What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’ — the famous saying by social reformer and freedom fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale is something that Bengalis swear by.
But Bengal, which was once the symbol of India’s intellectual modernity, is dying a slow death due to its crumbling social infrastructure, lack of jobs and economic stagnation. Over the past few decades, West Bengal has degenerated into ‘Waste Bengal’.
Trapped in time
Bengalis are, however, stuck in a time-warp, refusing to even talk about the state’s problems. Bengal’s intelligentsia or the ‘buddhijibi’ (as they are known in Bangla) hardly ever talks about the state’s economic decay, shut industries, the unimaginable political violence during elections or lack of jobs, as for them, their favourite pastime is reminiscing about the illustrious past.
They will never miss an opportunity to show off how much they prioritise books over everything else. I wonder if they ever read up on the state’s poor finances and creaking infrastructure.
Speak to a friend in Calcutta. He is distraught his book collection has been damaged. Later into the chat, I find out his house has also been damaged, but that’s almost an afterthought. The books are priority, as they must always be in Calcutta. God bless my once and forever city
— Ashok Malik (@MalikAshok) May 22, 2020
Bengalis love to take pride in their culture, language, and identity, and it is non-negotiable. They love to worship Rabindranath Tagore or Satyajit Ray.
No doubt, they were great personalities, but for Bengali intellectuals, you’re not ‘Bengali’ enough if you haven’t read Tagore’s poems or seen Ray’s films.
Although I’m a Bengali too, I find it hard to stomach such cultural arrogance, especially when the state is plagued by so many problems for years now, which remain far from being resolved.
Also read: Boroline — the cure-all that is stuck in time but still brings joy, especially to Bengalis
The politics of Bengali pride
Invoking Bengali pride and sub-nationalism has been one of the distinct traits of West Bengal’s politicians, who stir up such sentiments to cover up their administrative failures and to gain a political upper hand.
Be it the Left Front a decade ago or Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress now, invoking Bengali pride has been their go-to answer to the state’s colossal problems.
The Bengali pride has come to Mamata’s rescue in the coronavirus times too. The chief minister is playing up the ‘Bangla and Bangali’ refrain to counter criticism for Covid mismanagement.
On 12 May, during a press conference in Kolkata, Mamata had even said she would pray to god to forgive “Bengalis who are maligning the image of Bengal”.
She also wants to change the state’s name to Bangla, something the Left Front government also tried to do. She had once asserted that those living in West Bengal will have to learn to speak Bangla.
West Bengal’s former chief minister Jyoti Basu had invoked Bengali chauvinism by wanting to introduce Bangla as the official language in the Calcutta High Court. Furthermore, in the year 2000, the Left government under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee issued an order to introduce Bangla in government offices.
Playing up this sub-nationalism card is perhaps an easy option for the politicians to fool people by touching the emotional chord, and garner votes.
In a way, Bengal’s cultural pride and arrogance have always come in the path of its social development, and done more harm than good to the state.
Also read: Mamata becomes mellow ‘Bengal’s daughter’ as she rebrands herself for 2021 assembly polls
Bengalis can do better
But all is not lost for Bengal yet. There are certain course-corrections that Bengal and Bengalis need to do for a better future.
First and foremost, the state needs to reverse its industrial decline. Bengal was once an industrial powerhouse. But years of trade unionism and government’s criminal apathy dealt a severe blow to industrialisation, leading to many big industries exiting Bengal.
Lack of industry and jobs have hurt educated Bengalis the most as they’ve been forced to migrate in search of jobs. Bengali intellectuals, especially the state’s young population, must support and encourage industries and businesses as much as they can. Reversing the industrial decline won’t be an easy task but is a must to get the state’s economy back on track.
Also read: Mamata is invoking Bengali pride again — her new ‘strategy’ to counter Covid flak
Looking beyond the ‘past’
Bengal also needs to invest massively in its health infrastructure. The state has failed miserably in tackling the current pandemic. According to reports, Bengal has one of the worst Covid testing records with the highest fatality rate among top ten states with most active cases. Bengal’s intelligentsia will do the state some good if it can build a narrative around Bengal’s failing health system and how it can be fixed. Also, moneyed Bengalis settled outside the state and the country, who keep feeling sorry about Bengal’s deprivation, can donate and invest in the health sector.
The Bengali intelligentsia can’t rest on the laurels of the past, and keep getting nostalgic about it. They must generate new ideas and vision with regard to the state’s social and economic growth. They should also consider entering public life to usher in positive changes — something which Bengal needs desperately.
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.
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. Misplaced pride cannot prosper a state, but jobs, industries, and a robust health system certainly can.
Views are personal.
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….