligentsia a little more than you have, because you evidently have not. And how exactly can you call the promotion of Bengali linguistic chauvinism? Puttin guns to people’s heads and making them read Bengali is a crime but proposing to make it an official language is the right of the star where most people speak Bengali. And about Ray and Tagore— why will we not feel proud? It isn’t as if we are only studying there work and reveling in the suspension of the present. We are not doing that. If you want to criticize a State’s political streetscape, you should do so without involving the native community of that State. And talking about the Bengal and Bengali trope—we are not that dimwitted that such statements will sway our ideologies. We are a proud community and we like to talk about books. Yes, I myself am a bibliophile and I do believe that the elementary test of being deemed as a Bengali is the ability to appreciate Ray and Tagore. But that certainly is not related to the economic instability of Bengal. I, as a reader of this article, am appalled at the travesty that this article has proven to be. Please employ better journalists who can indulge in novel articles beyond these Gen Z cliches.
Dear Writer,
With all due respect to your questions and suggestions which are being put up in this article, allow me to criticize some of your thoughts.
Firstly, the title itself is being named after the famous personalities so that your article gets a good amount of read. So for the exact same point you criticized other Bengalis, you just did that too, inorder to seek for attention. If you were so sure of your content and writeup, you could have chosen a different article name, as you as an individual don’t want to be shackled in the past by Tagore or Ray. You used the same past which you have criticized in the article.
Secondly, will write more when u will make more sense, as I didn’t find it worthy enough to write more on your content where the article’s name itself is contradictory with the content, you are just another example of big mouth pseudo liberals, may be.
Thanks for the unsolicited advice to বাঙালি s . Political dirt & corruption are eternal truths in this country. But when you say , giving priority to বাংলা language in official proceedings or asks everyone to learn বাংলা in this state as’Sub Nationalism ‘, I doubt your intention. Look I have seen both the regime (left&tmc) , both were tyrant. But if they tried/ are trying something for our language, why are so bothered? This is our land, our language. আমাদের মাটি !আমাদের ভাষা ! Everyone is entitled to their opinions, So are you. Bangla does not give a damn!
In fact CBSE, ICSE will see to it that we forget our language and heritage and join the lowest common denominator. It is the legacy of Tagore, Ray and others, that’s producing Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee etc. Bengali’s never aspire to become an Ambani.
”Bengali’s never aspire to become an Ambani.” I sit something you want to be proud of? No wonder your state is a mess. With no jobs and no food, just sing Tagore and you will be OK. Nonsense.
Crony capitalism of collaboration between businessmen,politicians and bureaucrats makes a big industrialist in India. Even a kid knows this. Bengalees simply don’t have access to that.
Very telescopic view filled with clichés. Yes there is a lot of things wrong in bengal, just like it is about so many other states eg maharashtra bihar rajasthan. However, things are slowly changing. and there is nothing wrong about being proud of your past. You don’t fault the proud marathi or target the proud gujjus or the marwaris. So why bengal.
What is wrong if the governments try to promote Bengali as official language? If India can promote Hindi as official and other non-hindi speaking states can promote their regional language, why not West Bengal. The author seems dillusional and hardly any proper idea about Bengal and Bengalis though by name, she is Bengali. She seemed out of subject to write an article. I regret to see that there are such Bengalis in our community! When every other country and race are promoting their languages, some of the Bengalis take us down for doing that! Shame on you.
Sorry to differ on most of the points with the writer.
A very simplified view on a (some sort of ) complex subject with one sided notion.
On the other hand – I feel disgusting when I see people in bengal specially new generation in kolkata feel proud to talk in hindi or hinglish in their native state , which I have never seen in any other states in india! This is the only state in india where some mothers feel proud when theirs children not talking in bengali.
What the writer say is nothing new- we have seen this type of stereotype writing before.
I also think that the writer has not enough credibility to write on this subject apart from being bengali. Through i am not absolutely against criticism- in fact one of my favorite book is AATMAGHAI BANGALI by Nirod C. Chowdhury.
It’s ok the writer express her own notion in media. There is nothing wrong in it. Just gone through it and close the chapter!
The above article reflects very poor and unmatured thoughts of the writer. Requesting The Print to review such write-ups before they are published.Ms Dey is no judge to advocate and decide that Tagore and Ray are past. Actually she has become a past after such an article.Never going to read her articles again.
Sir, do not close your eye to the reality. it is the accepted norm for Bengal now.
Dear Arun, can you please tell me one state where everything is perfect in every aspect? Yes after Congress under cpim era industrialization didn’t enter in our state and in current situation it’s not entering because of political(tmc) problems. But that doesn’t mean in future we’ll not let industrialization or entrepreneurship to happen in WB. But this just article shows hatred for our community. Whoever Deblina is, but she is definitely not a bengali or might be a highly depressed person. Just remember, history knows that bengalis have suffered a lot, but they never give up and will never. And we will always read books of Tagore, B.C. Chatterjee, Jibanananda Das(list goes on..) for some positivity and creative ideas.
I will try not to open your website henceforth… who is this lady who has got no basic idea about history, culture, struggle of state for years… does she know how Bengal industries had to pay extra tax to buy coal or other minerals from the State like Bihar for years. Does she know how entire jute industry has suffered due to the introduction of plastic worldwide. I am really ashamed to know someone from Bengal can write this article without knowing anything about her own state. I m just surprised to see her audacity to humiliate a state and want to ask a simple question, Tui ke re Haridas Paul!! I think she will understand this language
You are showing your poor intellect by saying Rabindra Nath Thakur and Satyajit Ray as past. Their work will remain and be adored forever. You could do something for the society instead of writing this type of useless article which is not worth reading to the end. Actually people like you are not worth to do anything meaningful, so you have enough time to find fault in others. When people are worthless, they criticise. Wise people contribute whatever small or big way they can, to bring positive changes to the society.
The author is right , after seeing the comment section from Bengalies nothing much can be expected, I have seen many bhodroloks who will never say their wards to come back to Kolkata but still basking in the past nostalgia. Kolkata now is not even counted as an A1 city , the city infrastructure crumbling , per capita income almost close to Bihar MP , GDP and annual budget figures are fudged to such an extent that govt only giving handouts and taking huge loans . Not a single big ticket investment . The migrants labour’s will show the true color of rural economy which is next to nothing . WB economy now heavily service oriented , with 18% pie of manufacturing decades back to less than 5% now . From trade union to syndicate Raj nothing have changed , who in their right mind will invest in such a soup . People are too polarized even if they are not part of any political parties they are blind supporters . In WB for decades opposition parties are way too negligible to even counter the narrative of the ruling govts . It takes decades for Bengalies to bring in a new party to power. People are too much politically polarized .
Serious research is required to know and understand why Bangladesh with common cultural icons are progressing and West Bengal is regressing. For that matter why Bangladesh which swears by yesteryear cultural icons like Tagore, Nazrul is doing well economically as well and Pakistan with Allama is going downhill.
So long Bengalis retains their pride and consciousness of Tagore, Ray and other renaissance men of Bengal, Bengal will remain Bengal. Cultural icons are very important for a progressive society. Bangladesh is progressing because of their pride in Tagore, Nazrul and others. Religious bigotry won’t take us anywhere.
Lol, let me tell you something, this is one of the worse article, ever read. Well, let me ask you a simple question. What do you know about the Bengalis and the culture?
1. You are free to write/discuss coz you are free. Who brought the freedom? Netaji Suhas Chandra Bose, Khudiram etc – Bangali.
2. Indian National anthem written by whom? Rabindra Nath Tagor- Bangali.
3. Scientists- Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose & so many.
4. First great film producer & director who won the Oscar- Satyajit Roy
The list is huge.
Let me tell you something, today if you are alive also, there must be atleast one Bengali’s contribution. So don’t prove yourself a JERK.
Though you’ve already proved that. But still.
I would definitely suggest you to read about Bengali’s contribution to the Indian History, Freedom, Politics, Science, Sociology, Research and development, Progress, Culture, Finance, Infrastructure etc before criticizing.
I’m sure you’ve written this article under influence of your insecurities & jealous attitude, but I would definitely suggest you to gather some knowledge before posting such cheap down market articles.
You ate spreading tribalism and separates one against other. Still Bengalis can get Nobel prizes, no other person from other states can get it. West Bengal GSDP like GDP is $170 billions and #6 in the nation just after Gujrat whose GSDP 205 billions. West Bengal mostly serve in service sector (70%) such bank, state and central government, huge teaching community and handicraft and small scale industries. Please do not spread bad publicity about WB.
Very well written. A self introspective Bengali a very rare being especially during the last few decades. The truth is that this love for books had turned Bengalis into excellent theoreticians. Look at those doing PhDs in esoteric fields of study with very little practical relevance. Most will be Bengalis. No wonder putting theory into practice is not the Bengali’s forte. That’s why Waste Bengal. But it was not always so and the best of Bengali talent no longer lives in Bengal. Bengal and Bengalis have been ruined by political religion and blind following of extreme left wing policies. Once both cease being relevant and Bengalis rediscover their own culture and philosophy there will be regeneration. Time to convert this veneration of Tagore and Ray into reclaiming Bengal.
Netaji and Khudiram bose
Did they got the same status in Bengali mindset as Tagore and Ray?
Ask Bengali New generarions if their role model is Khudiram bose?
It is natural Dance, music, bollywood gets preferred over Khudiram style sacrifice.
National anthem, yes controversies are also there it was written as a praise for British kingdom.
Literature and art are crucial but it should be limited to its place. Every region/ country has its own literature
Nobel and Oscar, all r foreign awards, do u think these have helped the downtrodden people in our state any way,
They may be the tool for getting some talented person to have fame but on ground level their wishdom ever helped society as a whole?
Like Nobel laureate sitting in America handled the COVID respone team management. Ha ha
We should be tolerant enough for all ideas.
Madam has shown the mirror atleast.
National Anthem was never written to praise the British. This hoax has been debunked many times. Try to get some basic education and not be brainwashed by everything you read on social media.
Finally someone who speaks truth about West Bengal. West Bengal has become shame of India, instead of leaving India, Bengal is one of the Bimaru States, the poverty in Bengal puts it in the same league of Bihar and Jharkhand. East Indian states are just burden to India.
Don’t say like this. Almost every state is moth riddled in india. Apart from punjab who has taken the responsibility to feed us and uttarakhand that sends majority of its menfolk to the army, the rest of the country is struggling.
We have to rise above others as one force
Bengali bashing sells and improves the TRP these days.
No need to poke into east India, very well is known about your north India be it Delhi, rajasthan or Maharashtra
Ami ei lekha tar Bangla te reply dichhi, English / Hindi janleo echha kore debona. Janina apni Indiar kotota dekhechen. Tobe ekta kotha bolte pari, ei je Bangla ke official language kora niye apnar ato problem, konodin South Imdia te giye dekhe asben tara nijeder language ke kotota somman kore.
Apni Bangali bole ei kotha ta likhte sahosh peyechen karon amra bangali ra sobar boktobbo ke soman morjada di, sobar kotha suni alochona kori. R Time Trap e mone hoy apni nije pore achen amra noi. Asha kori valo thakben, suvo biddhi hok apnar. R kharap somoy jodi sahajjo korte egiye na aste paren, dur theke bose boktrita marbenna.
The malaise is bigger than just Bengal. The Bengali love for the past only stretches 200 years. As a nation (and more specifically the right wing) Indians live and revel in the Vedic/ Puranic times.
The author has only one intention- to see companies like Honda, Samsung, Pidilite,
Nestle, Infosyss, Mahindra, Bajaj, Maruti set up base in Kolkata. To see a Bengal which attracts Marathis, Gujaratis, Tamilians and people from all across.
The author wants to see more cities and not just Kolkata alone. The author wants Bengal to provide as many opportunities to its citizens and students. Today most of them go out after passing from our prestigious Jadavpur or any University.
Let the Calcutta Stock Exchange be revived, let Bengal become the center of trade and commerce. Let global companies like Adidas, Reebok set up factories in Bengal.
That is the only intention. Many people have not liked the way she has written. But none of those are businessmen, most of them are salaried workers.
What will convince people to invest in Bengal. For that Bengalis must move away from greatness of past to making Bengal relevant in global supply chains
If I really have to give a piece of my mind over the article then , it’s not certainly poorly written but the writer needs to have more facts at her/his hand while writting such an article . I do understand, the conservative bengali chauvinism”, which the writer brings forth and was present since the early 1900s .And ,was heavily criticised by bengali writters .Pointing out this chauvinistic mentality , Tagore himself wrote in his essay on “Nationalism” that these sentiments of pride are just for political and moral unification , as seen throughout history . The Bengali hubris is hurt if an article like this is published when Bengal itself is in such a dire state .
I believe when the writer is understanding enough to comprehend the Bengali chauvinistic mentality , he surely is capable enough to understand the deprivation of assistance and solidarity by the Centre . And , that it is not the right time to bank on the tidal sentiments of Bengalis .
God! I am really saddened how low “the print” has stooped to . I mean, this is the outlet that covered the story of “Harsh Mander” didn’t it? And promoted NC Saxena’s book? Aren’t you at all reading what you are preaching , are you?
You are a lady, and my Bengali culture has taught me to celebrate womanhood and respect women. I thus refrain myself from giving a point by point reply to all the nonsense that you have written- cause I would be using some harsh words for that, and I want to avoid insulting a woman. However, your words does prove your stupidness, lack of knowledge, and why proper education is very much the essential of this country. Just knowing how to write stories, doesn’t make you a literate. Stay safe.
If most Bengalis have to go outside the state to earn a living that gives them income just enough for two meals then what is the pride for.
Travel across India and you will find that most labour is from UP, Bihar and WB and also Orissa.
Lakhs of Bengalis just want to get out of Bengal at any cost.
Barring Kolkata there is no other city. Kolkata was created by the British. Industrial decline was manmade. They say every state cannot be industrially competent, then why WB does not lead in IT, BPO or why no great food companies are in WB.
Bengalis are in some imagined world especially the bhadralok elite.
No one can win a debate or an argument with a Bengali. They win debate always. But can never can convince a Tata or a Mahindra or a Bajaj to set up factories in WB.
Hope Bengalis realise that their state is now seen on the lines of Bihar and UP. The imagined greatness of the past has never let them face reality.
Crappy article. People like you are more responsible for the degradation of bengal and bangalees. It’s better that people like you have been migrated from this state. Our state doesn’t want burden of having treacherous like you.
I don’t intend to dissect too much into Bengal and the so called Bengalee chauvinism. Bengal’s predicament started with the division of Bengal. The cartographic redrawing, beside throwing a logistical nightmare for time to come, created a high compression of demographic density jn the western territory. The then Indian leadership are squarely responsible for failing to bargain for West Bengal’s interests. On top of it was the failure to transfer the minorities en block to the eastern territwhereas near total purging of the Hindu minority there continues even now. Transfer of capital city to Delhi too had its toll on Bengal’s momentum. All these are historical, though unmitigably persisting.
Why else my displaced father had to struggle unto death. Why did I have to live hand to mouth in building a modest shelter in this new settlement. Why have the Bengalees had to scatter, settle and rescue themselves all over the country and abroad by dint of their mettle, adaptibility and struggle. And, over the time they have raised themselves into valued citizens wherever they settled in the length and breadth of the country and abroad. Can anybody quote any other states, barring Punjab, which had so much to go through that has not ended even now
The balance sheet could have been much stronger in favour of Bengal but for the elitist Congress, myopic Left Front primarily in areas of language policy, industrial relations and soft pedalling as well as dilution of state authority; Trinamool on the other hand captured and holding power rudderlessly with empowerment of goons, autocracy and tacit patronage of powers that be at the Centre to dethrone Left Front. People’s ambivalence aided the perpetuation of the blue and white party. The Center-State mock concert is still on with high and low noises, throwing the state into back gear.
What Bengal holds to her breast is its cultural assets, as she drifts on a sinking boat. OH BENGAL!
If this is journalism……I think many people who once aspired to be one would be happy to not to take up this profession.
Yes ….Bengal has many issues but which state of our country does not have.
The glorious (also an ashame Bong) criticised the imposition of Bengali language on the people but it is a fact which we can’t deny that most of the Indian states are doing it.
And yes all the great personalities who are mentioned by the sad Bong author…. represent our region and they are our pride !!
So much of negativity amidst a crisis broke my heart and just wanted to say we all can join hands to rebuild our state from every possible dimension.
Firstly,Looks like u didn’t find anything to write about Bengal even when districts have been wiped out by Amphan.
Secondly, I don’t think u have ever imbibed anything about Rabindranath Tagore or Satyajit Ray or any other great thinkers of Bengal because they’re views and ideas have proven to be timeless. Respecting and celebrating culture isn’t backwardness.
Third, the economic situation has many contributing factors and it is complex. Culture has nothing to do with it, rather it has taught us that there are much more things to appreciate and find happiness in life and it’s not only money. But that doesn’t mean we forget our paycheck.
Lastly, please check the latest health bulletin, we have crossed 9k tests per day. Your entire article sounded like a propaganda WhatsApp forward, which aims at our rich cultural heritage, ofcourse which prevents many of us from being blind and indifferent to society.
Emotive, rather than analytic.
And emotive too, fuelled by ignorance and fed by populist rhetoric.
Have you checked any facts?
WB fumbled with the initial testing, and tried to cover up the consequence (high CFR due to low case detection), agreed. But this tactic was later used by Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and other states too – to try and delineate ‘direct deaths’ and ‘indirect deaths’. The role of the centrally funded ICMR in sending faulty kits to WB cannot be overlooked.
The improvement has been dramatic. Despite constant Central interference (missing in the BJP ruled states, predictably) WB today has a testing rate of over 1400 per million. From the lowest in the country, it is not even in the bottom 10, and is set to cross the average soon. The recovery rate is better than the national average. Verify your facts and then spew your balderdash.
Coming to misplaced Bengali pride, WB has consolidated its position in the upper 1/3rd of all states, on crucial indicators such as under 5 mortality rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, literacy rate, maternal mortality ratio, gender equality index. To compare, the Gujarat model lies exposed today as a non-inclusive, lopsided development model.
Responsible journalism has anyway been thrown to the wind today. And if there has been one consistent decline in quality, and a rottening stagnation in mediocrity, among a domain of the Bengalis, it has been in journalism. The state had once produced or hosted some of India’s best journalists. Sadly, today, such articles serve only to insult that legacy.
Comorbidity case has been stagnant to 72 for last 5-6 weeks. Why???
The author should be congratulated on his true representation of his thoroughly ignorant yet proud group. Let the author be offered, as a reward, a free course on Better Buffonery. What Tagore advised and actually did for the economic upliftment of his countrymen are generally beyond the syllabus of these buffoons. ThePrint is equally to be held responsible for this trash. Well, popular theories on increasing circulation can only support such activities.
There is nothing wrong if we criticise ourselves to get rid of our bad traits or demerits. Only by self analysis a nation can become progressive. I had been in Calcutta for a long period, I had received my basic academic education including engineering in institutions under great CU and JU. What is the present educational status prevailing now in Calcutta/west Bengal , I do not know but certainly I am proud of the best educational wisdom, sound knowledge in basic sciences and technical disciplines I have acquired in the institutions I have studied in, without which it would not have been possible to set up several high tech production centres manufacturing biochemicals of the best quality possible developed by me through r& d for export to developed countries earning thousands of dollare. Definitely we could do better in future,as necessary elements are present in the Bengali intellects, all are not lost. Rgds Dr k k bhattacharya Coimbatore TN , a scientist of india Remarks I am a great admirer and worshipper of phenomenally gifted Tagore and Ray of the highest international standard possible .
There is nothing wrong if we criticise ourselves to get rid of our bad traits or demerits. Only by self analysis a nation can become progressive. I had been in Calcutta for a long period, I had received my basic academic education including engineering in institutions under great CU and JU. What is the present educational status prevailing now in Calcutta/west Bengal , I do not know but certainly I am proud of the best educational wisdom, sound knowledge in basic sciences and technical disciplines I have acquired in the institutions I have studied in, without which it would not have been possible to set up several high tech production centres manufacturing biochemicals of the best quality possible developed by me through r& d for export to developed countries earning thousands of dollare. Definitely we could do better in future,as necessary elements are present in the Bengali intellects, all are not lost. Rgds Dr k k bhattacharya Coimbatore TN , a scientist of india Remarks I am a great admirer and worshipper of phenomenally gifted Tagore and Ray of the highest international standard possible .
Shame on Dey who has tried to show her intelect. Does she know what the sentiments are of average Bengali (baring people like her) with #RabindranathTagore and #SatyajitRay? Is she even proud to be a #Bengali or curse herself for being one. What is she trying to prove? Who ghe hell is she to sermon Bengalies to forget Tagore and Ray. Shame on The Print for carrying such a story. What an audecity… Condemn!
Can you convince any Indian industrialst to set up a base in WB? Our boys and girls are running to Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad for jobs. Why are we not able to give them jobs here.
I was shocked to see the number of young Bengalis in Bangalore. I thought only a few would be there. We are in Lakhs even in Pune.
How many lakh Marathi and Kannada or Punjabis come to our state for any kind of work? We have nothing to offer. No economic opportunities. We are a state living on repatriation alone.
Try starting a small business in Bengal. I am sure you would have cursed if not killed the people we encounter. How difficult it is to run even a small business here.
And we are 12 crore people. Can we not provide some opportunities for our own people here.
Not sure why you are offended, I really enjoyed this article as the author has been bold enough to call out the current state of Bengal, which is quite shameful. West Bengal is living in illusions of past while the per capita income of west bengal is one of the lowest in India, less then half of per capita income of my state. West Bengal who was industrial power house of India once is nothing more than a member of Bimaru state.
Live in deception and you will only go down.
Which state are you from? Just wanted to verify your claim of double per capita income.
Sir Rajput what is your state and where is the data ?
pallab Ghosh do not leve in a fools paradise. Those days are gone about 50 years back. Now the scociety in Bengal is decaying. Abject poverty, No jobs. Miniscule Middleclass. Thriving Middleclass is the engine of growth, which Bengal sadly lack. That is why this situation. I stay in Ahmedabad. recently I know a person staying in my complex who was born in Calcuuta, grown up in Calcutta, Then joined as Clark in BOI in Calcutta. Now being an officer who recently promoted to Scale IV and got transfer order for Calcutta. That person refused to go to Calcutta inspite being his ancestral home is in calcutta. His relatives are there. BOKA BANGALI OPTED FOR REGIONAL PARTIES TO GOVERN THE STATE IN THE LAST 43 YEARS AND PAID THE PRICE FOR THIS DECAY. ALWAYS FIGHTING WITH THE CENTRE. NET RESULT ABJECT POVERTY TO THE CITIZENERY. DECAYING SCOCEITY CRETED MORE CRIME, DEPRESSION AND IDEOSYNCRACY. HOW MANY EMINENT BENGALIS ARE THERE IN THE INDUSTRIAL HORIZON. wORLD.S TOP 15 CEO’S ARE INDIAN BUT NONE ARE BENGALIS. NO EMINENT POLITICIANS. NO EMINENT LITTERATE PERSON. NO EMINENT CRIKETOR, NO EMINENT CINEMA PERSONALITIES, NO EMINENT INDUSTRIQALIST , NO EMINENT HISTORIANS, ETC ETC. ONLY EXHORTIONIST. STILL PROUD BENGALIS VOTED FOR 34 YEARS TO COMUNIST AND THEN TWO TERMS TO A LUNATIC WOMEN CALLED MAMATA BANERJEE WHO DRIVEN AWAYA THE TATA NANO FACTORY. SINCE THEN NO INDUSTRIAL GROWTH. TMC GOVERNMENT PROVIDING FUDGED DATA TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENRT FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSE. LIKE GDP CALCULLATION, ETC. PRACTICALLY THERE IS NO EMPLOYMENT SCOPE IN CALCUTTA. EDUCATION SYSTEM IS VERY POOR.
semi-literate rant!
See we are happy with what we have, how we are…not interfering into anything…yes i know when u don’t get news or articles u have to make up a good story mixing spices in it… firstly get some knowledge about the topic then try to express it not on a paper but openly…only if your so called “Bengali” people can control their rage…
The fact is bengal’s per capita income is less then half of my state and Bengal is indeed a failure of India, it’s shameful that a land of Bose and Tagore could not lead India but became a burden. Your wish if you want to disagree however facts/ numbers state otherwise and currently intellectual level of bengal has degraded so much that I can’t even honor my time by discussing such topic with any bengali
Rajput, I want to give you a muft ka gyan lelo. Just remember pci doesn’t shows how poor a person or his/her family is. It’s living standard. But because dollar has high valuability than rupees doesn’t mean that every American can have better lifestyle than an Indian. A big population in US can’t even get health facility like we get in India. Similarly, living standard of the people in WB can get better lifestyle than Indian states ofcourse like UP, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and this is a fact proven by economists. Ofcourse there are states better than us like Kerala, Goa, Punjab, Maharashtra etc.
A very simplistic take on a very complex subject…the economic devolution process of WB is not so simple. And certainly it has got nothing to do with the adulation of buddhi by Bengalis.
In so far as use of Bengali is concerned, the writer dies not seem to hv any idea about working in other states of indian union…u can’t avoid tye vernacular anywhere but in WB…in fact that’s what is creating a new specis…tye non-Bengali Bengalis.
She has to catch up with a lot of reading and research..unbiased and open.
And even if what she writes is true, she shd not be overly agitated….she is already is heaven…she shd be gloating in her superior Indian intellect.
Let us face our own battle, with all the troubles and yes, of course with Robindranath Thakur and Satyajit Ray et al.
Very poorly written. Uses hackneyed cliche`s. Of course a lot is wrong with Bengal but this opinion and judgement first with little contemporary context is a critique of Bengal that has had its run for many years. In CoffeeHouse and beyond right down to the carrom adda discussions. Print. You do much better than this everyday. Don’t let bunk class thinkers and writers sully your standards.
Brilliantly written article – I second it completely. Its sure to draw harsh criticism from a group of self proclaimed entitled Bengalis i call the “Bengali Bhakts”. They will present their same narrow minded narrative that knowing Bengali fluently, Satyajit Ray, Tagore are signs of being a good Bengali.
To these so called “Bengali Bhakts” i would like to throw some statistics:- Dear Sir, Ma’am – Do you even know whats the yardstick of Economic progression ?
Ans : No its not the amount of writers, singers, sports stars, film directors or cultural activists that a state/country produces but its the number of Entrepreneurs. Because entrepreneurs are the ones that create value and job opportunists to propel the economy and drive the socio economic development. WB is nearly 10% of India’s population which is the 2nd most populous country in the world. Yet not a single one has ever featured in the Forbes lists such a SHAME INDEED. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw as born to Bengali parents but they are Non Resident Bengali’s so cant consider her. There are hundreds of Indians who feature there do take a look its really interesting.
These bengali bhakts are basically daydreamers, living in the past, bragging about the glorious past but have no practicality or connection to current affairs whatsoever. Yet for these bhakts who are shy to back the reality Bengal continues to plunge in obsolescence and irrelevance.
Also Bengal was an industrial powerhouse only during the early colonial period due to its strategic location & East India company. Something what was lost post the capital was shifted to Delhi. It has nothing to do with Bengali’s at all.
TIP – How to counter these bengali bhakts ? – Its easy, Just throw statistics to them. Ideologically driven people cant argue with numbers or facts, because if they were they would’t have been a bhakt in the 1st place.
Kiran Mazumdar is a Gujrati. Yes, wikipedia is wrong. The fact that you don’t know about Bengali entrepreneurs shows how much statistics you can throw. Call me an arrogant non Bengali but please don’t ever throw statistics to Bengali, they are probably better than us in that field https://mobile.twitter.com/kiranshaw/status/396248913054687232?lang=en
Did you even read you point before replying ?? Or the compulsion of replying was so great that you forgot the point of your reply. I will reiterate … Can you name few bengali entrepreneurs who features in the fobres list in the last 30 yrs ?? I can name 100s of Gujarati’s.
I don’t think there is any world class or even national level singer, writer or scientist from Gujarat except one or two like Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
And even my experience says there is hardly any Gujarati in top tier institutes of India like IISc or IITs or JNU or BHU.
These are also statistics! How can you ignore this?
You know why it’s like this? Cause most of them follow their family business or any new business. From a very tender age, their brains start engaging in business ideas, which make then great entrepreneurs.
And the entire Bengali community will also be proud to see you as a World Class Entrepreneur!
Good luck for you young man!
Thank you Sir. I will try surely.
This article shows judgemental comments and inexperienced thoughts and a pinch of revenge of not being able to get anything from Bengal or establish herself in Bengal…totally politically motivated mind …by saying that she has opposed mamta banerjee and cpm rule …so we know who she is working for…another Godi media mediocre reporter…and yes obviously her reply to all the comments above would be
“These people are emotional bengali fools who can’t take criticism”. Cheers to your career ….way to go
Open ur eyes and dumb mind and start seeing the reality instead of criticising the writer … Just because she criticise bengalis,TMC and CPM she is politically motivated? So with the same logic i can also accused u of being politically motivated cz its touched ur hurting nerve or u r not even open to take the criticism..
THIS CHILDISH REPLY BY RIK MUKHERJEE KEEPING HIS EYE CLOSED TO THE REALITY. IS SAD THAT IS EVEN AFTER SUFFERING FOR 43 YERS IN THE HANDS OF REGIONAL PARTIES, THIS MAN EULOGISING A LUNATIC WOMEN WOSE CONTRIBUTION TO BENGAL’S GROWTH IS NEGETIVE. WHEN BENGALIS WILL WOKE UP.
Chai wala dumb guy and his minions can go burn trains in gujarat.. hope kejriwal repeats his face pulping win over Blow job party in other states as well
Extremely poor quality , childish writing. Less said the better. Please review your articles before publishing such rubbish.
These bengali bhakts are basically daydreamers, living in the past, bragging about the glorious past but have no practicality or connection to current affairs whatsoever. Yet for these bhakts who are shy to back the reality Bengal continues to plunge in obsolescence and irrelevance.
Also Bengal was an industrial powerhouse only during the early colonial period due to its strategic location & East India company. Something what was lost post the capital was shifted to Delhi. It has nothing to do with Bengali’s at all.
I feel most of the statements made by the writer is from her own biased opinions . Well if she says that Bengalis boast of their rich culture then what’s wrong on that ? Like Gujratis boast of producing great businessmen , marathas boast of producing warriors like Shivaji . I feel every community must be proud of its culture and national identity as whole. The most bogus thing to hear was speaking Bengali is imposed in west Bengal , I bet thousands of marwadi or Bihari brothers who settled in Bengal can testify that no such imposition is done , as I myself have many non- Bengali friends who are born and brought up in Bengal but don’t know a single Bengali word. I also stand with this that no language should be imposed on any part of India . I think the writer misunderstood it with the ideology of Shivshena imposed by Bal Thackery in Maharashtra ” that maratha for Marathis” . No such ideology was ever imposed by any political party in west Bengal , infact the Cm herself makes important announcements in all Hindi , Bengali and English languages.Clearly writer has very less idea about Bengal. She must have confused it for South India where people only speak English and there own native language, and that’s also in my few no wrong , everyone can speak any Language of their desire in a free country like India. And if the writer feels promotion of her mother tongue within her linguistic community as an imposition then she must be ashamed of such a mindset . I really resisted myself from reporting this comment , as I appreciate the articles of Print. I don’t know whether Quint reviews comments on its articles , but if it does so I request it not to hire such novice , biased writers to write articles
Once the ecconomy moves downwards, every thing will go away slowly. Bengal is suffering from that. Add to that the illegal migrants from
Bangladsh. The entire scociety is hinged on engine of growth i.e ecconomy. Unless ther ecconomy of the state is set right , things will not improve. There are moee suisides in Bengal than in any other states. Being based in Ahmedabad, I have come accross thousands of gujaratis, marwaris who were born in
Bengal but sadly have to move out due to lac of engine of growth., There is no industrialiazation in Bengal unlike in the west , south and some part of north. Because of lac of opputunities, even like Bangladeshis , poor Bengalis are moving out of Bengal. They work as land labourers, Drivers, Security Guards, women work as Maid servents, , Muslim men folk work as tailors, unskilled labours in the industries etc.
I just have one thing to say to the author. If you are so concerned about Bengal and it’s state of misery, why sit in a New Delhi office, working for a company that has nothing to do with Bengal? Come back, struggle and work with the millions within the state to make it great again. If you can’t do that, don’t sit some thousand kilometers away and whine about Bengalis. This is the problem, we tend try and get off a sinking ship the first chance we get. Peace out, Sister.
Haha! Can’t believe how negative the author thinks about “his” bengal. These are the people who don’t take pride in our bhasha nor can read or write fluently (even if they do they will hide it). FYI Bengal is doing one of the best in the country when tackling with the pandemic.The number of cases is less than the national average after more than 1 lakh testing.Please get your facts correct. Maybe you are one of those Bhakts sent to a non BJP state to defame our CM.Did you know Bengal was given only 2 testing centres till end of April (NICED & SSKM) when the other states were testing in pvt labs too? And please don’t get me started on the faulty testing kits. 34 years of industrial stagnantion thanks to the CPI(M) government cannot be changed in a day my dear. It will take 60 years atleast. Open your eyes and please don’t talk utter rubbish about ‘amar shonar bangla’. We do and we will take pride in being superior to the rest even if you like it or not. Thanks 🙂
Never read such a poor article from The Print, the author seems to written out the frustration of her from the few bengali people of her acquaintances.
Though a non-Bengali, I have great admiration for Bengali culture & intellectual strength of Bengalis all over India. However, there seems to be a mismatch between very high capabilities of Bengalis & average prosperity & mediocre development seen on ground in West Bengal, which to me is a paradox. Author is not denigrating anything or anybody and I think his point is to be taken in right spirit.
Your matured views are commendable, which seems perfect as far as Bengalis of Bengal concerned, who have degenerated Bengal into such shape. But their miopic observations call it ‘Unnayon’.
If possible Mr. Bengali hate man please please please change your blood of Bengali parents and change genetic characters those you have got by birth. If not, just go through all literatures, science, culture of today way after Satyajit or Tagore – you will find many more interesting and encouraging developments in all field.
Hope you have contributed a lot to the society, specially for betterment of bengali culture, intellectual activities and many more which we can feel.
If not, then please stop hating bengali….
If we look at the present we all know about noble laureate Abhijit Banerjee. So I don’t agree we are trapped in the past. There are various other fields where Bengalis are leading. I do agree the conditions are not much appreciable in Bengal, still it’s not so worse as much mentioned herein. Also we can’t only blame Bengal politics , in fact the whole of Indian politics shares the blame as a whole.
I can’t agree with the conclusion of the author. Bengali speaking population are in every corner of the world and their present contributions in all areas of knowledge are recognised by all.This is reflected in the honours awarded by different countries, institutions etc.to bengali speaking persons. Author should make more research before any conclusion.
I have a personal experience that Bengalis when settles outside forget Bengal and feels everything is worst in Bengal. Some of them even loves and proudly announces that they cannot read / write Bengali. Yes there are issues but no point of linking them with Tagore or Satyajit . Blaming only past or present Government is not the correct option. There are other factors which the writer has not taken into consideration. I have stayed outside Bengal for 40 years but never used to say our Bengal is worst. If I say Bengal is worst so proudly , it is an act of disrespect to our Parents. Other than Tagore and Satyajit , there are many Bengalis who are at leading position in various fields in Industries. Author is not aware of same. There could be more people like her and we have to expose all of them.
Dear D Sarkar,
Your Opinion on Probasi Bangali is just Like “Bongo Santaan”.
Roam Out of Bengal in Durga Puja days,When Probasi Bangalis are in Bangali Mood. Here people Arrange Bangla Natak,Singing Bangla Rabindra Sangeet,Competition on Art and Culture.
YES,THEY TALK IN BANGLA, AND NOT IN HINDI,OR,OTHER STATE LANGUAGE THEY ARE LIVING.
I GO BENGAL EVERY YEAR.
AND I BECOME FRUSTRATED AND IRRITATED TO SEE THEIR LATEST MODI TYPE HINDI PREM,SOUTH FILM TUPE DANCE, BOLLYWOOD TYPE DIALOGUE….
EXCEPT BENGALI LANGUAGE,EXCEPT BENGALI CULTURE EVERYTHING CAN BE SEEN IN BANGLA.
I AM 7TH GEN OUT OF WEST BENGAL/BANGLA, AND WRITE,SPEAK ,LECTURE IN FLUENT BANGLA.
The writer of this article should be ashamed of himself/herself. You mentioned a point about imposition of the Bengali language as a political vendetta but have you noticed the fact the the Bengali language is itself dying out. How many of this generation can fluently read and write Bengali? The government is trying to save the language from dying out. And about the health infrastructure I am sorry to say this the govt. Does provide enough for it it’s up-to the people how they use it how they maintain it. The govt can’t teach them do this and do that. When we talk about Ray and Tagore or of Amarty sen and others it’s a matter of Bengali pride. And for the poor economic condition, the fact is who is going to listen to intellectuals. Indians are always swayed by communal politics and Bengal is also not above it. Unless and until we do away with this communalism Indian economy will not flourished nor will of Bengal.
What’s wrong with this person! Don’t call yourself a bengali. Every human should remember his past and be more proud if it is glorious. Most of states in India have regional language in their state government offices and why not? Industry and jobs don’t bring cultures. Otherwise another states and countries could have better cultures. Cultures comes from intelligence, test and understanding. And it is said well that ” what bengali will think today , rest of the country will think tomorrow.” West Bengal 1st said about the faulty covid kits. Then the other states said. We know we are decaying, I truly believe we will take care of that. Don’t be hateful, rather be furious if you can, like Bengalis.
WORST ARTICLE WRITTEN BY A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN . BENGAL REJECTS THE VIEWS OF AN IGNORANT SUFFERING FROM INFERIORITY COMPLEX FEEDING THE EGOS OF THE IDIOTS PERHAPS FOR CONSIDERATIONS OTHER THAN TRUTH.
THIS IS AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY A JOURNALIST WHO HAS MADE A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN.
BENGALIS ARE AND WILL REMAIN AT THE TOP.
THE BENGALI BASHERS SUFFER FROM INFERIORITY COMPLEX. THEY ARE DWARFED IN FRONT OF THE COLOSSUSSES BENGAL’S ART AND ARCHITECTURE, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, SPORTS AND ADVENTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, TRADE AND COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE,JOURNALISM AND TELEVISION NEWS FEATURES PRESENTATION,DANCE AND MUSIC, THEATRE AND CINEMA AND FINALLY MILITARY MIGHTS.
COUNTING WOULD BE EMBARASSING BUT IN RECENT TIMES I FIND THIS AS THE WORST ARTICLE WRITTEN TO FEED THE EGOS OF THE IDIOTS PERHAPS FOR CONSIDERATIONS OTHER THAN TRUTH!
EAST BENGAL IS DOING WELL WITHOUT THE NON BENGALIS WEST BENGAL WILL DO BETTER STILL!
What exactly are you so proud of… I mean look at the state of today’s Bengal. This is not what you call a developed state rather decaying one. Not a single major industry can be found that can give the Bengalis enough jobs to keep the state economy going. Things are more bleak than they were ever before and thinking about architecture language and literature of the old is just hanging on to the achievement of the people before you. That is just having an escape from reality in form of pride.
Looks like you’ve never stepped out of the state or never have seen hard work of middle class.
I never commented on anything like this before but after reading this article Yeah i have too. Yes, this is so true and current situation of bengal needs to get evolved and developed.This will not going to stop the politics, crime, riots and lack of jobs until we step forward. I always believe in power of unity with a correct light. We all need to stand up and needs to change the face of bengal by changing our mindset. The tagore , subhash bose and satyajit are the icons there is nothing wrong by remembering them and get nostalgic. The problem is after modi government established in 2013 ,people are having keen interest in politics. The people of small towns are more interested in discussing politics that too criticizing modi. People need to accept him (specially benaglis) and start focusing on themselves what they are meant for and what they are doing for county and their state. At the end west bengal is still powerful and can manage everything . Just they need the right light to focus on.
Don’t think so. We Bengalis have always been too much interested in Politics. Especially in roadside tea shops.
This should be an article in a Bengali daily. There is very little a non-Bengali can say about the state of the State of Bengal as anything one says will be rejected anyway with “we know better”. It is the equivalent of “you know who I am” in Delhi.
The author has a point but articulated it so badly.
Dear Feel Ashamed To Be A Bengali – your views are yours, it doesn’t effect my feelings or pride for my roots, my Bangla. Write whatever you want to but atleast use basic spell check and grammar – your tagline weather it is to duck…, It should be whether in this case. Weather signifies Climate.
Dear Feel Ashamed To Be A Bengali – your views are yours, it doesn’t effect my feelings or pride for my roots, my Bangla. Write whatever you want to but atleast use basic spell check and grammar – your tagline “weather it is to duck…”, It should be whether in this case. Weather signifies Climate.
Common people of West Bengal are being fed our glorious past of Bengal in the name election by worst politics . Yes it’s the burning time to think about the future generations of West Bengal instead of being confined into the trap of bad politics which have been eating our vital. Time has come to think about the development of industry and business to boost up the state economy with solidarity . The state has still potential to formulate a new dimension flawlessly to prosper . The more we think positively the more we recover firmly.
All i want to say is, I do not think it is a coincidence that this article has been published a couple of days after the state of WB and Odisha has been completely obliterated by a cyclone! Kudos to The Print for your vulture journalism. I admit this is something you can debate and it is a valid one, but now?
WOW! and for what? for a few extra clicks? this is shameful jounalism!
Ban the writer for ever, who can’t support her motherland has no authority to write anymore. I am ashamed of this “Bengali”.. She should ask for pardon.
I stopped reading when the author brought up the term ‘Waste Bengal’ which is usually used by Bengali-hating degenerates via Whatsapp forwards and Facebook.
Yes , Bengal has problems. We need to address that.
But if you think that printing such an article after the disastrous Amphan amidst Covid and using terms as above is helpful, then I guess you should steer clear of our state.
A load of bullshit parading as an opinion piece. Demanding respect for the local language is cited as an instance of regressive behaviour. It is because of this kind of thought that cultures decay, not by looking to stalwarts like Tagore for inspiration.
Extremely shallow write-up from a “not so proud Bengali” who has discounted the fact that the buddhijibis has contributed to 6 nobles prizes and an Oscar which are immortal achievements carved into Indian history..
She may have discounted the sacrifices of the Bengali freedom fighters without whom the freedom of India was all but a distant dream.
Yeah impossible to nullify that Bengal is victim of extreme trade unionism , stupendous industrial policies which has seen a consistent routing of the industrial portfolio of the state, but when entire India is taken into context it’s impractical to compare against Maharashtra,Gujarat ,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which has propelled light years away from the rest of the states.
Well Wb is the 5th highest gdp contributor to India and this is one fact our author should take account off.
I am not surprised by this article as this is the mindset of majority of the Bengali population who takes immense pride in neighbouring states and has extreme apathy to their own..not surprised that the entire country makes fun of us.
Socrates needs to be called to figure out the probable reasons for the abrupt degeneration of such a highly distinguished culture, to a state of waste, in so short a time span of less than a hundred years. However all may have not been lost for the Bengali-speaking tribe. While Bengal declined because of its pseudo-intellectual pride and possibly communistic leanings, East Pakistanis have somewhat demonstrated the potential of the Bengalee after shedding their aggressively Islamist masters. Bengalees of Bangladesh are on a growth path with their economy now outstripping that of Pakistan.
It is therefore possible that with good leadership and administration, West Bengal will regain some of its lost ground in future.
A horrible article. Not everything is good in West Bengal. But still it has so many positive aspects of life! It’s cultural and intellectual life is still thriving. No casteism. Politics is less colored by religion and caste compare to other states of India. Industrial progression should not be the only yardstick to judge a civilisation’s progress. This pandemic should teach us that.
Extremely shallow write-up from a “not so proud Bengali” who has discounted the fact that the buddhijibis has contributed to 6 nobles prizes and an Oscar which are immortal achievements carved into Indian history..
She may have discounted the sacrifices of the Bengali freedom fighters without whom the freedom of India was all but a distant dream.
Yeah impossible to nullify that Bengal is victim of extreme trade unionism , stupendous industrial policies which has seen a consistent routing of the industrial portfolio of the state, but when entire India is taken into context it’s impractical to compare against Maharashtra,Gujarat ,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Well Wb is the 5th highest gdp contributor to India and this is one fact our author should take account off.
I am not surprised by this article as this is the mindset of majority of the Bengali population who takes immense pride in neighbouring states and has extreme apathy to their own..not surprised that the entire country makes fun of us.
||Weather-Where did this come from? || Invoking Bengali pride has been one of the distinct traits of West Bengal’s politicians, weather it is to duck criticism on Covid or play the language card.
What’s the issue in invoking pride in one’s own state and culture?what makes u so sore about that?state politicians play these tricks in each state..Bal Saheb Thackeray was the biggest proponent of Jai Maharashtra and bashing the outside population in a regular intervals so ur logic is rubbish..and when u speak of Covid why don’t u take a notice of Gujarat which initially boasted of the state of the art facility yet miserably failing in managing the infection..Or what about the inhuman and insensitive state of Migrant labours who has flooded the national highways and being left to rot while the central govt is busy extracting the NRI from foreign countries..
Well, if they have such gems from the past why shouldn’t they take pride in them? Every community does that. Also it is interesting that the author forgot to mention laws like freight equalisation which along with other factors contributed to the industrial decline of Eastern India in general and Bengal in particular.
I think there is a great misconception in author’s mind and some who are commenting. Well I am a physicist pursuing my studies in one of the top 3 Universities of India. Let me tell you, about 30-40% professors and students in Central Universities and research institues are Bengali! Yes, this the actual picture! You can verify this fact from any faculty list of these institutes. And most of our proud professors are either from University of Calcutta or Jadavpur University. The picture is similar for both Science and Arts!
Even today if some Indian wins a Nobel prize, he is a Bengali!
Even in COVID-19 fight, Bengali researchers did a great job of successfully creating 1Cr instant testing kits!
What a shit of a writer. Due to bengalis like these west bengal stands behind every other state despite of having alot. And a state like gujarat is shown as tising sun just with sheer marketing. Bengalis like the writer is killing bengal and no one else.
Why do you people write on these topics highlighting the most cliché points? Atleast have some variety or check facts before writing. Shame on the publishers who promote such unorganised and amateur writing. Very poorly written, you self loathing Bengali.
I am not a Bengali but I’m tired of reading self loathing Bengalis writing articles about Bengal without facts, contrary to what most people Bengal was never a industrial powerhouse, it had industries, it still has some but calling it a powerhouse is bit too much. Bengal’s healthcare is good is if not great, I’ve seen several people from my state(Jharkhand) crossing over to Bengal and get treated. The poverty statistics, healthcare statistics nowhere shows that Bengal is doing very poorly. Adivasi rights, gender equality, regional equality is much better. I’ve been to North Karnataka, Marathwada, East Gujrat etc, you can see the state’s neglect in these regions. The west coast benefited from the oil boom in 70 80s. Bengal suffered from freight equalisation policy at the same time. Jadavpur and Calcutta univ are the top state funded universities in QS global rankings. Books are great, instead of invoking some Maratha pride and erecting statues or doing drama over tallest Ram statues, Bengalis talk about Tagore, Ray, classical sangeet, I don’t see too much damage being done by this kind of pride.
Sir I salute you and as a Bengali take pride in showing this except of urs to the kind that this author belongs to.
So correct you are. Our great regret is we have such Bengalis among ourselves who doesn’t belong to our community.
West Bengal is beyond saving. It breaks my heart to say this but it is true. Union-raj and the Syndicate-raj, are the two main pillars of economic vandalism in west bengal, two seeds both sowed by the left and then brought up by Mamata Banerjee, and now both have swamped the state.
I am a bengali, born and brought up in Bengal. I know the vibe of the people. People can not see the truth. Ones who do are deemed as “not bengali enough” and rejected. It takes 10years to build a 4km stretch of a metro line, and we are still proud of it. Our cocoon is so thick that a reality can not hurt our ego. But if we are drowning inside our body then how will our cocoon save us?
tagore and satyajit ray are past ! their visions are everything we need to restore as bengalis indians and human beings – discarding aggresive national – regional nationalism, love of equality, humanity, diversity , aim for economic self sufficiency, a vision for a better humane world – this is what they envisioned – so we all need to follow tagore and ray in their spirit – only then can we live in a better world – not discard them and move on
Excellent article. For too long Bengal has wallowed in its past glories and has justified its present miseries on the ‘other’. To misquote Shakespeare, the fault my deard, lies not in the others, but in ourselves that we are underlings. The parochialism which makes us cast the rest of the universe as the non-Bengali, as if we are some kind of superior beings, has made us an object of mirth and pity. Lets acknowledge our past failures and mistaken vanity and embrace the future with humility.
A section of Bengalis living outside Bengal shade crocodile tears based on wrong or half cooked information from media houses run by or controlled by vested interests .
Sir with all due respect I think you don’t know some big names in the area of research and education like Prof. Ashoke Sen and Prof. A. K. Roychowdhury and there are many more in this area. I can present many facts in front of you but I will not because it seems that the above article is not fact based its based on narrative.
Is it only tradeunionism or flight of capital following shift of power centre from Britsh Kolkata that resulted in Marwaris and Gujratis moving out their capital’s from the state?And about Tagore and Ray, they are evergreen and their views and works would be relevant even 100 years from now
Since independence the leaders irrespective of their political affiliations and ideology destroyed what was once known as Bengal. Dr B C Roy though socially towering personality was a politically minnow handed over some revenue bearing districts to other states on the insistence of his leader Nehru which caused great harm to QUINTUPLICATE Bengal financially.Bengal was modern even before the rein of Dr B C Roy. But after the death of him it was and still is a sorry state of affairs in all spheres of life. The goons have taken over the political and economic spaces long ago. Education system once upon a time best in the entire South Asia systemetically destroyed to serve the political ends. The so called bhuddigibis are basically parasites collecting their pound of flesh from corpses I.e Bengali.
Couldn’t have agreed more. Shocked to see The Print is finding meaning in these write ups!
The authors essay speaks from my heart. Being originally from East Bengal, our family always put on more weight towards science, maths, chemistry and physics. I never understood the preoccupation of West Bengalis with arts and culture. You can label me ignorant, but I prefer a physics book any day over Tagore. And I think Bengali students and engineers need to be much more rigorous in studying and applying science, if ever West Bengal wants to move out of its self- created frog’s well.
It a proven facts that only Bengali ( like this writer) spit on their own people and culture in front of Nation.
It a proven facts that only Bengali ( like this writer) spit on their own people and culture in front of Nation.
Oh so your fight is between science vs arts
??
My dear! Go and read some good books on great scientists. You’ll find that they read philosophy and literature extensively. In Tagore’s writing you’ll find them both.
You don’t have any temperament of scientific knowledge. You are a big fool.
Do you have any arguments, or are you just into name calling, kido? First learn to debate then come back, where the grown- ups are.
Hello, can you go through the lines of meeting between Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore. I am sure your empty vessel sound much will evaporate within a millisecond. I am sorry to say that many comments here only expressed their ignorance only.
So nice comment sir
Biased idiotic article. Do these even go through some editor? What are the facts? Entire India can be proud of their heritage but not Bengal because that’s what this joke of an author thinks. Stop publishing bs and making a joke of yourself.
Such a disrespectful article and this need to be reported . No fact checks at all. waste Bengal what kind of careless comments. Disappointed Print.
Waste Bengal! Really? Bengalis are doing better, I hope The print gives better articles than this. Sick writer and such hate-mongering post. Shame, that A Bengali writes this non-sense and has the audacity to think, people will applaud
Very well said. Its quite a disrespectful article.
No i am not agree with this.
Economically we lagging but intellectually bengal still holding same glory.
If we see the achivement of last 40 years your perception will change.
Here are some achivement of last 40 years.
1) Bengal produced another 2 nobel laureates
2) One Osker winner
3) one Miss Universe
4) 2 Grammy award winner
5) 14 Dada shaheb Phalke award winners in Film which is the highest no from any community.
6) 6 Jnanpith award winner in literature.
7) 12 Fellow of Royal society scientists, London, UK
8) 8 Chess Grand masters
9) Indian/ Bollywood music is predominantly dominated by Bengalis.
10) Bengal is Indian Football champion.
Bengal continuously producing many many sports persons who won medal in Asian games, world chsmpionship and national championship make india proud.
Some are
Jhulan Goswamy, Jaydeep Karmakar, Saurav Ghosal, Paulomi ghatak, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar,
Swapna Barman, Pinki Pramanik, Wridhyman Saha, Dipa Karmakar, Dola Banerjee, many chsmpion footballers.
11) Bengalies are also present significsntly in higher education.( research )
Within 2 years bengal industry scenerio will change as many mamy industrial projects
supposd to finish this year. Hope for the best
You missed Satyendra nath bose?
Known for Bose Einstein statistics and Bosons. The pride of Bengali.
yes. agree with u..
Again a true example of following pride over jobs/development/modernisation.
ALL (read all) industry in India (Nuclear Plant, Power plant, Chemical, Railway Engine, Turbine, All Scientific instruments used in University, College & Engg College all over India, IIT system) are created by those Bengali Royal society Fellows. Don’t be ignorant, Wake up, go to school, read lot, then may be you will able to understand. Also before commenting think about it might show your ignorance and complete lack of understanding. And remember we are still doing it. One Dirac fellow in Physics will created many scientific and intellectual industry in future.
These Bengali bhakts need to wake up and smell the coffee. The state has certainly become Waste Bengal due to poor work culture & their love for flaunting their so called ‘intellectual’ prowess-
Today Waste Bengal is one of the most poorly developed states as the people just day dream about their imaginary superiority without doing any work. No wonder the wiser ones are moving to better states such as Maharashtra & Karnataka to dp well in life.
Bengalis don’t need to listen to your crap, you don’t need to be insulted your face is one all by itself.
Bengalis are the most educated, nerdiest people in India. They have given loads of Intellectuals. You deserved to be kicked out of India. We don’t need you in this country anymore thankyou?.
This is what I hate about Bengalis ( urf Bengalis like the one writting this post) . Leave aside all points let me come to the point of imposing bengali as official language of Bengal.. it’s indeed needed . I presently stay at UP and here hindi is imposed day in and out on me. All the letters are in Hindi.. it’s taken for granted that you should know Hindi… Then why won’t bengali be the official language here what’s so alarming in this. West Bengal with the name bengal in it represents bengali .. if someone is trying to be oversmart here he or she should be pulled to a region A of the country and made to reads rather get forced to read letters in hindi … Thanku
Haha! Such a sub-standard article! There’s a saying in Bengali “Ghente Gho”. You reminded me of it! Some facts I do agree, but mostly the current state of Bengal is not because if it’s cultural orientation but absolutely political. Bengalies are still surviving and doing fairly well because of their cultural orientation. Bengalies who have done fairly well in life also have retained their strong cultural orientation. Further, nothing has stagnated as you blindly pointed at. Culture in not what you invent today but what you do today based on your learnings from yesterday. If one ignores or forgets ones yesterday, then the one becomes disoriented and clueless and messed up just like you here! People who start writing articles with their disoriented mind are foolish too. So I’ll leave you at your peace. If you ever come out of this cultural ignorance, you’ll probably be a good writer too. Bengalies have time and again survived any situation and proven themselves because of their cultural orientation and respect for their past and belief in their learned ancestors. I see your ignorance and perversion, and being a Bengali myself, I pardon you and wish you be blessed with some culture! Best regards.
West Bengal Bengalis are so much into arts and culture , Dr. Subhash Mukherjee the first Indian bengali scientist to develop the first test tube baby in India was forced to commit suicide for these high well known Bengali intellectuals of Arts graduate. Never was such kind of Shame bought to any part of India like it did in Bengal. Clever Bengalis are only for arts and literary work Nothing else. Mukherjee never got any recognition for his work in his lifetime. Such a shameful act they committed by killing a scientist and Bengalis still claim arts to be superior to science is either their ignorance or they are proud brainwashed creatures.
IF BENGAL IS SO BAD NOW THEN WHY SO HUGE NUMBER OF BIHARIS NONBENGALIS COMING HERE. NOW u WLL SAY THEY ARE COMING HERE TO IMPROVE BENGAL
Bihar and Biharis themselves are useless trash. All they do is infestate other Indian states and start causing problems, like the 2018 voilence against hindi speakers in gujarat began with a Bihari who raped a 14 month old girl. We need to send back these coward Biharis to their own state so they develop it and stop causing disaster in India
Ask your government not allow any non bengali to your state. Then we will kick out your bengali people from our city Mumbai and other states. We will shut all non bemgali business, inter state transport and all . Where ever bengali will be seen we will kick out them from our states
Really? LOL then you will surely miss out on these things because-
Today 67 % of India’s top academicians are from Bengal.
3. Today 54% of Indian scientists are Bengalis.
4. Today 90% of phd scholars in science in top 5 IITs and IISc Bangalore are Bengalis.
5. Today 70% of scholars in Indian Institute of Mathematics Chennai are from Bengal.
6. Bollywood is set up by Bengalis and is still dominated by Bengalis.
If we have to, we will also kick out people like you from our state
And also, I was only talking about Bihari’s, not other Indians. So if you want to make a fit at me and threaten me, then remind yourself that people like you will be the ones being kicked out not Bengalis.
Either writer is old, or she wants Bengali to remember two great personalities from Bengal.
In Bengal peoples busy in their daily works, After BJP rising in West Bengal Swami Vivekananda name is cropped up many times.
I just want to ask one question, how is having Bengali as the official language of Bengal bad??????? Hindi is the official language of U.P. is that bad???? Bengalees are not asking the rest of India to adopt Bengali and teach Bengali in the schools of Kanyakumari. They are continuing the language of their own state in their own state. What is wrong in that????? When Hindi is the official language of Bihar it is their culture and when Bnegali is the official language of Bengal it is linguistic chauvinism!!!!! It is like when son comes home at late night from office he is working hard and when daughter in law does the same she is characterless!!!! First stop this nonsense. We are not going to be apologetic about loving our language and culture. ‘worshiping’ Tagore and Ray do not make us bad. What makes us bad is the lack of work culture, political violence, illegal infiltration as well as economic stagnation. If you really care about Bengal then talk about these things and if possible try to come up with some suggestions that people can work on. Only hurting the cultural sentiment of the bengalees may gain you some favor of North India, it will not help Bengal in anyway. If that is what you want then do it openly. We already have hundreds of such bengali/bihari people residing in bengal and doing it day and night. You will be one more addition to that. No problem. But don’t take the garb of being a wellwisher of Bengal. That way you unnecessarily waste the time of serious readers who get misled by the appearance and waste time reading the article thinking there will be some sense in it.
This article was written based on mixed priorities. The writer is confused between the past glory and the current state of matters. True, we are behind many states in growth and development. This is because of the political climate we embraced for the past five decades and Bengalis are suffering from that. However, how can I blame my past achievements because of the current situation? British Raj is gone. In London, you will see hardly any white English man or woman. It is a new demography there. But did they forget Shakespeare?
In the Pandemic, no one can say anything?.
I know that Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu showed the best result in their hospital infrastructure.
West Bengal is underveloped because so many people leave their state rotten, following this those Biharis come and infestate west bengal with hindi language and try to impose it on Bengalis, even calling them bangladeshis and to go back to bangladesh. Bengalis have had enough of this crappy trash Biharis, we need to kick their asses out of our state and go back to their undeveloped poor dirty filthy Bihar.
Why don’t you kick Bihari’s out of Bengal? Act! Just don’t write article.
May the writer be damned…..He seems to be a traitor to the Bengali community………Young man, you should keep in mind that Bengal is still producing the majority of India’s stalwart academicians………Do not daydream anymore, you should be furnished with the correct data before you venture out to comment on anything………You should remember that culture forms the basis of unification……..If we do not have culture, then we simply do not have any specific identity……..Thus, taking pride of our culture should be a part of our ethics……….
I personally think you don’t have to worship anybody. But every person should know their history. I don’t understand how feeling proud about Tagore and Ray is related to our economic diaster. Can you please elaborate?
Are you suggesting that due to our economical status we are not allowed to be proud of them?
You are absolutely correct. You have been quick enough to identify the flaws in the article.The writer is an unworthy member of the Bengali community.
Past is past. We should stop living on past laurels. We need industries and jobs. The leftist buddhijibis (so called intellectuals) are groups of losers who cannot even carry a file sucessfully from one table to another. I dont disagree with the writer. She is right when she tells that we have to develop ourselves.
I am a Bengali first and since Bengal is a part of Indian Union, I may also call myself an Indian after sipping 2-3 pegs of whiskey. So, I am not worshipping other states because I consider them foreign countries voluntarily creating a commonwealth of Inidan states.
Indian Union is more like European Union (culturally) and you have to sweat and bleed if you want to grow. If we fail to produce jobs, industries, modern intellectuals, good movies etc , rest of India will always look down on you.
No wonder, many Bengalis suffer from inferiority complex.
I disagree with the writer on one point. In Bengal, Bengali language should be given preference and once and for all, Hindi is NOT the national language of India. Entire India is not UP- Bihar. Any non Bengali staying in Bengal for more than 30 years should be able to speak Bengali. We are not a colony of North India.
Satyajit Ray was a loser. He harmed Bengali cinema and I would have wiped out his name from every record if I had a chance to do so.
So, Bengalis should be proud of their language and heritage but should strive for economical growth. Just reading story books and singing songs will not lead you anywhere. Man up and fight. Get out from the stupid notion of India first. India DOES NOT EXIST as a cultural and social unit. It is a commonwealth of autonomic states. Every state is a semi independent country. You have to develop yourself. You cannot keep on crying and glorifying old poets and writers. Poor people with intellectual powers are not respected.
We need to come together and drive this bihari-culture away from our state, they are main reasons why we are moving out of our state, uneducated parasites, they are actually brought here by the other non bengalis living, they are much more united and they have used dirty politics and by doing so they have taken control of our state and our beloved city. There are uncountable scenarios of bengali families getting affected due to this, people are dying in poverty here though they are educated. I want anyone to create a group. We are gifted with our emotional and creative abilities, no one can replace us in this planet. Let’s come together dadara, didira and sobai.. amader k ebar uthe daratei hobe.. nahole sob sesh.
Woaa ! How can uneducated parasites drive self claimed intellectuals like you out ? Does that mean you are less educated than them ?
And which research provided you this extremely superficial data ?
Well since you seem so curious about these parasites ,go do a research on most number of IITians , IAS , IPS officers, toppers , and all sorts of administrative officers , shit!!!! Most of them are these uneducated parasites right, who cracked these highly competitive exams and not intellectuals like you ? Aaah they must have cheated right?
If biharis stop working , more than half of the work and labour force of india will be gone,
Now you’ll say ” then go to your own land and leave us” , Haha kiddo , for us India is our land . You want to be where these uneducated parasites are ? Go get it child , they aren’t holding you back .
Just like labour biharis, there are labours from rural bengal working in Bihar, ask how many of them are labelled uneducated parasites there .
Seen the gesture of biharis recently towards migrant workers ? Oh ! Do you get time to read newspapers ?
And let’s come to the ” glorious history ” of these uneducated parasites,
You know who is the inventor of zero ? the great mathematician Aryabhatta ?
Yea guessed it right , he was a bihari
first president of India ?
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Haha such an uneducated parasite
Great Indian emperors who established the idea of India ,
Ashoka , Chandra gupta Maurya they were all biharis
And yes one more , Chanakya , well he needs no introduction
Where did Gautam Buddha attain enlightenment, aaaah again Bihar.
Who won the ramon magsaysay award for journalism?
Again a bihari aaah
And the list is never ending
You self claimed intellectual will go and write long essays on social media about racism but will endorse racism when it comes to your own land .
Eee hypocrisy kaise chalega bhaiyaa
The motive of this reply was just to help self claimed intellectuals like you erase the false belief of ” my culture is better than yours ” .It was not to offend any culture or glorify mine , you treat the way you expect to be treated , simple enough ?
Work hard and achieve what you want and don’t rely on excuses to justify your miserable failures.
Be grateful that you live in the most culturally diverse nation in this world
Thankyou
Well said bro!
yes this biharis are polluting west bengal and abusing bengalis each and every day. they should be washed out
wash it out, go ahead! Act! Don’t just write article.
yes. agree with u.. its true that there are no industries in bengal. . But bengali people are still doing good in their job in education in every sector.. Bengalis are progessive people and they will be also in future.. And bengal culture is ruining due to Biharis and UP people
LOL !
How you telling that biharies get most number of seats in IIT, IAS ?
LOL! Its fake. Varify the records properly.
And yes, IIT, IAS get you a job for earn a living but can not make grate personality like
1) Swami vivekanda
2) Rabindranath Tagore
3) pandit Ravishsnkar
4) Satyait Ray
5) kishor kumar
6) R D Burman(music)
7) S d Burman(Music)
8) Satyan Bose (Scientist)
9) Gagadish chandra bose(scientist)
10) Amartya sen
11) Abhijeet banerjee
12) Subash bose
13) Bankim chatterjee
14) shyama pradas mukherjee
15) Prasanta mohonalobois
16) magnad Saha
and many many mor.end less.
Indiand are following them and their work.
if you do not know just check.
bengal produces most number of nobel prize winner
bengalies get most nmber of Dada saheb phalke award.(film)
bengalies get most number
of Gananpith award(literature)
indian music and film dominated by bengalies.
bengal produces grate scientist.
bengal produces grate interpreneur like
bose corporation
chatterjee group
Sahara group nd many more
Biharies are most backward in all fields including education in india.
Shutup your mouth.
Do you have laloo Yadav?
Change the criteria of IIT, CSE other all India academic and employment exams criteria from English and hindi question paper to English and state official languages and see the result than does the results stays so or take a total u turn
LOL
Since you began this war, were going to finish it. Just look at the list of Bengalis:Iqbal Ahmed, CMD of Seamark Group
Syed Ahmed, British entrepreneur, businessman, television personality
Arundhati Bhattacharya, first woman director of State Bank of India
Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya, Director, Warwick Manufacturing Group
Moorad Choudhry, former Managing Director, Head of Business Treasury and Global Banking & Markets at Royal Bank of Scotland
Ashok Sekhar Ganguly, former chairman, Hindustan Unilever
Asim Ghosh, former CEO of Husky Energy
Rajat Gupta, first foreign-born Managing Director (chief executive) of management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company from 1994 to 2003; sentenced to two years of prison in 2012 for insider trading
Omar Ishrak, Chairman, Intel
Aktar Islam, restaurateur, curry chef and businessman
Sir Birendra Nath Mukherjee, IISCO
Bhaskar Pramanik, chairman, Microsoft India
Subir Raha, former head, ONGC
Aveek Sarkar, chairman, Ananda Bazaar Patrika
Mutty Lal Seal, businessman and entrepreneur
Dwarkanath Tagore, known for partnership with the British East India Company
EntrepreneursEdit
Subroto Bagchi, founder and former Chairman, Mindtree
Somen Banerjee, Indian American entrepreneur and co-founder of Chippendales
Siddhartha Basu, founder and CMD of BIG Synergy
Sanjit Biswas, Indian American entrepreneur and CEO/ co-founder of Samsara, built and sold Meraki to Cisco for $1.2 billion
Amar Bose, founder of Bose Corporation
Amjad Khan Chowdhury, founder of PRAN-RFL Group
Samson H. Chowdhury, founder of Square Pharmaceuticals and Square Group
Anjan Chatterjee, founder, Speciality Group of Restaurants
Purnendu Chatterjee, founder, TCG Group
Bicky Chakraborty, Sweden’s biggest hotelier;[2] President and founder of Elite Hotels of Sweden and The Bishop’s Arms[3]
Alamohan Das, founder, India Machinery Company
Sadhan Dutt, founder, Development Consultants of Kuljian Group
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, founder of Bandhan Bank
Samit Ghosh, founder, MD and CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
MA Hashem, founder and chairman of Partex Group
Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, first person to upload a video to the site
Rajat Neogy, founder and editor, Transition Magazine in Kampala, Uganda in 1961
Pritish Nandy, founder of Pritish Nandy Communications
Sir Rajendra Nath Mukherjee, co-founder, Martin Burn Ltd, IISCO
Diptendu Pramanick, founder, Secretary of Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA)
Kamal Quadir, founder and CEO of CellBazaar Inc, First Mover Fellow of The Aspen Institute, TEDIndia Fellow
Subroto Roy Sahara, founder and chairman, Sahara India Pariwar
Barun Sengupta, founder of Bartaman
Moosa Bin Shamsher, founder of GATCO
Neeraj Roy, co-founder, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Prannoy Roy, founder, NDTV
Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, founder and Chairman of Bashundhara Group
Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, “father of micro-finance”, Nobel laureate
Bibha Chowdhury–First female particle physicist of India
Kadambini Ganguly–First female doctor of Asia
Ashima Chatterjee–First female Scientist of India
Susmita Sen–First Miss Universe of India
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE WAS INVENTED BY PC RAY—A BENGALI SCIENTIST??
BJP-founder is SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE–another Bengali..??
FR Khan–Father of Tubular Designs ??
Tubular Designs is the study of modern architect ??
Dont compare filthy and uneducated people that abuse in the name of mother and sister
Biharis. What do you mean. First eliminate the racism which existing like poison in you. We are Indians first than comes everything caste,religion,ehinic origin. When we got the independence way back in our proud history,it was a collective efforts from all the individuals accross the country. Its a a effort and unity which bring victory and not the racism and division. Exploitation of politics is existing in us also not only in them. First of all we are not United among ourselves. We don’t bother about ourselves. We resemble the character of crab,by pulling down ourselves if someone is rising.. we need to change our attitude ,way of thinking polite and receptive first than only we can succeed. Being a Bengali iam not ashamed to state the facts. Pls don’t perceive me in a wrong way. PROUD TO BE BENGALI.
Hats off to you, bro!
Ms. writter,
You said everything negative but you did not say West Bengal is 6th position among all states in GDP in 2018-19. West Bengal’s GDP growth is highest in the country among all states in 2018-19.
Why I am mentioning 2018-19 because that is the latest data available. Check facts before posting anything. It’s very shame that people with half knowledge, come up to distribute “prabachan” without even knowing facts and figure just for money.
All those commenting negative here are nothing but those having brains but don’t wish to feed practicality into their knowledge.
Bengal is only proud of the past? Not of the present?Why so? Cause Bengal is no more producing new generation Tagores and Rays from within the state.
The actual scenario of West Bengal:-
For better jobs, people are forced to move out of Bengal.
For better education, move out of Bengal.
For better treatment, move out of Bengal.
If to achieve all this one has to leave Bengal then what is left good in the state?
I saw one comment that number of Biharis have increased now in West Bengal and that the state should be named Bihar Bengal…
Why so? Because Biharis or other state people are replacing those talented Bengalis who have to move out of their homeland to be something, to achieve.
Firstly stop dragging the political parties into this…. No one is good in this country , but if the people of a state only know to PNPC and be noshtalgic (the actual spelling is nostalgic) then such a state will never develop, no matter which ever party comes.
Secondly, Criticism should be accepted positively in order to succeed, to develop. The people living in Bengal only behave like Cry Babies on getting criticized.
Bengalis were the foremost people who had brought the feeling of independence within every Indian while the colonial rule was destroying the country. We were leaders. West Bengal literacy rate was the highest in the country. Not now. Kolkata was the capital. And today Kolkata has just remained a City of Joy.
Remember the struggles of the great Bengalis and don’t be nostalgic only about their outputs.
This is for those fellow Bengalis who live in West Bengal.
Come on Bengal, Move ahead….
All those commenting negative here are nothing but those having brains but don’t wish to feed practicality into their knowledge.
Bengal is only proud of the past? Not of the present?Why so? Cause Bengal is no more producing new generation Tagores and Rays from within the state.
The actual scenario of West Bengal:-
For better jobs, people are forced to move out of Bengal.
For better education, move out of Bengal.
For better treatment, move out of Bengal.
If to achieve all this one has to leave Bengal then what is left good in the state?
I saw one comment that number of Biharis have increased now in West Bengal and that the state should be named Bihar Bengal…
Why so? Because Biharis or other state people are replacing those talented Bengalis who have to move out of their homeland to be something, to achieve.
Firstly stop dragging the political parties into this…. No one is good in this country , but if the people of a state only know to PNPC and be noshtalgic (the actual spelling is nostalgic) then such a state will never develop, no matter which ever party comes.
Secondly, Criticism should be accepted positively in order to succeed, to develop. The people living in Bengal only behave like Cry Babies on getting criticized.
Bengalis were the foremost people who had brought the feeling of independence within every Indian while the colonial rule was destroying the country. We were leaders. West Bengal literacy rate was the highest in the country. Not now. Kolkata was the capital. And today Kolkata has just remained a City of Joy.
Remember the struggles of the great Bengalis and don’t be nostalgic only about their outputs.
This is for those fellow Bengalis who live in West Bengal.
Come on Bengal, Move ahead….
???
You are nothing but also a buddhijibi jokar. Shame on you. A piece of intellectual but good for nothing
Shameless published. You are also on those branch of crab who only knows how to pull legs. If you are really concerned about Bengals then do something about bengal and our motherland. Don’t just criticize. What you have done so far that’s why you have post some shameless article. It’s a natte kinds of people like you.
Do something and then criticize.
Plase open your eyes and realize whre Bengal is going.
Shut up.
i Hope you are doing something too and not just ranting here and there being polemic and defending our apple pie bengal.
The original article is partly true and rest is simply trash. Nothing wrong to be proud of your past provided you don’t underestimate others. But one can’t live only on the past. Bengal was never a power house of industry. Eastern India has the concentration of heavy industry which started suffering from mid 1960s. Another reason for decline is the policy of freight equalization. No industry is closed due to labour problem for example, MAMC, Burn Standard, Jessop, Dunlop, Metal Box, National instruments, many more. The states without trade unions like BIHAR, Orissa, UP, MP are also not industrialised heavily. But majority of Bengalees have favoured recently not to industrialised their state, example Singur automobile and Nandigram for chemical hub. These two projects would have changed the industrial scenarios of WB. They want to send the industrialists to Alipurduar, Raigunge, Coochbihar. They are waiting this to happen. Every community including Bengalees have few positive and negative aspects.
Positive: average information level of Bongs is usually higher than other indians. Still money can’t purchase social prestige in WB. Perhaps it is slowly changing. Influence of caste, religion and province is less in WB. Importance of education is high in Bengali society. HDI indicators are good amongst the large states during last 35 years.
Negative: very much conscious about rights,but, least concerned about duties. Underestimate the education quality of other indians. Amount of bribes in govt offices are comparable with Bihar and UP. Social indiscipline only comparable with Bihar, UP,MP which creates hindrance for development. Politics is gradually moving in the hands of goons. Influx of poor, economically and intellectually, people from neighbouring states, Bihar and Jharkhand, with political patronage. Fanaticism with few football clubs where good players are mostly nonbengali or non indian. There are nonexistence of multiple equivalent cities in WB as in other states.
All these have finally turned out to be
1) kolkata is the richest village of Rajasthan
2) WB is the safest place for criminals of Bihar and UP
3) state name can be changed to BIHAR-BENGAL as the number of hindi speakers are increasing exponentially.
BONGS NEED TO INTROSPECT why it happens in that way in spite of many positive aspects.
Sir you are either ignorant or deliberately trying to suppress the facts.
No body is perfect so are the Bengali people but the problem with them is that they don’t like criticism .The writer did not express her views against Gurudev n other intellectuals .She is saying that the present situation is very alarming Because of TMC government ‘s appeasement policy where muslim community gets advantages over other weaker sections of society ..She gifts money to clubs which can be used for relief work .Why her almost every decision is questioned be it Saving RAJEEV KUMAR ,SHARDA CASES etc.She is totally failed to fight Corona ,why she is hiding facts about death cases , distribution of relief food to poor sent by Central government .The press is not free n she files n defeated in court against ZeeTV She does not respect The governor n even PM she did not allow opposition political leaders to enter Bengal.The Violence during n after election is a black spot of Bengali culture .Accept the reality n give productive suggestions for improvement of future of West Bengal .She commited a blunder with the future of Young generation when she did not allow TATA to do business in Bengal
What a confused piece of writing
That’s really very sad face of media. You are demeaning legends and using their names out of context just to grab some attention. Since the author has no strong evidence to describe the course of events, they are trying to create controversy.
Next day you will wake up and challenge Shivaji Maharaj’s heritage because Maharashtra is struggling with COVID situation.
And they other day, may be you will want a selfie on Indian currency, because you are not happy with peace theories of Mahatma Gandhi, and you would rather disown the father of your Nation.
What is really questionable here is your style of writing with sheer lack of judgement and bias intentions of creating controversy than content.
Utter nonsense
Utter nonsense.
ek kaam kr yahuy hag de
Ms. Dey, congratulations on writing such an enlightening article. It has drawn the attention of many in such a short span of time. Perhaps that was your focus. However, if there was any other objective beyond that, it is unfortunately lost amidst the “waste”. Were you trying to create awareness among Bengalis? Is your article about the wasted pride in culture or about the economy, or the political scenario, or permit me to extend the imagination, to COVID cases found in Bengal? Whatever be it, it seems you are not even sure what you want to write about. And either way your knowledge about neither seems commendable. What it has achieved is sensationalizing and stripping a sentiment and earning a few brownie points with the likeminded. Undoubtedly, it would be very easy for your kind to categorize the critical responses to your article as personalized or biased. If you disagree, I’m sure you have read Hume, Locke, Hobbes, and others (they are not Bengalis btw), leave alone current affairs to counter the responses. If not, please refurbish your knowledge and realize that your pen has more responsibility than aggrandizing cheap publicity. Best wishes.
Firstly the narrative is myopic and distraught in nature. Tagore, Ray, Bankim Chandra, Sarat Chandra, Netaji, Rishi Aurobindo, Raja Rammohan Roy, Swamiji, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, A Jagadish Bose, Satyen Bose, Amartya Sen, Dr BC Roy names are countless for Bengalis, Indians or World has Esteem, Faith, Respect or Adoration.
Merging or Mixing present political societal and economic condition of WB with the thoughts, ideology, contribution of such stalwarts as above and countless many more that have not mentioned here, is sheer-disdainful oblivion or purposeful propaganda.
Personal Prejudices or Bisases or apparent few experiences cannot contest the colossal Quintessential Bengali Mind Spirit and Soul.
Please remember that Entire Bangladeshi population both in Bangladesh and all over the world are proud emissaries and torch bearers of the rich cultural heritage that “Bangla” offers and possibly more than many of us Bengalis hailing from WB.
So please reflect upon your writings in introspection and write for a cause not only applause (cheap publicity negative or positive) . Jokes shall exist about Bengalis and this article is also just good joke for people who know what Bengalis are all about.
Do not live in the past. Come to the present. bengal can not provide any tangible neretive to the Modern India.
Ok let’s talk about present, as per the latest data of 2018-19 West Bengal ranks 6 among all states in terms of GDP. Bengal is has highest GDP growth among all the states across India. Now tell me what is the rank of your states?
Your past is munshi babu and present is chetan bhagat. Do you have any idea about how many writers wake among bengalis each year? Our past, present and future is full of great personalities who are extremely specialised in their respective fields . Every year we get to see such people and ofcourseo Tagore, Ray and Islam above all. Show me one indian as great as them and we shall gladly make them our idols. Don’t teach us what’s good for us. Worry about your own culcult
Wow! I wonder how such a half baked article could even get published? Where’s the data? Where did this goldmine of information come from? Amit Shah’s office?
According to this dimwit Bengalis should not be proud of their culture and heritage but the only propaganda that BJP has is our “glorious Indian Hindutva”. How much progress has BJP brought in India? Since the time they came in power what great industrial trend have you seen in the country? But they have definitely managed to deepen the communal divide and violence to play their dirty games.
If you are so apalled by Bengal time to shut your gujju/baniya shop from our land and go to where you belong. I am sure you will find what you are looking for in UP or Rajasthan. Now STFU.
The main problem with my state and it’s people, is jealousy. No one can deny, that my countrymen and women hates it when others do well. This comment is only about the lay Bengali, not the celebrity in general. Like they will hate the capitalist making money using the labourers sweat. That is when the jhanda comes out, red or blue.
And then they will always (almost) will find ways to look down upon you, whoever you are, in a given context. At the “para” level, at the state level, and at the caste level. My people will look magnanimous when others are watching, and when only your own tribe is watching, you will hammer down, beat up, anyone who in the given context is an “outsider”. Complex bigotry plays out all the time. If Tata builds a factory, this you-us game is played out in a certain context. Change the context, we will all shout at the top of our voice to award the same Tata the Bengal Ratna award.
I think one should file a complaint against this press for publishing such a poor article. You know nothing about bengalis …..we are not just proud of two names you mention but there are many brilliant and succesful faces in the past present and will be also in future. SEE YOU CALLED BENGAL WASTED and you earned from it as well. Money is not everything for us otherwise we would have been richest in the world.we are not HARAMKHORS and thieves like others. thank you all
Wow! I wonder how such a half baked article could even get published? Where’s the data? Where did this goldmine of information come from? Amit Shah’s office?
According to this dimwit Bengalis should not be proud of their culture and heritage but the only propaganda that BJP has is our “glorious Indian Hindutva”. How much progress has BJP brought in India? Since the time they came in power what great industrial trend have you seen in the country? But they have definitely managed to deepen the communal divide and violence to play their dirty games.
If you are so apalled by Bengal time to shut your gujju/baniya shop from our land and go to where you belong. I am sure you will find what you are looking for in UP or Rajasthan. Now STFU
I think one should file a complaint against this press for publishing such a poor article. You know nothing about bengalis …..we are not just proud of two names you mention but there are many brilliant and succesful faces in the past present and will be also in future. SEE YOU CALLED BENGAL WASTED and you earned from it as well. Money is not everything for us otherwise we would have been richest in the world. Bongs are most talented ones because we are not HARAMKHORS and thieves like others. thank you all
I think one should file a complaint against this press for publishing such a poor article. You know nothing about bengalis …..we are not just proud of two names you mention but there are many brilliant and succesful faces in the past present and will be also in future. SEE YOU CALLED BENGAL WASTED and you earned from it as well. Money is not everything for us otherwise we would have been richest in the world. Bongs are most talented ones because we are not HARAMKHORS and thieves like others.
It is clear you wanted to provoke bengalees but the point is Tagore, Ray, Nazrul and others are still mirrors through which bengalees see the world and cease to amaze by the depth of their understanding of the milieu in which we live in. They make the really educated bengalees what they are. I sincerely wish Tagore,Ray , Nazrul and others of their I’ll never become irrelevant to bengalees. As for your grievances which are political in nature you may make a study about centre state relations, state finances, over centralisation over the years and it’s impact on state finances, discriminatory policies from center, effect of partition on the state etc then take a realistic view . Also find out which communities are responsible for gigantic NPA’s of banks, Swiss bank accounts etc and looted the country mercilessly all these years since independence what is Bengal’s contribution in it. Don’t judge bengalees by what’s app forwards.
Never cease to amaze
Their ilk.
As for language, if language is lost, everything is lost.
With all science and maths inclination in East Bengal… Bangladesh… have they developed one ounce since 1971?
Has Bangladesh with all her inclination on science and maths developed since 1971?… then this theory of Mr. Basu doesn hold good. Next abour scntist and engg in West Bengal knowlege is to be taken in how many bengali scientist and engg are working in prominent position in various parts of world in compared to other non bengalis. How many nobels we have received in comparision to other states…. the diff between a Baniya state and West Bengal is mainly in its amalgamation of artistic culture and other abilities. But other state are like only money making business units … thwy donot have the broadness in thoughts as we have. Do they have the fine intellect as ours…. these are achived genetically through generation of similar thots amd values and not suddenly and we are proud to have it within us . Yes other state are rich … but they definitely have some negetive points which we need to look into if for argument sake. One small eg , we love music , one of my North Indian colleague told me they dont preffer music in household as they associate music with Tawaif culture. .. so we have long overcome these ideas.. this is where our success is. Money is not the only requirement in life… Culture equally is important for a human growth.
I agree and appreciate your honest writing and along with that I would add the growing hindu intolerance in the state…..talking to ppl there I realise they take more pride being bengali than indian… your state is important but your national identity should me more important for u…
Really bro? Where do you get weed?
Great article…
Totally agree…
Mr Swine, I can understand your point behind the agreement
How u can write such a thing about Bengali,? Who are u? U have lot of things to learn about Bengali.
Disgusting writeup…. Who has given this reporter a job???? Should be kicked out…. Yak
“the words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living” – Auden wrote on Yeats. So, I disagree that one has to come out, but I rather feel that one should include other talented poets and artists in their lingo. The problem is that they both cater to the colonial hangover and an assuming and pretentious ‘babu culture’ that perpetrates among the urban bangalis. Partly, this issue is propagated by current film-makers and creative personnel, who are too afraid to appropriate contents beyond Tagore and Ray. As far as this piece is concerned, Debalina has a long way to go to write well. The title does NOT capture the sentiment present in the text. The problems in healthcare and jobs are different issues that do not fully pertain to the modes of education and cultural development. Of course, healthcare and jobs need a boost, but Bengal is not even among the top 5 Covid affected states. I know that the TMC govt has allegedly misreported cases but, given the dominant state of investigative journalism, I doubt they could hide any large numbers. Jobs– only a post-pandemic era will say what jobs are “important” and what are dispensable. Until then, I still think all forms of education are important and indispensable for collective growth. Also, we don’t need terrible writers like this claiming a belonging to an established cultural hegemony!
Sir, with due respect, it should be noticed that the intention of the article was to directly attack the ideology of Bong Intelligentsia, that stands against the political vendetta of this media. They have paid Google to target population so that this veiled idea can be catered well. Why do they fear Tagore and Ray? For sure their agenda will never succeed as long as their ideas of inclusiveness remain. That’s why they were singled out.
At first, we make them idols and then we try to throw them away and terming motherland as waste Bengal. If you are ashamed of being a Bengali then please discard your last name because that also carries a Bengali legacy. It is very easy to write prophetic suggestions without giving a solution and also without any knowledge of ground zero. Your approach is extremely vague by maligning the rich Bengali culture and our heritage due to unavailability of jobs, proper healthcare??? Ha ha ha… So funny you are Ms. Debalina Dey. Come here and try to revamp the system. We will work together for a brighter Bengal. No, but you’ll never come for this cause because it is easier to write few strong maligning words in an AC room rather than working at ground level for years for a brighter Bengal. Its really alarming when Bengalis like you grow up here, learn from here and then fly away to someplace else to earn a few extra rupees/dollars and deliver free online personal lectures about Bengali community. But the truth is that we are never ashamed of people like you because we are least bothered about your literary works in your fantasizing world who is trying to malign her own race. This is not what Rabindranath Thakur or Satyajit Ray taught us. Moreover, I believe that your knowledge is somewhat bound to only these 2 great legends because there are innumerable Bengali legends to name and believe me the list is exhaustive. And many of them are alive today and still contributing to the society and the world at large, silently. Are you one of them? Nope. You are THE famous critic with a critical, complex mind and trying to gain popularity by maligning your own past.
Note: A kind advice for you. If you want to express personal opinions in public forums, please do not write a small footer below that views are personal. If the views are really personal, please note it down in your personal diary and keep it safe for your own future reference.
Shri Siddhartha Gupto babu, Debolina Dey did not malign the glorious past. She has said what lies ahead of our glorius past. Talked about collective thinking for a prosperous tomorrow. She said not all is lost and suggested some basic economic need according to present need. She is against migration but in favour of relf reliance, and nostalgia about the glorious past doesn’t often pave the way for future.
My earnest request do not go by the phrase ” Waste Bengal” alone. It will not make our states future better.
Disagree…
What kind of a Bengali is this writer who terms her own state as “Waste Bengal”! No wonder her knowledge is limited to only Tagore and Ray.
I don’t understand what’s so wrong in being proud of one’s culture. It’s a uniting force. Moreover, people of other states also do the same, you have to be proud. It’s a part of your identity.
And you say you come to know of from media that “West Bengal has the worst situation among all the states in the country !” I hope you saw the propaganda of media from their Amphan coverage. For years a very cruel propaganda is going on. But yes evidently you don’t have the brains to comprehend that.
I agree job situation is not good and can be improved. But there are so many other things that are good.
Hope you could get something better and constructive to write about. Anyway there is not much hope from journalism in today’s India. Please stop using that surname of yours. You don’t deserve it.
This is another low end rag which has crept into my mobile like a cockroach. Need to use hit. Who is this Double D?! A crap!
who the he*l are you to say what Bengalis should do or not do? Are you GUJJUs claim to be some kind of expert on Bengali?
The author is a Bengali herself. Her name shows “Devalina Dey” and she has pointed out to be a Bengali herself , read the article . It’s a shame when your own people demean you. See , Gujjus or Marathas whatever always mind their own buisness. Don’t blame others unnecessarily. Please brother.
I am not sure why this article has got so much reaction. What I mostly get from twitter and news channels these days is that Bengal is most underdeveloped, unindustrialised, dilapidated state in the country. I lived in Bangalore for 8 years, spent a few days in Bombay too, was in Chennai last summer, maybe I am biased and don’t understand how economy works but Bangalore and Bombay roads are full of potholes, there is a big water tanker service in Chennai and Bangalore, the slums in Bombay are smaller than my school playground and the people who live there are not counted below poverty line. I respect the respective states for creating job opportunities for me but someday we’ll realise that a thriving economy is not the only parameter. Bangalore runs of foreign money, some people I know in Bombay live in smaller house than my mom’s kitchen. All these cities are great, they have their own beauty but if you allow me to write a negative article about these cities when Bombay is flooded or Chennai is facing water crisis(last year), I’ll probably not write it. I request all the commentors to please look at the health/ poverty/ iip / mmr/imr data of west bengal , please check how West Bengal has a good and successful food security programme. There is so much to improve , we need to think of it as one, Bengal does not deserve to be called Waste Bengal, anyone who calls it so does not know her facts.
Hey Bengalis, you’re beautiful people. I was pointed for my Bihari accent in Delhi, called a North Indian in Chennai, my accent just didn’t matter when I was in Salt lake many times. I’ve friends from my school working in Durgapur, Asansol , etc. There may not be too many jobs yet but it will come, best of luck my countrymen.
Love your comment! One simple thing can bengali do is to come out of women’schangul and think and work independently
The comments are as entertaining and reflective of the article. This pride in historic figures with individual achievement has ruined entrepreneurial spirit across the country. This hero worship is not doing anyone any good.
Completely agree with you, nice observation
Dear Debalina,
If being proud of Tagore and Ray is a misplaced pride, let me say that I am not ashamed of that. I wonder what induced you to write such an ill-formed opinion piece. What do you take pride in? Godse? RSS? Look at the COVID -19 situation in Gujarat. If you want to criticise the government of West Bengal, that is fine. But give your arguments substantiated by facts and figures. Unfortunately, the piece reveals that you are not familiar with the works of either Tagore and Ray. Otherwise you would have had some idea of what they mean for India. Do you know that the Nobel Prize and the Oscar were not given by Bengalis, e.g.?
By the way, it is always a good idea to know about the subject you are writing. Go, do some reading, girl!
May be ‘mia’ke bibi You need some reading! West Bengal is run by the most autocratic, Jack of all trade leader in the country. Not that the party with 18 LS seat of any good in WB. Each and every word written in this article is absolutely to the point & the very reason where we are today. As a Bengali I don’t see any hope in next 50 years! It was the commies who ruined 3-4 generations but at least they didn’t dilute the education system.We need someone like Jaylalitha who could bring some sense to the Governance with minimum fuss. Present govt is run by the goons and antisocial elements.
May be ‘mia’ke bibi You need some reading! West Bengal is run by the most autocratic, Jack of all trade leader in the country. Not that the party with 18 LS seat of any good in WB. Each and every word written in this article is absolutely to the point & the very reason where we are today. As a Bengali I don’t see any hope in next 50 years! It was the commies who ruined 3-4 generations but at least they didn’t dilute the education system.We need someone like Jaylalitha who could bring some sense to the Governance with minimum fuss. Present govt is run by the goons and antisocial elements and if its continue for another 6 years then we probably gone for ever.
My entire preceding generation lived through corporate houses and industries. Bengalis are not hardworking? All tradeunionionism filth? The writer needs some good upbringing she is definitely missing. Shallow knowledge is a dangerous maggot she/he is well fed masquerading as intellectual grey. You need to do some serious research and choose some platform infested with bootlickers to digest this as sumptuous.
Article is bad in spirit with poor perspective. Doesn’t merit any detail review.
Mr. Gupta apart from perception do you have real data points such as sate wise GDP , GDP (PPP) and wealth figures of major cities in India . If you have please share the links .
Agreed.We Bengalis need to wake up from slumber when roaming around the oast glory.Now our state has been ruined,no industry,no job,no creativity as well.. politicians took advantage of our cultural pride and they looted Bengal.
Now its time to move on,only past glory can’t save us.we should move forward with our cultural heritage but at the same time we should be following how our beloved India is moving and we must match with them.Else Bengali class will be no where…
C the comments and reply give u an idea why this city will never change . Why I mentioned city as West Bengal is a Kolkata centric state . Other than kolkata every district and their people are totally different . They r not as cunning , as over smart , as over educated as Calcuttans . They only want their WB to change and get them Job , money and a peaceful life . But if u try to fight against calcuttans ha ha boss there will b lacs of people who will tear u apart by verbal fighting at least for 365 days without getting tired. They can do 1 lac negative things to pull u down I bet but can’t do a positive thing . So don’t be a fool by showing them the reality , they r much ahead of u by knowing everything . That’s why WB is number 1 state in every corner in India . Who ever is working outside WB they know how others make jokes of Bengalis and WB. R baki district e Sobai bole baba kolkatar manush na bhai jodi thokiye dai ba fasiye dai ….
1. Problems are plenty man. Administration, health, infrastructure, industry, economy – everywhere. Thanks for showing that like any other person conscious of the situation. I am not even intended to ask for statistical data or comparison with other states (and I shall explain that reason later of course). Tell me, do you have a solution? The hooligans, the syndicate, the muscle flexing hoodlums will sure change parties after parties, you will secure your basic needs and higher ambitions and then maybe buildup one Mumbai, Bangalore here. Still you will forget the Dharavi (winks). That suits the hypocritical interests right?
2. You were very much focused on the nostalgia of Bongs. And Bengal’s past to you is only Ray, Tagore. How amusing! Satyendranath Bose, Meghnad Saha, Brahmananda Upadhyay, JC Bose, er, why naming them man Google it. You never heard of Nandalal Bose who designed the cover of constitution right? Neither of Abanindranath Tagore, who Nandalal was disciple of. Ramkinkar Beiz, Chittoprasad, oh leave it. I think you weren’t interested in this past either. Yours burn was somewhere else. Considering your good intentions, practical problems, which you left unsolved like any other Bong intellectual critic should.
Or your deep burning is somewhere deeply rooted in the visions that the two pioneers mentioned by you chose. That’s your personal view and you publicized it with the help of a media that too fosters some plans and programs. (Double wink)
3. The Bong intelligentsia is strong and it’s hell against this manipulated hooliganism. You are not so very blind person with words carefully chosen against them, practically. Words that can be dubiously rejected in translation. Words worthy of a paid IT Cell handler.
This article is a direct attack in a veiled way on the visions itself to deem them obsolete. Skillfully you have portrayed or tried to give an impression that the visions and the batonbearers are the root cause of all problems, while also choosing words to stay away from the blame.
Is it now the new policy of The Print? To measure the water and then to trade. Fantastic! If only He knew that His name will be used in such crudely hideous political agendas!
Let’s see, who wins.
Yes, we do take pride in our past because there are things to take pride in our past, unlike others. If you want to take a closer look into the present, you’d find Dr. Abhijeet Banerjee, Sourav Ganguly, Rituparno Ghosh, Md. Younus Khan among others…. And not only the Bengal, the whole country is suffering from joblessness. While, unlike rest of the country, West Bengal’s GDP growth has been on a upward trajectory, up untill CoVid pandemic.
Don’t make it all about politics, Deblina.
Boss , see the comments and reply which is why this city will never change . Why I mentioned city as West Bengal is a Kolkata centric state . Other than kolkata every district and their people are totally different . They r not as cunning , as over smart , as over educated as Calcuttans . They only want their WB to change and get them Job , money and a peaceful life . But if u try to fight against calcuttans ha ha boss there will b lacs of people who will tear u apart by verbal fighting at least for 365 days continuously. They can do 1 lac negative things to pull u down I bet but can’t do a positive thing . So don’t be a fool by giving them a vital info they r much ahead of u by knowing everything . That’s why WB is number 1 state in every corner in India . Sobai bole baba kolkatar manush na bhai jodi thokiye dai ba fasiye dai ….
Viewing an object from self perspective and subsequently delivering judgment or creating a direction, certainly fails to suffice the requisite precision and quality. Any presentation must be balanced, with critical analysis, discussions of shortcomings/lacking, options of possible remedial measures. Saying is much easier than doing this. Knowing the history and past facts, self understanding and obtaining clarity on the facts as of day, knowing India beside Bengal, many more incorporation of knowledge can start the formation of a helpful idea.
None can deny that change is the utmost eternal truth, birth is uncertain but not the death.
The meaning, significance and direction pertaining to the actual practice and use of ‘development’, merely whirling in confusion and floating like a jargon besides other lingos, such as; ‘…very professional’, ‘acted under good faith’ etc.
A country is of people, of lives. An apt thinking must be centric to people and lives of present and future. But can we ignore the past? If we must, thus modern CV’s must not also demand the briefing on one’s self experience. Experience is the past, experience is the knowledge. Learning must be cyclic within unlearn and relearn. Knowledge is like tree, it grows on the soil having the roots deep down.
COVID has come before us as a teacher and has exposed the entire human class across the globe. We don’t want the virus part of the COVID Positive, but certainly we need to read and understand those positive lessons that COVID has served to the human class.
To be honest I’ve never read such a disgusting and poor article. You call yourself “bengali”? You should be ashamed of yourself and you need proper education too?
What’s harm writing such article. It is truth. Bengal is lagging behind other states by miles specially those states from west & south. bengal is even behind Orissa.
Shut up. How about Bihar?Atleast Bengalis aren’t behind such filthy and uneducated people.
Shame on you(the print).
And bam, another Bengali won a Noble prize! We are proud because we have things to be proud of. We, in Bengal, live in peace and harmony. We prefer to be knowledgeable and poor than to be dumb and wealthy.
The author is bent on making a fool of herself. As far as intellectual capabilities are concerned , Bangali’s have always been in the forefront. The last Nobel for the country (of in Indian origin)in economics was won by a bengali. Dr Satyen Bose was one scientist to have half the particles named after him but failed to get a noble. The list is endless. Such demeaning articles should not be published in reputed forums.
All the intellectual comments are highly appreciated.
The missing points on which most the Bengalis will ignore are:
1. Why industry rate is falling?
2. Why the number of bengali migrants increasing?
3. Why the economic condition is falling fast despite of so much intellectuals living in the state?
I can bet on every 10 youth in bengal today gives priority on politics and other useless things over their professions.
I am an artist form west bengal. I was struggling over 10 years at Kolkata, gave up and migrated outside. Justifying the creative profession.
Intellectuals my foot.
Dear Devlina,
Every state or country should be proud of their past. If they don’t, then they can’t move to future. Your writeup shows that you are a bengali but not a proud bengali. If a person forgets his roots then they are no where. It is same like being a proud Indian. If you are not proud to be the citizen of your country / state how can you proceed. No development can happen. The way you have told about Bengal, likeway, any one say 1000 words for each state. Don’t be so cheap. Be a proud bengali and an Indian.
Pride comes before a fall. Learn to accept constructive criticism, debate with arguments, instead of attacking an author personally.
Well then, India is proud and obsessed with many things like The military (as any other anarchy is), the cricketers, and of course Hinduism, so are you saying That what will follow would be India’s fall?
I totally agree to the author’s opinion. I live in Calcutta and the situation here is getting worse day by day. I can already see some Bengali intellectuals being furious on this article but the fact is fact. Stop living in the past, accept the present and build a better future.
What is the rank of West Bengal in all states of India in GDP and GDPS? And GDP growth?
The Problem with Bengalis is Lack of Hard Work. Intellect without Work Wii not Yield Positive Results..C.P.M added Fuel to the Fire to the already Existing Trade Unionism Besides Illegal Immigrants Islamic Fundamentalist gained Ground in the state during East Pakistan Days and after Formation
of Bangladesh Mamata s Appeasement of Islamic Fundamentalism is proving Fatal to the state
Fantastically written article!! As a fellow Bengali who has worked in Calcutta as well as worked outside (and now opened a Business here) . This article nails it.
Most Bengali’s won’t understand this sentiment because they have not seen the world or even seen the progress of other states in India.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. If you take away the cultural ethos represented by Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray from the Bengalis you will reduce it to the level of a wasteland of the scale of the hindi heartland. I know many people for their bigoted vision want to do that, which will actually be more detrimental.
It is amusing to read passionate views on both sides of the aisle and yet one of the main issue has been left out. Bengalis are by and large not wealth creators. They shun business. We are brought up to be educated , ethical and polite. But business requires a totally different approach which is imbibed in them at a young age by the business communities like Gujrati and Marwaris. Nothing wrong in both the approaches except that Bengalis become Services holders and not Profit takers. Am a CA who worked in MNCs & when I began my own business there was a horror.My sons are eminently qualified are employed in M NC banks. I also did not imbibe in them the animal spirit of business.
Consequently the decline of Bengal as the British left was that they did not have any significant business on their own, got tied to the horrible leftist philosophy and and are yet to move into own businesses as an aspiration.
All the talk of cultural superiority is a non issue
The impact of Modern Bengalis ( still living in past, as opposed to being contemporary ) is absolutely irrelevant in the field of modern music ( be it Indian classical, Bollywood, Western), cinema ( both commercial & artistic ), Art, Economic’s, Science, Literature. The writer of this article is definitely a Non Bengali, hence she has this ingenious creativity which Bengalis were once upon a time thought to have possessed. Now, we are a shallow state of nothing but political puppets swinging in the direction of our so called political goons. What can we do, if we have Manikda & Gurudev in our blood. It’s not just them actually : We are also made of Sarat Babu, Ram Krishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekanda, Sunil Ganguly, Uttam Kumar, Sirshendu Mukherjee, Janini Roy, Ramkinkar Baiz, Arijit Singh, Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee. The list goes on. As a Bengali brought up in Kolkata, it’s unlikely this is going away. The food, the richness of the language, the pride, the Puja. We are what we are not quarantined in just bread & butter thoughts. Unfortunately we will hence continue to dent the status quo by producing brilliance across all spheres of profession across the globe. Unlike the Rajputs or Marathis or South Indians or like them ? Who too are still living in the land of Shivaji or Man Singh or Ramanujan or Shankaracharya. That’s bad isn’t it ? Not to know how to be only bread butter and mortal business oriented. It’s as close to saying the entire country of France or for that matter Europe is bad. Since, they too are proud of their culture, art and heritage. The author is right you know – not drawing global comparisons unnecessarily. Being shallow and superficial is the new cool. So what can she do ; however it is good or bad. It’s a publicity no wonder.
PS : I wonder how many books the author read in Bengali or how many authors ? I will live this forum with this question in mind.
Hello , First thing what need to know from you is did read The Rabindranath Tagore or seen The directions of Satyajit Ray … If yes then pls sir use Ur brain n u will get to know what is right …. N talking about economy agreed there is no jobs in West Bengal how ever people of West Bengal are still more intellectual n have more humanity .
I m living in Delhi from last 5 years working here
However what I got is people with show off about there status by banded wears .
Atleast Bengalis did show off with knowledge.
Thanks hope u visit n able to understand what is Bengal n who are Bengalis actually.
Such a shame print published such article. Yes we are proud of our past because we have glorious past and we are also doing better in lots of things than rest of india. We also consider ourselves as integral citizen of India but sadly in recent time I have seen peoples try to disintegrate it as it has taken different view /stand from centres perspective or voiced against centre ‘s stand. It is not bad thing , perhaps it should have to have in democracy. I am not follower of anyone not tmc nor bjp and not congress. Its just my personal view.
I do not know what author has written correct or not but can say that there are no jobs in Bengal and we have to go to other state for work.
Good medicines are always bitter, and that’s what I’m seeing in most of the responses here. Can’t take the medicine. Hahahaaaa.
What is there to laugh about? Not a single person said Bengal doesn’t have any problem, but directly attacking Bengali pride is a stupid thing to do. This passive aggressiveness will lead nowhere. And if the Central government is pushing people to speak Hindi throughout the country, then why is it wrong for the CM to say ‘ People in West Bengal should speak Bangla’. Waiting for response.
Do you really believe that pride in a glorious heritage (which continues in the likes of Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee to name only a few) has led to the economic collapse? Bengalis celebrate their achievements because there is much to celebrate. And Bengalis are still striving forward. Unfortunately, politics of the last 7 decades, an anti-Bengali sentiment which I personally account to jealousy and regressive mindset of many, have come in the way of progress. That I do admit. But Bengalis are not arrogant Ma’am, they are respectful — of a history that is undoubtedly rich.
I am of the same opinion and agree with every statement in your article. It should be an eye opener for certain class of people who wish to awaken to the present while the senile rest can rot in the time wrap. Would like to add about people in Bengal in general being lackadaisical about healthy body and spiritual mind and unexplained lack of adhering to discipline and respect the Authority. Can only describe you as a person who feels for and loves Bengal.
Well said and I totally agree..Being born and bought up in Bengal for almost 13 yrs I know the fact that how they blabber over their past, I must say every state has their own glory then why to show off?? rather they should find solutions to tackle the present scenario through which the state is going through.Once a king is not always a king I would rather say..N yes none of the other states have ever gossiped about their culture, traditions, people etc coz perhaps they know blabbering all the time doesn’t change the facts…I strongly appreciate the writer’s article ???
Deblina
All I can say is you have spoken my heart out.
Even after 1000 years from now…we bengalis will still be proud about Tagore, Ray and a handfull more. Yes they make us proud.. no doubt. But that pride is not helping develop bengal.
Brilliant Response…
Will there be any Bengali alive after 1000 years, coz the level of progress already says that we can beat Uganda in 100 years.
Dude, time is knocking the door and Bengali’s will be trashed in their own state. You Bengali’s are self-proclaimed intellectuals but don’t understand that the government me have been fooling you for decades, be it left or TMC. Time has come to use your wisdom before casting your vote.
Well, when Debalina Dey says: “Bengal does have the intellect to again be the symbol of modernity and prosperity. But for that, it needs to shed its colonial baggage and move forward.”
Referring to admiration for Tagore & Ray as conjuring a “colonial past” seems a stretch. They were hardly “colonial” in any meaningful sense (beyond having both been born prior to 1947).
Yet when the author says: “A state’s pride lies not just in the number of Nobel laureates it produces, but also in the way it takes care of its citizens”
that point seems fair enough.
I’m confident both Tagore & Ray would concur.
Almost all the Bnegalis who landed in UK on work permits, are from Delhi, Mumbai or Pune. Very few have come from Calcutta. there are hardly any job opportunities there. Bengalis are good in doing politics and they feel they know the solution of every problems in the world. From nuclear bomb to artificial intelligence, Bongs know everything. Very arrogant people they are, and for their so called intellectuals, the less said the better.
Thank you for venting out the real feelings about bengalees among it cell staff.
You have not written correctly the spelling of Bengali in the very first sentence. Moreover, you have written”every problems”,, make necessary correction.
I thank you in advance, anticipating that you will edit your comment.
xProbably you all have Either Intentionally or By Mistake left out Sourav Ganguly d Biggest International figure after Ray, Mamata returned Land of Singur , which is Greatest Achievement for Poors …
These two r current ,
REGARDING TAGORE onr HVE TO BE VERY MUCH EDUCATED not my Degtee but By Mind,,Heart.
Very true; and Crores of cars / paddy is being produced there.
Returing Land to the owners in Singur was the biggest Mistake. Not a single industry came during mAMATA’S TENUE.
We only talk about past??
well because we have a glorious past..and we r proud of that..And for ur kind information, in recent time Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee also got nobel on their respective field..And the most memorable innovetion of this decade is Higs-boson..and do u know that boson name after our another pride Satyendranath Bose..I hope i have enhanced ur knowledge..
And dear The Print, u should ashamed to allow this to publish in ur webpage..
There you go again. This pride never helped anybody. Learn to become humble. Just because we take pride in our ancestors, the bloody politicians take advantage of that.
And there is one more thing you imbecile-try to understand what is written and try to read the whole thing before giving a stupid remark.
There’s is no denying that Tagore and Ray are great. But it’s time to move on and do something important for Bengal as state so that we can justify our pride
God knows what you have been smoking! And who allowed it to get published! We are not stuck we cherish what we have because other states doesn’t have that. You Moron!
When Maharashtra talks about maratha pride, Rajasthan about Rajput vain pride you keep your tail between your legs. We are Bengalis we are Proud and Happy the way things are here.
Who is this stupid lady writing this piece of Crap??? Remember Swamiji Netaji Tagore or Satyajit Ray are extraordinary people,who are you to talk about them and our adulation towards them.I grew up in Shillong with Khasi people insulting Bengali people all over but we were strong enough to rise above them,those meele mouth tribals but never lost pride of being a Bengali..We will rise only if we can rise above petty politics..
Yes other states talk about Maratha pride and Rajputana pride because the Marathas and rajputs use to protect their religion and pride against the mugals and they also fought against the colonial Britishers and also they fight for their languages but in Bengal if we see the history we were dominated by the mugals and Britishers and the idiot like satyajt ray was a pure leftist and also a communist but yes Tagore was our pride and also Netaji Subhash was our pride and yes the idiot ray was a slave of British in the name of modernity he use to put the western culture on us and he also didn’t respect our religion now Bengal is need to came out of it and start a new legacy
I request you to please do your necessary research before you go on to write with an orange cloth wrapped around your eyes. However I must have forgotten that idiots and useless fools like you are too bloated with wrong facts and Hindu Propaganda to see and maturely understand the art of filmmaking or for that that matter even literature. You have no idea, as your comment reflects about how much work it takes to become one, rather than sitting and commenting online. Have you studied anything about communism in school? I guess not, because you are too bloated to understand any of it. However when it comes to the country (which only includes Hindu states for you) you seem to know everything, but today, everyone knows everything, because we have zee news, republic TV and of course now The Print. So I hope that you, along with your pointless propaganda burns in hell and hell yeah we are proud of our culture , and will continue to be so, till eternity. Bengal is free.
Yes other states talk about Maratha pride and Rajputana pride because the Marathas and rajputs use to protect their religion and pride against the mugals and they also fought against the colonial Britishers and also they fight for their languages but in Bengal if we see the history we were dominated by the mugals and Britishers and the idiot like satyajt ray was a pure leftist and also a communist but yes Tagore was our pride and also Netaji Subhash was our pride and yes the idiot ray was a slave of British in the name of modernity he use to put the western culture on us and he also didn’t respect our religion now Bengal is need to came out of it and start a new legacy and to forget bastards like ray
Rana Pratap fought against Raja Man Singh, another Rajput and soldiers were also mostly Rajputs on both sides. What pride you are taking about? Marathas! Have you heard of borgi’s? Part of Bengali folklore.
How much money do you get Prateek from IT Cells? Enough to carry that much cowdung in brain?
Plz send us what u r smoking these days,Ms DEY.
Ms Debolina..plz stop writing such articles..u r nothing but a bhakt..trying to malign d bengalis..we dont need ur ideologies…dumb female..and if u hav so many problems..plz step out of bengal
Ms Debalina dey,plz send us what u are smo***g these days.There was COVID mismanagement.That has been rectified.The corona figures are now the most transparent in BENGAL with the state having done almost 1.5 lakhs tests.per million tests are way more than Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh,Bihar,Assam etc.Ask proud Gujaratis, not to invoke gujarati pride and move beyond Ballavbhai patel,who they have immortalized by making a statue from the taxpayer’s money and now the 2 motabhais have failed miserably in tackling COVID throughout the country.Print could hire better journalists.
I am shocked at your arrogance. It has been almost a week the electricity and water is not there for many people. And believe me, everything she said is correct hundred percent.
That is true Anirban.. and dear Gopal mamata isn’t a yardstick and neither is our nalla gas chailwalla pradhan gujju
Gopal…it’s about what you’ve known or seen before upon which your decision rests. I have seen six naturalcalamities up close, being in the Defence services for 21 years, which include, Gujarat Earthquake and Draughts, Indian Ocean Tsunami, 1999 Supercyclone at Odisha, HudHud at Vizag and the recent Kerala floods. Take my words, it takes a whole lot of time for the state to rewind. Electricity itself takes almost about a week to 10 days to get restored fully. So in this context, I believe Kolkata as a city and Bengal as a state is doing pretty good work. It has almost been restored in many places and the Electricity Guys are doing a great job despite the Corona fear looming all around. We should be really proud of our men and women working day in and out beyond the call of duty to meet these ends.
Mr. Gopal, if you stay in Bengal, step out of your fairy tale door and take a look at the massive destruction which has occurred. The workers are working day and night to rebuild the city again to normal which is not at all an easy task.
But you MORON think everything is very easy and it’s the government to be blamed.
So stop speaking bullshit and go to sleep with your teddy bear.
Please do not change the topic…
In the matter of Tagore and Satyajit Ray…please find one equivalent master in our generation (across India) and we will surely idolize and worship them.
They were the best at what they do…and they have been globally acclaimed and still very relevant in Bengali way of life. So we celebrate them with joy and gratitude…whats wrong in that.
Bengali Nobel laureates may invoke envy in others but that should not deter Bengalis from being justly proud. All such Nobel laureates had their birth and education here.
Every nation takes pride in their own culture and identity.
This girl might need some money so unnecessarily wrote an article of B’s and this is what Rabindranath Thakur said – education, you need to be educated properly. But Indian politics killing the education producing this kind of low merit mass com students or content writers. The entire humanities group study in college universities nowadays very rarely any talented students go and graduates . So now in media now we have a bunch of low marit nonsensical stupid creatures . They serve only jokes and full of astonishing nonsense illiteracy.
I wanna sue The Print for spreading hatred and defaming bengalis and their culture …. “Rabindranath and Satyajit are past” …So do you remember who earned 5nobels for this country ….Bengalis. The one who wrote national anthem of this country …A “Bengali”. Netaji Shubhas Chandra Bose who was one of the freedom fighters under whose leadership India got it’s Independence was a “Bengali “. The Print kindly get a life ..and do better .This is bullshit ….
It is a pity, Bengalis are getting into the root of the problem, Illegal Bangladesh migrants/ Rhoyiangs enrolled as voters are ruling W Bengal, Jyotida fooled U and ruled for 34 years with all industries closed, Mamta follows same pattern fm 10 years, 10 border districts / NE filled with Illegal Bangladesh migrants used as vote banks, bengal born Babu’s migrating to other parts of India for jobs, leaving Bengal to Bangladesh migrants…for vote banks, unless this trend is reversed, not only bengal entire area will be under threat…Gift of Indiraji in the name of bangla liberation… migration/ refugees/ vote banks…relax bengali babus
Relax Tamil Telugu, sorry for that,but if you are not a Bengali, don’t speak about Bengal.
Bengalis have a good relation with the Sixth Nobel Prize winner for Physics Dr. C. V. Raman. You cannot separate Raman from Bengal.
Every nation takes pride in their own culture and identity.
This girl might need some money so unnecessarily wrote an article of bullshit and this is what Rabindranath Thakur said – education, you need to be educated properly. But Indian politics killing the education producing this kind of low merit mass com students or content writers. The entire humanities group study in college universities nowadays very rarely any talented students go and graduates . So now in media now we have a bunch of low marit nonsensical stupid creatures . They serve only jokes and full of astonishing nonsense illiteracy.
The comment section here is a clear list of antels/buddhigibi ( intellectuals).
Forcing students of Bengal to study Tagore and Ray is neo-naxism in Bengal. This is why Bengal do not have Oscar or Pulitzer. How can they get if they only dwell only in past and make remakes of it.
In TamilNadu unless you speak the language even autowallahs do not respond to you. In Bangalore all bus numbers are in Kannada , In Maharashtra non marathi people are regularly targeted and here Bengalis are accused of shoving their culture into peoples throats!!
I live in Tamil Nadu for the last 5 years. I haven’t learnt the local language. Yet I can talk with autowallahs in English and they understand and respond properly
I will correct you..Satyajit Ray did win an Oscar….Arundhuti Roy won the Booker…and some of the finest modern Indian English writers are bengalis.
I understand and appreciate your concern. Yes I do agree with you, but rather being vocal you should have researched a bit and came up with facts and evidences.
Audience does not like to be biased and opinionated without facts.
First of all, don’t call yourself bengali…you must be a non resident Bengali…thumping your narrow view of an entire state…
1. Bengali intelligentsia was never the reason of economic slowdown…and they exist in all cultures not just bong… We happen to like ours..thank you very much…if a culture likes its intellectuals and pseudo intellectuals who are you to throw price tag on it.
2. Bengal was a powerhouse maybe in the British era..after that in the 70s-80s as labour price was cheap..that also in jute…all these are long gone cases
3. Yes we ruminate over our past. Because we have it.its not we are lacking behind. We bengalis do not run behind money..knowledge has a place much much high above money.
4. Bengal has way less subnationalism vibes than all over India. We accept everyone. Caste colour religion ..go to Maharashtra and tell that…go to chennai and talk Hindi..I have roamed all over India we are the most open people.
5. Print please do not allow such misinformation to be printed..
problem with Bengalis is that they love poverty. otherwise how un-natural arguments crops up.
Rejoinder: This story has proved the psuedo intelect of the writter since she doesn’t even know what #RabindranathTagore and #GreatMasterSatyajitRay means to #Bengalies. I know many non-Bengalies who too admire and love them. I CONDEMN The Print (I had gread respect) for carrying such a objectionable and irrelevant story… I being an #journalist myself for over 20 years am ashamed of this degradation to #journalism or was there some vested interest….
You have said the unpleasent truth. It may be bitter firs;t but will benefit a critically thinking society. Being a Malayalee I am afraid that, once the Gulf money stopts, same fate is waiting for Kerala. Having said this many will attack me, beacause it is eassy to blame the intergerity of person than countering the argument with facts.
Completely the WORST ARTICLE ever…..whoever has written this completely useless piece of crap has no idea what she is talking about…..legends like Tagore and Ray can never be a PAST…….their visions have been so FUTURISTIC that their creativities inspire millions and will keep doing so for generations to come…..plus to make a stronger foothold of current economy or scientific progression why would one need to give up their Cultural and Literary inheritances and glory?? This is the most demeaning and disagreeable piece of writing any of us has ever come across and we strongly suggest the author to immediately put an end to her so called writing skills and get herself treated to restore her sanity
What the lady M/s Dey want to say, was ecconomically Bengal has become so weak ecconomically that the scociety has lost the power to think new ides. Because all cultural inovations and ides emanate from ecconomy. Ecconomyical strength is the mother of all thee ideas. No jobs, abject poverty. that is the innier meaning.
What is wrong with The Print? It’s NOT some ‘Insignificant’ past! How many ethnicity in the world can achieve what Bengalis have achieved as an ethnic group? So let us stop mentioning all the Heros from our past? Shame on The Print! If you are not getting any news to publish,then don’t publish at all stop hacking up conspiracies that will stir up the public just to get Traps. Fire the writer and publicly apologize to the whole Bengali community.
The same self aggrandizing and self destructive bengali. Never could take an honest argument.
So immature article.
I don’t think there has ever been a great scientist without having an interest in art and literature.
I am an MS scholar in Engineering and I love to spend time understanding art and also trying to be creative.
This article is a travesty in the name of journalism.
Such an irrevelant article.
The Print should not demean their reputation by such articles.
Worst article ever…..how could you just drop Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, our pride….a Nobel laureate of recent times … who has presently joined hands with Bengal to tackle this challenging situation? Also Bangalis won’t forget that he wore traditional Bangali attire while receiving the prize, expressing deep love for his own culture.
What is the point? Should a British forget the fact that once, more than half of the world was British colony? Should jews forget the nazi regime? Shouldn’t anybody be proud or ashamed of their own history? Should Bengalis forget their roots? What is the point? Just a cheap effort to get better TRP?
Understand the theme and avoid barking ……
This article was written probably keeping in mind the mind set of person like you…..
Well when a dog barks, only another dog barks back……oops
For British also colony is past glory where as Bard of Avon, Keats etc lives on forever.
I think she was referring to the fact that a huge percentage of people in Bengal live in the past. Bengali’s in the comment section are proving her right by attacking the artical for calling the past insignificant or what not, but all about the past. She talks about dilapidated health infra and economy and yet no one is acknowledging or even criticising that. As if that’s accepted and no cause for concern or shame.
A very well written article to waste data and time.. 🙂
Hello Everyone,
I will urge everyone to waste their time and energy on such poor article. There are many good things to read and debate on.
Let’s get back to work!
You don’t need to stop celebrating art and culture to move forward with industrialization and nation-building. The article says nothing new. We all know about the lack of employment and industries in West Bengal. What is well-documented yet the author chooses to ignore is that a large percentage of research scholars in scientific field in IITs and IIS are from West Bengal. This singular state constitute the largest proportion of science students from India who get scholarships in foreign universities. This is not past, this is the present. Ofcourse the political scenario is quite hopeless in West Bengal with leaders in both contending parties being corrupt and crass. Forgetting art and culture is not the solution to that problem. It’s ridiculous to think so. All those who think arts is not as important as science, have you even read about the European Renaissance? I dont know about the author’s achievements, but as a Bengali, I am doing pretty well in my field and I am happy to see so many Benglais in the middle and top level positions in so many industries. Maybe what you say is a reflection of your own experiences, rather than that of a collective.
Emotions will keep u blind , keep it up . Nxt time don’t send ur wards to different states for studies and job , and also don’t expect them to come back. Migrants coming back will show the true color . You can’t feed people by literature and Art.
This is rather a strange thing to ask honestly, and living in Kolkata, I find a ton of biharis, odiyas and people from other states. If you want to talk about ‘not sending people to other states’ and ‘not expect them back’, I think it will be already strange and unfair. Also, if you are talking about people in IITs and other institutions, please note that they intake students on the basis of merit, not what state are they from, same goes for different companies that hire them. What makes migrants from different from this? I found a huge population of non Bengalis working in jobs that allows them to transfer to other states, which they suspiciously don’t do as well. I have nothing against these migrants, but if you are willing to say something that is this rude, you may as well see what’s actually there.
”This singular state constitute the largest proportion of science students from India who get scholarships in foreign universities. ” Do you have any data to support this?
She is Mad.
Debolina have no idea about Bengali culture.
Shame on her.
Bengalis should boycott her.
Nicely composed. It seems we are standing in front of a mirror, image laughing at us. These so called intellectuals are the riding factors of converting the state to Waste Bengal, be it naxal movements, industrial destructions or depleting moral of politics. Tussel with Centre whoever be the ruling party at centre or state got embedded in DNA of Bengalis.
I wonder how Print could allow such a novice on Bengali art, culture and sentiment to publish an article when we Bengali as a community is facing challenges from all fronts!
Her thoughts are shallow and are void of in-depth analysis of what all went wrong over last 5 decades or so!
I lost the respect on Print is all that I can sum up to publish such an article!
Mr. Mukherjee do not keep your eyes closed. Bengsal’s Ecconomy has nosed dived to such extent that Calcutta does not come into top 15 cities in India. You do not have to belive me. Check Googles. By size as a city Calcutta is not even in top 15. in India. By population calcutta is 7th in India. what is ecconomy ?It is the size of the total walth creatd by the local population. I stay in Ahmedanbad. Due to my work I have to travel between Pune-Mumbai -Ahmedbaad. I know How people perceive bengalis there. Accept the fact make self and critical ssssment and where bengalis have gone wrong. Imagine a lunatic like Mamta banerjee who could not bring a single inustry to Bengal and who drove out tata from Singur got second chance. here nobody talks about Bengal, people perceive it as a lost state. See what happened after math the Amphen. even after five dayss, electricity could not be restored through out .south Bengal. Such situation cannot be dreamt off here.
Perfect ….
What exactly are you suggesting Miss Dey? That Bengalis are emotional fools who do not think about the present? Well, then I suggest that you talk to the Bengali intelligentsia a little more than you have, because you evidently have not. And how exactly can you call the promotion of Bengali linguistic chauvinism? Puttin guns to people’s heads and making them read Bengali is a crime but proposing to make it an official language is the right of the star where most people speak Bengali. And about Ray and Tagore— why will we not feel proud? It isn’t as if we are only studying there work and reveling in the suspension of the present. We are not doing that. If you want to criticize a State’s political streetscape, you should do so without involving the native community of that State. And talking about the Bengal and Bengali trope—we are not that dimwitted that such statements will sway our ideologies. We are a proud community and we like to talk about books. Yes, I myself am a bibliophile and I do believe that the elementary test of being deemed as a Bengali is the ability to appreciate Ray and Tagore. But that certainly is not related to the economic instability of Bengal. I, as a reader of this article, am appalled at the travesty that this article has proven to be. Please employ better journalists who can indulge in novel articles beyond these Gen Z cliches.
Dear Writer,
With all due respect to your questions and suggestions which are being put up in this article, allow me to criticize some of your thoughts.
Firstly, the title itself is being named after the famous personalities so that your article gets a good amount of read. So for the exact same point you criticized other Bengalis, you just did that too, inorder to seek for attention. If you were so sure of your content and writeup, you could have chosen a different article name, as you as an individual don’t want to be shackled in the past by Tagore or Ray. You used the same past which you have criticized in the article.
Secondly, will write more when u will make more sense, as I didn’t find it worthy enough to write more on your content where the article’s name itself is contradictory with the content, you are just another example of big mouth pseudo liberals, may be.
Thanks for the unsolicited advice to বাঙালি s . Political dirt & corruption are eternal truths in this country. But when you say , giving priority to বাংলা language in official proceedings or asks everyone to learn বাংলা in this state as’Sub Nationalism ‘, I doubt your intention. Look I have seen both the regime (left&tmc) , both were tyrant. But if they tried/ are trying something for our language, why are so bothered? This is our land, our language. আমাদের মাটি !আমাদের ভাষা ! Everyone is entitled to their opinions, So are you. Bangla does not give a damn!
In fact CBSE, ICSE will see to it that we forget our language and heritage and join the lowest common denominator. It is the legacy of Tagore, Ray and others, that’s producing Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee etc. Bengali’s never aspire to become an Ambani.
”Bengali’s never aspire to become an Ambani.” I sit something you want to be proud of? No wonder your state is a mess. With no jobs and no food, just sing Tagore and you will be OK. Nonsense.
Crony capitalism of collaboration between businessmen,politicians and bureaucrats makes a big industrialist in India. Even a kid knows this. Bengalees simply don’t have access to that.
Very telescopic view filled with clichés. Yes there is a lot of things wrong in bengal, just like it is about so many other states eg maharashtra bihar rajasthan. However, things are slowly changing. and there is nothing wrong about being proud of your past. You don’t fault the proud marathi or target the proud gujjus or the marwaris. So why bengal.
What is wrong if the governments try to promote Bengali as official language? If India can promote Hindi as official and other non-hindi speaking states can promote their regional language, why not West Bengal. The author seems dillusional and hardly any proper idea about Bengal and Bengalis though by name, she is Bengali. She seemed out of subject to write an article. I regret to see that there are such Bengalis in our community! When every other country and race are promoting their languages, some of the Bengalis take us down for doing that! Shame on you.
Name a state in INDIA where for majority there is NORTH KOREA type policies and for minority pakistan type policies
Sorry to differ on most of the points with the writer.
A very simplified view on a (some sort of ) complex subject with one sided notion.
On the other hand – I feel disgusting when I see people in bengal specially new generation in kolkata feel proud to talk in hindi or hinglish in their native state , which I have never seen in any other states in india! This is the only state in india where some mothers feel proud when theirs children not talking in bengali.
What the writer say is nothing new- we have seen this type of stereotype writing before.
I also think that the writer has not enough credibility to write on this subject apart from being bengali. Through i am not absolutely against criticism- in fact one of my favorite book is AATMAGHAI BANGALI by Nirod C. Chowdhury.
It’s ok the writer express her own notion in media. There is nothing wrong in it. Just gone through it and close the chapter!
The above article reflects very poor and unmatured thoughts of the writer. Requesting The Print to review such write-ups before they are published.Ms Dey is no judge to advocate and decide that Tagore and Ray are past. Actually she has become a past after such an article.Never going to read her articles again.
Sir, do not close your eye to the reality. it is the accepted norm for Bengal now.
Dear Arun, can you please tell me one state where everything is perfect in every aspect? Yes after Congress under cpim era industrialization didn’t enter in our state and in current situation it’s not entering because of political(tmc) problems. But that doesn’t mean in future we’ll not let industrialization or entrepreneurship to happen in WB. But this just article shows hatred for our community. Whoever Deblina is, but she is definitely not a bengali or might be a highly depressed person. Just remember, history knows that bengalis have suffered a lot, but they never give up and will never. And we will always read books of Tagore, B.C. Chatterjee, Jibanananda Das(list goes on..) for some positivity and creative ideas.
I will try not to open your website henceforth… who is this lady who has got no basic idea about history, culture, struggle of state for years… does she know how Bengal industries had to pay extra tax to buy coal or other minerals from the State like Bihar for years. Does she know how entire jute industry has suffered due to the introduction of plastic worldwide. I am really ashamed to know someone from Bengal can write this article without knowing anything about her own state. I m just surprised to see her audacity to humiliate a state and want to ask a simple question, Tui ke re Haridas Paul!! I think she will understand this language
You are showing your poor intellect by saying Rabindra Nath Thakur and Satyajit Ray as past. Their work will remain and be adored forever. You could do something for the society instead of writing this type of useless article which is not worth reading to the end. Actually people like you are not worth to do anything meaningful, so you have enough time to find fault in others. When people are worthless, they criticise. Wise people contribute whatever small or big way they can, to bring positive changes to the society.
The author is right , after seeing the comment section from Bengalies nothing much can be expected, I have seen many bhodroloks who will never say their wards to come back to Kolkata but still basking in the past nostalgia. Kolkata now is not even counted as an A1 city , the city infrastructure crumbling , per capita income almost close to Bihar MP , GDP and annual budget figures are fudged to such an extent that govt only giving handouts and taking huge loans . Not a single big ticket investment . The migrants labour’s will show the true color of rural economy which is next to nothing . WB economy now heavily service oriented , with 18% pie of manufacturing decades back to less than 5% now . From trade union to syndicate Raj nothing have changed , who in their right mind will invest in such a soup . People are too polarized even if they are not part of any political parties they are blind supporters . In WB for decades opposition parties are way too negligible to even counter the narrative of the ruling govts . It takes decades for Bengalies to bring in a new party to power. People are too much politically polarized .
Serious research is required to know and understand why Bangladesh with common cultural icons are progressing and West Bengal is regressing. For that matter why Bangladesh which swears by yesteryear cultural icons like Tagore, Nazrul is doing well economically as well and Pakistan with Allama is going downhill.
Brilliant. Thank you. So truthful.
So long Bengalis retains their pride and consciousness of Tagore, Ray and other renaissance men of Bengal, Bengal will remain Bengal. Cultural icons are very important for a progressive society. Bangladesh is progressing because of their pride in Tagore, Nazrul and others. Religious bigotry won’t take us anywhere.
Retvik Ghatak any day over Satyajit Rai, for me.
We will continue to live in a so-called time- trap… Rabindranath is God of Bengalis, sorry we cannot leave our God !
Dear JERK,
Lol, let me tell you something, this is one of the worse article, ever read. Well, let me ask you a simple question. What do you know about the Bengalis and the culture?
1. You are free to write/discuss coz you are free. Who brought the freedom? Netaji Suhas Chandra Bose, Khudiram etc – Bangali.
2. Indian National anthem written by whom? Rabindra Nath Tagor- Bangali.
3. Scientists- Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose & so many.
4. First great film producer & director who won the Oscar- Satyajit Roy
The list is huge.
Let me tell you something, today if you are alive also, there must be atleast one Bengali’s contribution. So don’t prove yourself a JERK.
Though you’ve already proved that. But still.
I would definitely suggest you to read about Bengali’s contribution to the Indian History, Freedom, Politics, Science, Sociology, Research and development, Progress, Culture, Finance, Infrastructure etc before criticizing.
I’m sure you’ve written this article under influence of your insecurities & jealous attitude, but I would definitely suggest you to gather some knowledge before posting such cheap down market articles.
You ate spreading tribalism and separates one against other. Still Bengalis can get Nobel prizes, no other person from other states can get it. West Bengal GSDP like GDP is $170 billions and #6 in the nation just after Gujrat whose GSDP 205 billions. West Bengal mostly serve in service sector (70%) such bank, state and central government, huge teaching community and handicraft and small scale industries. Please do not spread bad publicity about WB.
Very well written. A self introspective Bengali a very rare being especially during the last few decades. The truth is that this love for books had turned Bengalis into excellent theoreticians. Look at those doing PhDs in esoteric fields of study with very little practical relevance. Most will be Bengalis. No wonder putting theory into practice is not the Bengali’s forte. That’s why Waste Bengal. But it was not always so and the best of Bengali talent no longer lives in Bengal. Bengal and Bengalis have been ruined by political religion and blind following of extreme left wing policies. Once both cease being relevant and Bengalis rediscover their own culture and philosophy there will be regeneration. Time to convert this veneration of Tagore and Ray into reclaiming Bengal.
A nice effort to sum up, u r right sir
Netaji and Khudiram bose
Did they got the same status in Bengali mindset as Tagore and Ray?
Ask Bengali New generarions if their role model is Khudiram bose?
It is natural Dance, music, bollywood gets preferred over Khudiram style sacrifice.
National anthem, yes controversies are also there it was written as a praise for British kingdom.
Literature and art are crucial but it should be limited to its place. Every region/ country has its own literature
Nobel and Oscar, all r foreign awards, do u think these have helped the downtrodden people in our state any way,
They may be the tool for getting some talented person to have fame but on ground level their wishdom ever helped society as a whole?
Like Nobel laureate sitting in America handled the COVID respone team management. Ha ha
We should be tolerant enough for all ideas.
Madam has shown the mirror atleast.
National Anthem was never written to praise the British. This hoax has been debunked many times. Try to get some basic education and not be brainwashed by everything you read on social media.
Finally someone who speaks truth about West Bengal. West Bengal has become shame of India, instead of leaving India, Bengal is one of the Bimaru States, the poverty in Bengal puts it in the same league of Bihar and Jharkhand. East Indian states are just burden to India.
Don’t say like this. Almost every state is moth riddled in india. Apart from punjab who has taken the responsibility to feed us and uttarakhand that sends majority of its menfolk to the army, the rest of the country is struggling.
We have to rise above others as one force
Bengali bashing sells and improves the TRP these days.
No need to poke into east India, very well is known about your north India be it Delhi, rajasthan or Maharashtra
Ami ei lekha tar Bangla te reply dichhi, English / Hindi janleo echha kore debona. Janina apni Indiar kotota dekhechen. Tobe ekta kotha bolte pari, ei je Bangla ke official language kora niye apnar ato problem, konodin South Imdia te giye dekhe asben tara nijeder language ke kotota somman kore.
Apni Bangali bole ei kotha ta likhte sahosh peyechen karon amra bangali ra sobar boktobbo ke soman morjada di, sobar kotha suni alochona kori. R Time Trap e mone hoy apni nije pore achen amra noi. Asha kori valo thakben, suvo biddhi hok apnar. R kharap somoy jodi sahajjo korte egiye na aste paren, dur theke bose boktrita marbenna.
m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/19-of-india-s-25-dirtiest-cities-are-in-west-bengal/story-PjCvlm6BI1JFlwrhiwSkAO_amp.html
Ideally WB should have topped cleanest cities.
Great Bangali has rich culture but no taka in pocket.
The malaise is bigger than just Bengal. The Bengali love for the past only stretches 200 years. As a nation (and more specifically the right wing) Indians live and revel in the Vedic/ Puranic times.
The author has only one intention- to see companies like Honda, Samsung, Pidilite,
Nestle, Infosyss, Mahindra, Bajaj, Maruti set up base in Kolkata. To see a Bengal which attracts Marathis, Gujaratis, Tamilians and people from all across.
The author wants to see more cities and not just Kolkata alone. The author wants Bengal to provide as many opportunities to its citizens and students. Today most of them go out after passing from our prestigious Jadavpur or any University.
Let the Calcutta Stock Exchange be revived, let Bengal become the center of trade and commerce. Let global companies like Adidas, Reebok set up factories in Bengal.
That is the only intention. Many people have not liked the way she has written. But none of those are businessmen, most of them are salaried workers.
What will convince people to invest in Bengal. For that Bengalis must move away from greatness of past to making Bengal relevant in global supply chains
Well said.
If I really have to give a piece of my mind over the article then , it’s not certainly poorly written but the writer needs to have more facts at her/his hand while writting such an article . I do understand, the conservative bengali chauvinism”, which the writer brings forth and was present since the early 1900s .And ,was heavily criticised by bengali writters .Pointing out this chauvinistic mentality , Tagore himself wrote in his essay on “Nationalism” that these sentiments of pride are just for political and moral unification , as seen throughout history . The Bengali hubris is hurt if an article like this is published when Bengal itself is in such a dire state .
I believe when the writer is understanding enough to comprehend the Bengali chauvinistic mentality , he surely is capable enough to understand the deprivation of assistance and solidarity by the Centre . And , that it is not the right time to bank on the tidal sentiments of Bengalis .
God! I am really saddened how low “the print” has stooped to . I mean, this is the outlet that covered the story of “Harsh Mander” didn’t it? And promoted NC Saxena’s book? Aren’t you at all reading what you are preaching , are you?
You are a lady, and my Bengali culture has taught me to celebrate womanhood and respect women. I thus refrain myself from giving a point by point reply to all the nonsense that you have written- cause I would be using some harsh words for that, and I want to avoid insulting a woman. However, your words does prove your stupidness, lack of knowledge, and why proper education is very much the essential of this country. Just knowing how to write stories, doesn’t make you a literate. Stay safe.
If most Bengalis have to go outside the state to earn a living that gives them income just enough for two meals then what is the pride for.
Travel across India and you will find that most labour is from UP, Bihar and WB and also Orissa.
Lakhs of Bengalis just want to get out of Bengal at any cost.
Barring Kolkata there is no other city. Kolkata was created by the British. Industrial decline was manmade. They say every state cannot be industrially competent, then why WB does not lead in IT, BPO or why no great food companies are in WB.
Bengalis are in some imagined world especially the bhadralok elite.
No one can win a debate or an argument with a Bengali. They win debate always. But can never can convince a Tata or a Mahindra or a Bajaj to set up factories in WB.
Hope Bengalis realise that their state is now seen on the lines of Bihar and UP. The imagined greatness of the past has never let them face reality.
Crappy article. People like you are more responsible for the degradation of bengal and bangalees. It’s better that people like you have been migrated from this state. Our state doesn’t want burden of having treacherous like you.
I don’t intend to dissect too much into Bengal and the so called Bengalee chauvinism. Bengal’s predicament started with the division of Bengal. The cartographic redrawing, beside throwing a logistical nightmare for time to come, created a high compression of demographic density jn the western territory. The then Indian leadership are squarely responsible for failing to bargain for West Bengal’s interests. On top of it was the failure to transfer the minorities en block to the eastern territwhereas near total purging of the Hindu minority there continues even now. Transfer of capital city to Delhi too had its toll on Bengal’s momentum. All these are historical, though unmitigably persisting.
Why else my displaced father had to struggle unto death. Why did I have to live hand to mouth in building a modest shelter in this new settlement. Why have the Bengalees had to scatter, settle and rescue themselves all over the country and abroad by dint of their mettle, adaptibility and struggle. And, over the time they have raised themselves into valued citizens wherever they settled in the length and breadth of the country and abroad. Can anybody quote any other states, barring Punjab, which had so much to go through that has not ended even now
The balance sheet could have been much stronger in favour of Bengal but for the elitist Congress, myopic Left Front primarily in areas of language policy, industrial relations and soft pedalling as well as dilution of state authority; Trinamool on the other hand captured and holding power rudderlessly with empowerment of goons, autocracy and tacit patronage of powers that be at the Centre to dethrone Left Front. People’s ambivalence aided the perpetuation of the blue and white party. The Center-State mock concert is still on with high and low noises, throwing the state into back gear.
What Bengal holds to her breast is its cultural assets, as she drifts on a sinking boat. OH BENGAL!
If this is journalism……I think many people who once aspired to be one would be happy to not to take up this profession.
Yes ….Bengal has many issues but which state of our country does not have.
The glorious (also an ashame Bong) criticised the imposition of Bengali language on the people but it is a fact which we can’t deny that most of the Indian states are doing it.
And yes all the great personalities who are mentioned by the sad Bong author…. represent our region and they are our pride !!
So much of negativity amidst a crisis broke my heart and just wanted to say we all can join hands to rebuild our state from every possible dimension.
Firstly,Looks like u didn’t find anything to write about Bengal even when districts have been wiped out by Amphan.
Secondly, I don’t think u have ever imbibed anything about Rabindranath Tagore or Satyajit Ray or any other great thinkers of Bengal because they’re views and ideas have proven to be timeless. Respecting and celebrating culture isn’t backwardness.
Third, the economic situation has many contributing factors and it is complex. Culture has nothing to do with it, rather it has taught us that there are much more things to appreciate and find happiness in life and it’s not only money. But that doesn’t mean we forget our paycheck.
Lastly, please check the latest health bulletin, we have crossed 9k tests per day. Your entire article sounded like a propaganda WhatsApp forward, which aims at our rich cultural heritage, ofcourse which prevents many of us from being blind and indifferent to society.
Emotive, rather than analytic.
And emotive too, fuelled by ignorance and fed by populist rhetoric.
Have you checked any facts?
WB fumbled with the initial testing, and tried to cover up the consequence (high CFR due to low case detection), agreed. But this tactic was later used by Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and other states too – to try and delineate ‘direct deaths’ and ‘indirect deaths’. The role of the centrally funded ICMR in sending faulty kits to WB cannot be overlooked.
The improvement has been dramatic. Despite constant Central interference (missing in the BJP ruled states, predictably) WB today has a testing rate of over 1400 per million. From the lowest in the country, it is not even in the bottom 10, and is set to cross the average soon. The recovery rate is better than the national average. Verify your facts and then spew your balderdash.
Coming to misplaced Bengali pride, WB has consolidated its position in the upper 1/3rd of all states, on crucial indicators such as under 5 mortality rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, literacy rate, maternal mortality ratio, gender equality index. To compare, the Gujarat model lies exposed today as a non-inclusive, lopsided development model.
Responsible journalism has anyway been thrown to the wind today. And if there has been one consistent decline in quality, and a rottening stagnation in mediocrity, among a domain of the Bengalis, it has been in journalism. The state had once produced or hosted some of India’s best journalists. Sadly, today, such articles serve only to insult that legacy.
Comorbidity case has been stagnant to 72 for last 5-6 weeks. Why???
The author should be congratulated on his true representation of his thoroughly ignorant yet proud group. Let the author be offered, as a reward, a free course on Better Buffonery. What Tagore advised and actually did for the economic upliftment of his countrymen are generally beyond the syllabus of these buffoons. ThePrint is equally to be held responsible for this trash. Well, popular theories on increasing circulation can only support such activities.
There is nothing wrong if we criticise ourselves to get rid of our bad traits or demerits. Only by self analysis a nation can become progressive. I had been in Calcutta for a long period, I had received my basic academic education including engineering in institutions under great CU and JU. What is the present educational status prevailing now in Calcutta/west Bengal , I do not know but certainly I am proud of the best educational wisdom, sound knowledge in basic sciences and technical disciplines I have acquired in the institutions I have studied in, without which it would not have been possible to set up several high tech production centres manufacturing biochemicals of the best quality possible developed by me through r& d for export to developed countries earning thousands of dollare. Definitely we could do better in future,as necessary elements are present in the Bengali intellects, all are not lost. Rgds Dr k k bhattacharya Coimbatore TN , a scientist of india Remarks I am a great admirer and worshipper of phenomenally gifted Tagore and Ray of the highest international standard possible .
There is nothing wrong if we criticise ourselves to get rid of our bad traits or demerits. Only by self analysis a nation can become progressive. I had been in Calcutta for a long period, I had received my basic academic education including engineering in institutions under great CU and JU. What is the present educational status prevailing now in Calcutta/west Bengal , I do not know but certainly I am proud of the best educational wisdom, sound knowledge in basic sciences and technical disciplines I have acquired in the institutions I have studied in, without which it would not have been possible to set up several high tech production centres manufacturing biochemicals of the best quality possible developed by me through r& d for export to developed countries earning thousands of dollare. Definitely we could do better in future,as necessary elements are present in the Bengali intellects, all are not lost. Rgds Dr k k bhattacharya Coimbatore TN , a scientist of india Remarks I am a great admirer and worshipper of phenomenally gifted Tagore and Ray of the highest international standard possible .
Shame on Dey who has tried to show her intelect. Does she know what the sentiments are of average Bengali (baring people like her) with #RabindranathTagore and #SatyajitRay? Is she even proud to be a #Bengali or curse herself for being one. What is she trying to prove? Who ghe hell is she to sermon Bengalies to forget Tagore and Ray. Shame on The Print for carrying such a story. What an audecity… Condemn!
Can you convince any Indian industrialst to set up a base in WB? Our boys and girls are running to Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad for jobs. Why are we not able to give them jobs here.
I was shocked to see the number of young Bengalis in Bangalore. I thought only a few would be there. We are in Lakhs even in Pune.
How many lakh Marathi and Kannada or Punjabis come to our state for any kind of work? We have nothing to offer. No economic opportunities. We are a state living on repatriation alone.
Try starting a small business in Bengal. I am sure you would have cursed if not killed the people we encounter. How difficult it is to run even a small business here.
And we are 12 crore people. Can we not provide some opportunities for our own people here.
Not sure why you are offended, I really enjoyed this article as the author has been bold enough to call out the current state of Bengal, which is quite shameful. West Bengal is living in illusions of past while the per capita income of west bengal is one of the lowest in India, less then half of per capita income of my state. West Bengal who was industrial power house of India once is nothing more than a member of Bimaru state.
Live in deception and you will only go down.
Which state are you from? Just wanted to verify your claim of double per capita income.
Sir Rajput what is your state and where is the data ?
pallab Ghosh do not leve in a fools paradise. Those days are gone about 50 years back. Now the scociety in Bengal is decaying. Abject poverty, No jobs. Miniscule Middleclass. Thriving Middleclass is the engine of growth, which Bengal sadly lack. That is why this situation. I stay in Ahmedabad. recently I know a person staying in my complex who was born in Calcuuta, grown up in Calcutta, Then joined as Clark in BOI in Calcutta. Now being an officer who recently promoted to Scale IV and got transfer order for Calcutta. That person refused to go to Calcutta inspite being his ancestral home is in calcutta. His relatives are there. BOKA BANGALI OPTED FOR REGIONAL PARTIES TO GOVERN THE STATE IN THE LAST 43 YEARS AND PAID THE PRICE FOR THIS DECAY. ALWAYS FIGHTING WITH THE CENTRE. NET RESULT ABJECT POVERTY TO THE CITIZENERY. DECAYING SCOCEITY CRETED MORE CRIME, DEPRESSION AND IDEOSYNCRACY. HOW MANY EMINENT BENGALIS ARE THERE IN THE INDUSTRIAL HORIZON. wORLD.S TOP 15 CEO’S ARE INDIAN BUT NONE ARE BENGALIS. NO EMINENT POLITICIANS. NO EMINENT LITTERATE PERSON. NO EMINENT CRIKETOR, NO EMINENT CINEMA PERSONALITIES, NO EMINENT INDUSTRIQALIST , NO EMINENT HISTORIANS, ETC ETC. ONLY EXHORTIONIST. STILL PROUD BENGALIS VOTED FOR 34 YEARS TO COMUNIST AND THEN TWO TERMS TO A LUNATIC WOMEN CALLED MAMATA BANERJEE WHO DRIVEN AWAYA THE TATA NANO FACTORY. SINCE THEN NO INDUSTRIAL GROWTH. TMC GOVERNMENT PROVIDING FUDGED DATA TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENRT FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSE. LIKE GDP CALCULLATION, ETC. PRACTICALLY THERE IS NO EMPLOYMENT SCOPE IN CALCUTTA. EDUCATION SYSTEM IS VERY POOR.
semi-literate rant!
See we are happy with what we have, how we are…not interfering into anything…yes i know when u don’t get news or articles u have to make up a good story mixing spices in it… firstly get some knowledge about the topic then try to express it not on a paper but openly…only if your so called “Bengali” people can control their rage…
The fact is bengal’s per capita income is less then half of my state and Bengal is indeed a failure of India, it’s shameful that a land of Bose and Tagore could not lead India but became a burden. Your wish if you want to disagree however facts/ numbers state otherwise and currently intellectual level of bengal has degraded so much that I can’t even honor my time by discussing such topic with any bengali
Rajput, I want to give you a muft ka gyan lelo. Just remember pci doesn’t shows how poor a person or his/her family is. It’s living standard. But because dollar has high valuability than rupees doesn’t mean that every American can have better lifestyle than an Indian. A big population in US can’t even get health facility like we get in India. Similarly, living standard of the people in WB can get better lifestyle than Indian states ofcourse like UP, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and this is a fact proven by economists. Ofcourse there are states better than us like Kerala, Goa, Punjab, Maharashtra etc.
A very simplistic take on a very complex subject…the economic devolution process of WB is not so simple. And certainly it has got nothing to do with the adulation of buddhi by Bengalis.
In so far as use of Bengali is concerned, the writer dies not seem to hv any idea about working in other states of indian union…u can’t avoid tye vernacular anywhere but in WB…in fact that’s what is creating a new specis…tye non-Bengali Bengalis.
She has to catch up with a lot of reading and research..unbiased and open.
And even if what she writes is true, she shd not be overly agitated….she is already is heaven…she shd be gloating in her superior Indian intellect.
Let us face our own battle, with all the troubles and yes, of course with Robindranath Thakur and Satyajit Ray et al.
Bad. Very badly written.
Very poorly written. Uses hackneyed cliche`s. Of course a lot is wrong with Bengal but this opinion and judgement first with little contemporary context is a critique of Bengal that has had its run for many years. In CoffeeHouse and beyond right down to the carrom adda discussions. Print. You do much better than this everyday. Don’t let bunk class thinkers and writers sully your standards.
Brilliantly written article – I second it completely. Its sure to draw harsh criticism from a group of self proclaimed entitled Bengalis i call the “Bengali Bhakts”. They will present their same narrow minded narrative that knowing Bengali fluently, Satyajit Ray, Tagore are signs of being a good Bengali.
To these so called “Bengali Bhakts” i would like to throw some statistics:- Dear Sir, Ma’am – Do you even know whats the yardstick of Economic progression ?
Ans : No its not the amount of writers, singers, sports stars, film directors or cultural activists that a state/country produces but its the number of Entrepreneurs. Because entrepreneurs are the ones that create value and job opportunists to propel the economy and drive the socio economic development. WB is nearly 10% of India’s population which is the 2nd most populous country in the world. Yet not a single one has ever featured in the Forbes lists such a SHAME INDEED. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw as born to Bengali parents but they are Non Resident Bengali’s so cant consider her. There are hundreds of Indians who feature there do take a look its really interesting.
These bengali bhakts are basically daydreamers, living in the past, bragging about the glorious past but have no practicality or connection to current affairs whatsoever. Yet for these bhakts who are shy to back the reality Bengal continues to plunge in obsolescence and irrelevance.
Also Bengal was an industrial powerhouse only during the early colonial period due to its strategic location & East India company. Something what was lost post the capital was shifted to Delhi. It has nothing to do with Bengali’s at all.
TIP – How to counter these bengali bhakts ? – Its easy, Just throw statistics to them. Ideologically driven people cant argue with numbers or facts, because if they were they would’t have been a bhakt in the 1st place.
Kiran Mazumdar is a Gujrati. Yes, wikipedia is wrong. The fact that you don’t know about Bengali entrepreneurs shows how much statistics you can throw. Call me an arrogant non Bengali but please don’t ever throw statistics to Bengali, they are probably better than us in that field
https://mobile.twitter.com/kiranshaw/status/396248913054687232?lang=en
Did you even read you point before replying ?? Or the compulsion of replying was so great that you forgot the point of your reply. I will reiterate … Can you name few bengali entrepreneurs who features in the fobres list in the last 30 yrs ?? I can name 100s of Gujarati’s.
I don’t think there is any world class or even national level singer, writer or scientist from Gujarat except one or two like Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.
And even my experience says there is hardly any Gujarati in top tier institutes of India like IISc or IITs or JNU or BHU.
These are also statistics! How can you ignore this?
You know why it’s like this? Cause most of them follow their family business or any new business. From a very tender age, their brains start engaging in business ideas, which make then great entrepreneurs.
And the entire Bengali community will also be proud to see you as a World Class Entrepreneur!
Good luck for you young man!
Thank you Sir. I will try surely.
This article shows judgemental comments and inexperienced thoughts and a pinch of revenge of not being able to get anything from Bengal or establish herself in Bengal…totally politically motivated mind …by saying that she has opposed mamta banerjee and cpm rule …so we know who she is working for…another Godi media mediocre reporter…and yes obviously her reply to all the comments above would be
“These people are emotional bengali fools who can’t take criticism”. Cheers to your career ….way to go
Open ur eyes and dumb mind and start seeing the reality instead of criticising the writer … Just because she criticise bengalis,TMC and CPM she is politically motivated? So with the same logic i can also accused u of being politically motivated cz its touched ur hurting nerve or u r not even open to take the criticism..
THIS CHILDISH REPLY BY RIK MUKHERJEE KEEPING HIS EYE CLOSED TO THE REALITY. IS SAD THAT IS EVEN AFTER SUFFERING FOR 43 YERS IN THE HANDS OF REGIONAL PARTIES, THIS MAN EULOGISING A LUNATIC WOMEN WOSE CONTRIBUTION TO BENGAL’S GROWTH IS NEGETIVE. WHEN BENGALIS WILL WOKE UP.
Chai wala dumb guy and his minions can go burn trains in gujarat.. hope kejriwal repeats his face pulping win over Blow job party in other states as well
Extremely poor quality , childish writing. Less said the better. Please review your articles before publishing such rubbish.
These bengali bhakts are basically daydreamers, living in the past, bragging about the glorious past but have no practicality or connection to current affairs whatsoever. Yet for these bhakts who are shy to back the reality Bengal continues to plunge in obsolescence and irrelevance.
Also Bengal was an industrial powerhouse only during the early colonial period due to its strategic location & East India company. Something what was lost post the capital was shifted to Delhi. It has nothing to do with Bengali’s at all.
I feel most of the statements made by the writer is from her own biased opinions . Well if she says that Bengalis boast of their rich culture then what’s wrong on that ? Like Gujratis boast of producing great businessmen , marathas boast of producing warriors like Shivaji . I feel every community must be proud of its culture and national identity as whole. The most bogus thing to hear was speaking Bengali is imposed in west Bengal , I bet thousands of marwadi or Bihari brothers who settled in Bengal can testify that no such imposition is done , as I myself have many non- Bengali friends who are born and brought up in Bengal but don’t know a single Bengali word. I also stand with this that no language should be imposed on any part of India . I think the writer misunderstood it with the ideology of Shivshena imposed by Bal Thackery in Maharashtra ” that maratha for Marathis” . No such ideology was ever imposed by any political party in west Bengal , infact the Cm herself makes important announcements in all Hindi , Bengali and English languages.Clearly writer has very less idea about Bengal. She must have confused it for South India where people only speak English and there own native language, and that’s also in my few no wrong , everyone can speak any Language of their desire in a free country like India. And if the writer feels promotion of her mother tongue within her linguistic community as an imposition then she must be ashamed of such a mindset . I really resisted myself from reporting this comment , as I appreciate the articles of Print. I don’t know whether Quint reviews comments on its articles , but if it does so I request it not to hire such novice , biased writers to write articles
Once the ecconomy moves downwards, every thing will go away slowly. Bengal is suffering from that. Add to that the illegal migrants from
Bangladsh. The entire scociety is hinged on engine of growth i.e ecconomy. Unless ther ecconomy of the state is set right , things will not improve. There are moee suisides in Bengal than in any other states. Being based in Ahmedabad, I have come accross thousands of gujaratis, marwaris who were born in
Bengal but sadly have to move out due to lac of engine of growth., There is no industrialiazation in Bengal unlike in the west , south and some part of north. Because of lac of opputunities, even like Bangladeshis , poor Bengalis are moving out of Bengal. They work as land labourers, Drivers, Security Guards, women work as Maid servents, , Muslim men folk work as tailors, unskilled labours in the industries etc.
I just have one thing to say to the author. If you are so concerned about Bengal and it’s state of misery, why sit in a New Delhi office, working for a company that has nothing to do with Bengal? Come back, struggle and work with the millions within the state to make it great again. If you can’t do that, don’t sit some thousand kilometers away and whine about Bengalis. This is the problem, we tend try and get off a sinking ship the first chance we get. Peace out, Sister.
Haha! Can’t believe how negative the author thinks about “his” bengal. These are the people who don’t take pride in our bhasha nor can read or write fluently (even if they do they will hide it). FYI Bengal is doing one of the best in the country when tackling with the pandemic.The number of cases is less than the national average after more than 1 lakh testing.Please get your facts correct. Maybe you are one of those Bhakts sent to a non BJP state to defame our CM.Did you know Bengal was given only 2 testing centres till end of April (NICED & SSKM) when the other states were testing in pvt labs too? And please don’t get me started on the faulty testing kits. 34 years of industrial stagnantion thanks to the CPI(M) government cannot be changed in a day my dear. It will take 60 years atleast. Open your eyes and please don’t talk utter rubbish about ‘amar shonar bangla’. We do and we will take pride in being superior to the rest even if you like it or not. Thanks 🙂
Never read such a poor article from The Print, the author seems to written out the frustration of her from the few bengali people of her acquaintances.
Though a non-Bengali, I have great admiration for Bengali culture & intellectual strength of Bengalis all over India. However, there seems to be a mismatch between very high capabilities of Bengalis & average prosperity & mediocre development seen on ground in West Bengal, which to me is a paradox. Author is not denigrating anything or anybody and I think his point is to be taken in right spirit.
Your matured views are commendable, which seems perfect as far as Bengalis of Bengal concerned, who have degenerated Bengal into such shape. But their miopic observations call it ‘Unnayon’.
If possible Mr. Bengali hate man please please please change your blood of Bengali parents and change genetic characters those you have got by birth. If not, just go through all literatures, science, culture of today way after Satyajit or Tagore – you will find many more interesting and encouraging developments in all field.
Hope you have contributed a lot to the society, specially for betterment of bengali culture, intellectual activities and many more which we can feel.
If not, then please stop hating bengali….
Sotyi ta shonar shahosh acchey?
If we look at the present we all know about noble laureate Abhijit Banerjee. So I don’t agree we are trapped in the past. There are various other fields where Bengalis are leading. I do agree the conditions are not much appreciable in Bengal, still it’s not so worse as much mentioned herein. Also we can’t only blame Bengal politics , in fact the whole of Indian politics shares the blame as a whole.
I can’t agree with the conclusion of the author. Bengali speaking population are in every corner of the world and their present contributions in all areas of knowledge are recognised by all.This is reflected in the honours awarded by different countries, institutions etc.to bengali speaking persons. Author should make more research before any conclusion.
I have a personal experience that Bengalis when settles outside forget Bengal and feels everything is worst in Bengal. Some of them even loves and proudly announces that they cannot read / write Bengali. Yes there are issues but no point of linking them with Tagore or Satyajit . Blaming only past or present Government is not the correct option. There are other factors which the writer has not taken into consideration. I have stayed outside Bengal for 40 years but never used to say our Bengal is worst. If I say Bengal is worst so proudly , it is an act of disrespect to our Parents. Other than Tagore and Satyajit , there are many Bengalis who are at leading position in various fields in Industries. Author is not aware of same. There could be more people like her and we have to expose all of them.
Dear D Sarkar,
Your Opinion on Probasi Bangali is just Like “Bongo Santaan”.
Roam Out of Bengal in Durga Puja days,When Probasi Bangalis are in Bangali Mood. Here people Arrange Bangla Natak,Singing Bangla Rabindra Sangeet,Competition on Art and Culture.
YES,THEY TALK IN BANGLA, AND NOT IN HINDI,OR,OTHER STATE LANGUAGE THEY ARE LIVING.
I GO BENGAL EVERY YEAR.
AND I BECOME FRUSTRATED AND IRRITATED TO SEE THEIR LATEST MODI TYPE HINDI PREM,SOUTH FILM TUPE DANCE, BOLLYWOOD TYPE DIALOGUE….
EXCEPT BENGALI LANGUAGE,EXCEPT BENGALI CULTURE EVERYTHING CAN BE SEEN IN BANGLA.
I AM 7TH GEN OUT OF WEST BENGAL/BANGLA, AND WRITE,SPEAK ,LECTURE IN FLUENT BANGLA.
The writer of this article should be ashamed of himself/herself. You mentioned a point about imposition of the Bengali language as a political vendetta but have you noticed the fact the the Bengali language is itself dying out. How many of this generation can fluently read and write Bengali? The government is trying to save the language from dying out. And about the health infrastructure I am sorry to say this the govt. Does provide enough for it it’s up-to the people how they use it how they maintain it. The govt can’t teach them do this and do that. When we talk about Ray and Tagore or of Amarty sen and others it’s a matter of Bengali pride. And for the poor economic condition, the fact is who is going to listen to intellectuals. Indians are always swayed by communal politics and Bengal is also not above it. Unless and until we do away with this communalism Indian economy will not flourished nor will of Bengal.
What’s wrong with this person! Don’t call yourself a bengali. Every human should remember his past and be more proud if it is glorious. Most of states in India have regional language in their state government offices and why not? Industry and jobs don’t bring cultures. Otherwise another states and countries could have better cultures. Cultures comes from intelligence, test and understanding. And it is said well that ” what bengali will think today , rest of the country will think tomorrow.” West Bengal 1st said about the faulty covid kits. Then the other states said. We know we are decaying, I truly believe we will take care of that. Don’t be hateful, rather be furious if you can, like Bengalis.
WORST ARTICLE WRITTEN BY A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN . BENGAL REJECTS THE VIEWS OF AN IGNORANT SUFFERING FROM INFERIORITY COMPLEX FEEDING THE EGOS OF THE IDIOTS PERHAPS FOR CONSIDERATIONS OTHER THAN TRUTH.
Truth hurts dude
THIS IS AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY A JOURNALIST WHO HAS MADE A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN.
BENGALIS ARE AND WILL REMAIN AT THE TOP.
THE BENGALI BASHERS SUFFER FROM INFERIORITY COMPLEX. THEY ARE DWARFED IN FRONT OF THE COLOSSUSSES BENGAL’S ART AND ARCHITECTURE, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, SPORTS AND ADVENTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, TRADE AND COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND ENTERPRISE,JOURNALISM AND TELEVISION NEWS FEATURES PRESENTATION,DANCE AND MUSIC, THEATRE AND CINEMA AND FINALLY MILITARY MIGHTS.
COUNTING WOULD BE EMBARASSING BUT IN RECENT TIMES I FIND THIS AS THE WORST ARTICLE WRITTEN TO FEED THE EGOS OF THE IDIOTS PERHAPS FOR CONSIDERATIONS OTHER THAN TRUTH!
EAST BENGAL IS DOING WELL WITHOUT THE NON BENGALIS WEST BENGAL WILL DO BETTER STILL!
What exactly are you so proud of… I mean look at the state of today’s Bengal. This is not what you call a developed state rather decaying one. Not a single major industry can be found that can give the Bengalis enough jobs to keep the state economy going. Things are more bleak than they were ever before and thinking about architecture language and literature of the old is just hanging on to the achievement of the people before you. That is just having an escape from reality in form of pride.
Looks like you’ve never stepped out of the state or never have seen hard work of middle class.
I never commented on anything like this before but after reading this article Yeah i have too. Yes, this is so true and current situation of bengal needs to get evolved and developed.This will not going to stop the politics, crime, riots and lack of jobs until we step forward. I always believe in power of unity with a correct light. We all need to stand up and needs to change the face of bengal by changing our mindset. The tagore , subhash bose and satyajit are the icons there is nothing wrong by remembering them and get nostalgic. The problem is after modi government established in 2013 ,people are having keen interest in politics. The people of small towns are more interested in discussing politics that too criticizing modi. People need to accept him (specially benaglis) and start focusing on themselves what they are meant for and what they are doing for county and their state. At the end west bengal is still powerful and can manage everything . Just they need the right light to focus on.
Don’t think so. We Bengalis have always been too much interested in Politics. Especially in roadside tea shops.
This should be an article in a Bengali daily. There is very little a non-Bengali can say about the state of the State of Bengal as anything one says will be rejected anyway with “we know better”. It is the equivalent of “you know who I am” in Delhi.
The author has a point but articulated it so badly.
Dear Feel Ashamed To Be A Bengali – your views are yours, it doesn’t effect my feelings or pride for my roots, my Bangla. Write whatever you want to but atleast use basic spell check and grammar – your tagline weather it is to duck…, It should be whether in this case. Weather signifies Climate.
Dear Feel Ashamed To Be A Bengali – your views are yours, it doesn’t effect my feelings or pride for my roots, my Bangla. Write whatever you want to but atleast use basic spell check and grammar – your tagline “weather it is to duck…”, It should be whether in this case. Weather signifies Climate.
There is no cause and effect between rise of sub nationalism and decline in economic growth. Case in point being Tamil Nadu.
Haven’t read an article more awful than this in recent times.
Common people of West Bengal are being fed our glorious past of Bengal in the name election by worst politics . Yes it’s the burning time to think about the future generations of West Bengal instead of being confined into the trap of bad politics which have been eating our vital. Time has come to think about the development of industry and business to boost up the state economy with solidarity . The state has still potential to formulate a new dimension flawlessly to prosper . The more we think positively the more we recover firmly.
All i want to say is, I do not think it is a coincidence that this article has been published a couple of days after the state of WB and Odisha has been completely obliterated by a cyclone! Kudos to The Print for your vulture journalism. I admit this is something you can debate and it is a valid one, but now?
WOW! and for what? for a few extra clicks? this is shameful jounalism!
Ban the writer for ever, who can’t support her motherland has no authority to write anymore. I am ashamed of this “Bengali”.. She should ask for pardon.
I stopped reading when the author brought up the term ‘Waste Bengal’ which is usually used by Bengali-hating degenerates via Whatsapp forwards and Facebook.
Yes , Bengal has problems. We need to address that.
But if you think that printing such an article after the disastrous Amphan amidst Covid and using terms as above is helpful, then I guess you should steer clear of our state.
A load of bullshit parading as an opinion piece. Demanding respect for the local language is cited as an instance of regressive behaviour. It is because of this kind of thought that cultures decay, not by looking to stalwarts like Tagore for inspiration.
Extremely shallow write-up from a “not so proud Bengali” who has discounted the fact that the buddhijibis has contributed to 6 nobles prizes and an Oscar which are immortal achievements carved into Indian history..
She may have discounted the sacrifices of the Bengali freedom fighters without whom the freedom of India was all but a distant dream.
Yeah impossible to nullify that Bengal is victim of extreme trade unionism , stupendous industrial policies which has seen a consistent routing of the industrial portfolio of the state, but when entire India is taken into context it’s impractical to compare against Maharashtra,Gujarat ,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka which has propelled light years away from the rest of the states.
Well Wb is the 5th highest gdp contributor to India and this is one fact our author should take account off.
I am not surprised by this article as this is the mindset of majority of the Bengali population who takes immense pride in neighbouring states and has extreme apathy to their own..not surprised that the entire country makes fun of us.
Rascal writer.
Socrates needs to be called to figure out the probable reasons for the abrupt degeneration of such a highly distinguished culture, to a state of waste, in so short a time span of less than a hundred years. However all may have not been lost for the Bengali-speaking tribe. While Bengal declined because of its pseudo-intellectual pride and possibly communistic leanings, East Pakistanis have somewhat demonstrated the potential of the Bengalee after shedding their aggressively Islamist masters. Bengalees of Bangladesh are on a growth path with their economy now outstripping that of Pakistan.
It is therefore possible that with good leadership and administration, West Bengal will regain some of its lost ground in future.
A horrible article. Not everything is good in West Bengal. But still it has so many positive aspects of life! It’s cultural and intellectual life is still thriving. No casteism. Politics is less colored by religion and caste compare to other states of India. Industrial progression should not be the only yardstick to judge a civilisation’s progress. This pandemic should teach us that.
Extremely shallow write-up from a “not so proud Bengali” who has discounted the fact that the buddhijibis has contributed to 6 nobles prizes and an Oscar which are immortal achievements carved into Indian history..
She may have discounted the sacrifices of the Bengali freedom fighters without whom the freedom of India was all but a distant dream.
Yeah impossible to nullify that Bengal is victim of extreme trade unionism , stupendous industrial policies which has seen a consistent routing of the industrial portfolio of the state, but when entire India is taken into context it’s impractical to compare against Maharashtra,Gujarat ,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Well Wb is the 5th highest gdp contributor to India and this is one fact our author should take account off.
I am not surprised by this article as this is the mindset of majority of the Bengali population who takes immense pride in neighbouring states and has extreme apathy to their own..not surprised that the entire country makes fun of us.
||Weather-Where did this come from? || Invoking Bengali pride has been one of the distinct traits of West Bengal’s politicians, weather it is to duck criticism on Covid or play the language card.
What’s the issue in invoking pride in one’s own state and culture?what makes u so sore about that?state politicians play these tricks in each state..Bal Saheb Thackeray was the biggest proponent of Jai Maharashtra and bashing the outside population in a regular intervals so ur logic is rubbish..and when u speak of Covid why don’t u take a notice of Gujarat which initially boasted of the state of the art facility yet miserably failing in managing the infection..Or what about the inhuman and insensitive state of Migrant labours who has flooded the national highways and being left to rot while the central govt is busy extracting the NRI from foreign countries..
Well, if they have such gems from the past why shouldn’t they take pride in them? Every community does that. Also it is interesting that the author forgot to mention laws like freight equalisation which along with other factors contributed to the industrial decline of Eastern India in general and Bengal in particular.
I think there is a great misconception in author’s mind and some who are commenting. Well I am a physicist pursuing my studies in one of the top 3 Universities of India. Let me tell you, about 30-40% professors and students in Central Universities and research institues are Bengali! Yes, this the actual picture! You can verify this fact from any faculty list of these institutes. And most of our proud professors are either from University of Calcutta or Jadavpur University. The picture is similar for both Science and Arts!
Even today if some Indian wins a Nobel prize, he is a Bengali!
Even in COVID-19 fight, Bengali researchers did a great job of successfully creating 1Cr instant testing kits!
First Congress should cons out of Indira and Rajeev.. Seriously print has problem with all except Rahul
What a shit of a writer. Due to bengalis like these west bengal stands behind every other state despite of having alot. And a state like gujarat is shown as tising sun just with sheer marketing. Bengalis like the writer is killing bengal and no one else.
Get a dictionary… Open letter T… There is a word, “Timeless”… learn the word and it’s meaning. Please.
Why do you people write on these topics highlighting the most cliché points? Atleast have some variety or check facts before writing. Shame on the publishers who promote such unorganised and amateur writing. Very poorly written, you self loathing Bengali.
I am not a Bengali but I’m tired of reading self loathing Bengalis writing articles about Bengal without facts, contrary to what most people Bengal was never a industrial powerhouse, it had industries, it still has some but calling it a powerhouse is bit too much. Bengal’s healthcare is good is if not great, I’ve seen several people from my state(Jharkhand) crossing over to Bengal and get treated. The poverty statistics, healthcare statistics nowhere shows that Bengal is doing very poorly. Adivasi rights, gender equality, regional equality is much better. I’ve been to North Karnataka, Marathwada, East Gujrat etc, you can see the state’s neglect in these regions. The west coast benefited from the oil boom in 70 80s. Bengal suffered from freight equalisation policy at the same time. Jadavpur and Calcutta univ are the top state funded universities in QS global rankings. Books are great, instead of invoking some Maratha pride and erecting statues or doing drama over tallest Ram statues, Bengalis talk about Tagore, Ray, classical sangeet, I don’t see too much damage being done by this kind of pride.
Sir I salute you and as a Bengali take pride in showing this except of urs to the kind that this author belongs to.
So correct you are. Our great regret is we have such Bengalis among ourselves who doesn’t belong to our community.
West Bengal is beyond saving. It breaks my heart to say this but it is true. Union-raj and the Syndicate-raj, are the two main pillars of economic vandalism in west bengal, two seeds both sowed by the left and then brought up by Mamata Banerjee, and now both have swamped the state.
I am a bengali, born and brought up in Bengal. I know the vibe of the people. People can not see the truth. Ones who do are deemed as “not bengali enough” and rejected. It takes 10years to build a 4km stretch of a metro line, and we are still proud of it. Our cocoon is so thick that a reality can not hurt our ego. But if we are drowning inside our body then how will our cocoon save us?
Bitter Truth.
tagore and satyajit ray are past ! their visions are everything we need to restore as bengalis indians and human beings – discarding aggresive national – regional nationalism, love of equality, humanity, diversity , aim for economic self sufficiency, a vision for a better humane world – this is what they envisioned – so we all need to follow tagore and ray in their spirit – only then can we live in a better world – not discard them and move on
Excellent article. For too long Bengal has wallowed in its past glories and has justified its present miseries on the ‘other’. To misquote Shakespeare, the fault my deard, lies not in the others, but in ourselves that we are underlings. The parochialism which makes us cast the rest of the universe as the non-Bengali, as if we are some kind of superior beings, has made us an object of mirth and pity. Lets acknowledge our past failures and mistaken vanity and embrace the future with humility.
A section of Bengalis living outside Bengal shade crocodile tears based on wrong or half cooked information from media houses run by or controlled by vested interests .
Sir with all due respect I think you don’t know some big names in the area of research and education like Prof. Ashoke Sen and Prof. A. K. Roychowdhury and there are many more in this area. I can present many facts in front of you but I will not because it seems that the above article is not fact based its based on narrative.
Is it only tradeunionism or flight of capital following shift of power centre from Britsh Kolkata that resulted in Marwaris and Gujratis moving out their capital’s from the state?And about Tagore and Ray, they are evergreen and their views and works would be relevant even 100 years from now
Since independence the leaders irrespective of their political affiliations and ideology destroyed what was once known as Bengal. Dr B C Roy though socially towering personality was a politically minnow handed over some revenue bearing districts to other states on the insistence of his leader Nehru which caused great harm to QUINTUPLICATE Bengal financially.Bengal was modern even before the rein of Dr B C Roy. But after the death of him it was and still is a sorry state of affairs in all spheres of life. The goons have taken over the political and economic spaces long ago. Education system once upon a time best in the entire South Asia systemetically destroyed to serve the political ends. The so called bhuddigibis are basically parasites collecting their pound of flesh from corpses I.e Bengali.
Very poorly written….. No facts, only narratives……
Couldn’t have agreed more. Shocked to see The Print is finding meaning in these write ups!
The authors essay speaks from my heart. Being originally from East Bengal, our family always put on more weight towards science, maths, chemistry and physics. I never understood the preoccupation of West Bengalis with arts and culture. You can label me ignorant, but I prefer a physics book any day over Tagore. And I think Bengali students and engineers need to be much more rigorous in studying and applying science, if ever West Bengal wants to move out of its self- created frog’s well.
It a proven facts that only Bengali ( like this writer) spit on their own people and culture in front of Nation.
It a proven facts that only Bengali ( like this writer) spit on their own people and culture in front of Nation.
Oh so your fight is between science vs arts
??
My dear! Go and read some good books on great scientists. You’ll find that they read philosophy and literature extensively. In Tagore’s writing you’ll find them both.
You don’t have any temperament of scientific knowledge. You are a big fool.
Do you have any arguments, or are you just into name calling, kido? First learn to debate then come back, where the grown- ups are.
Hello, can you go through the lines of meeting between Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore. I am sure your empty vessel sound much will evaporate within a millisecond. I am sorry to say that many comments here only expressed their ignorance only.
So nice comment sir
Biased idiotic article. Do these even go through some editor? What are the facts? Entire India can be proud of their heritage but not Bengal because that’s what this joke of an author thinks. Stop publishing bs and making a joke of yourself.
Sahitya Sangeet kalabihina sakshat pashu puchhabishan Hina.
Pls go back to east bengal….
Who told you I’m in waste Bengal?
Yes. You are an it cell agent in disguise of a bong. What else can we expect ? You are directly insulting our mother land.