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Dec 17 '16
Hope huge is the cultiral and economic divide between Kolkata and non-Kolata cities in WB
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Dec 17 '16
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u/QuoteMe-Bot Dec 17 '16
Like most places in India a class system exists. However it is not really a caste based divide. It has more to do with financial division. People's upward mobility is hindered by disproportionate lack of opportunities. It's kinda like their poverty keeps them poor - a trend we see all over India. That said, WB is apparently doing decent job of getting people out of this poverty trap. Don't quote me on the last bit.
Btw, the financial division I mentioned is not only a urban versus rural division. It exists within cities as well.
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Dec 17 '16
Kolkata is cheaper than nearly all other cities in WB, at par with the villages in things like grocery or fish prices. But, of course, Kolkata is richer than others, you'll see a lot of imported cars here.
There is no cultural divide, as such.
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u/Mycroft-Tarkin Hyderabad, IN Dec 18 '16
I like that Kolkata still runs a tram service. I heard it was going to be closed down. What happened to that?
And you actually have private public transport that runs on meter (your yellow taxis). That makes any city awesome in my books :P
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Dec 20 '16
The trum is still running but many routes have been closed. It will probably keep running due to the nostalgia factor and the employees who can't be laid off.
Our taxis are the last surviving metered transport which uses ambassadors. If this goes down the legacy of Hindustan motors die off with it.
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u/bengaliguy 1% with no Aadhar Dec 18 '16
i wish the tram service never actually closes down. its our heritage. true the current operation is lot less than what it used to be 10-15 years back, but to most Calcuttans it is a source of nostalgia and pride. plus green transport.
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u/rollebullah Dec 17 '16
is nazrul geeti appreciated as much as robindro shangeet?
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Dec 18 '16
Nazrul Geeti is actually very appreciated but there aren't many singers right now. For singers, Nazrulgeeti emphasis is more for vocal practice but in the end majority goes towards modern songs. We have a separate day for Tagore because of his contribution to all sorts of literature so appreciation is obviously more. Besides, the more we drift away from the memories of British atrocities, patriotic songs will also fade and Nazrul with it.
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u/sammyedwards Chhattisgarh Dec 17 '16
Depends from person to person. From what I know, Robindro Shangeet is given more importance.
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u/dreamlord_morpheus poor customer Dec 17 '16
It is appreciated, but Rabindra Sangeet is a lot more popular.
Nazrul is extremely popular in Bangadesh though. I've seen many fanatical admirers who regard him to be a greater songwriter than Tagore.
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u/philosophyhurts Non Residential Indian Dec 23 '16
During my college / hostel days I had noticed that almost everyone from WB used to smoke and hated taking shower. They were very good at either music, singing, painting etc. There is no word peena, only khana....Cha khabe, cigarette Khabe....
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u/FuriousFrodo Nan Magand! Dec 19 '16
Are there vegetarians in West Bengal ?
Serious question since someone told me brahmins also eat fish there.
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u/necrolycan Dec 21 '16
eating fish was such a temptation that the brahmins started eating fish citing fish as fruit of the river.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 20 '16
Many Brahmins in Coastal Karnataka (Karwar to be specific) also eat fish.
I heard the same about the Kashmiri Pandits.
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Dec 21 '16
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 21 '16
Is the 'Bhatt' surname a Konkani or Tulu one ? And what about 'Kamath' and 'Prabhu' ?
I think Saraswat Brahmins of Coastal Karnataka & Maharashtra are multilingual - some speak Konkani, some Marathi, some speak Tulu while some speak Kannada - hence cannot be neatly defined in linguistic terms.
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u/coolirisme Dec 20 '16
Yeah, Brahmins also eat meat here plus they even do animal sacrifices in temples.
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u/gcs8 A people ruled by traders will eventually be reduced to beggars Dec 21 '16
Is Bengal BJP okay with animal sacrifices? Does it propose to impose Paryushan meat bans like in Mumbai? Does it also propose to allow builders to create vegetarian-exclusive enclaves?
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u/coolirisme Dec 21 '16
Above 98% Bengalis are non veg. It's perhaps the most non-veg part of entire country. Bengal BJP have to be OK with animal sacrifices(considering both Hindus and Muslims do it) and non-veg. Otherwise they can say goodbye to their prospects.
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u/gcs8 A people ruled by traders will eventually be reduced to beggars Dec 21 '16
How do us Maharashtrians get stuck with BJP's idiotic vegetarian projects?
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u/coolirisme Dec 21 '16
Is eating non-veg part of Marathi culture like it's for Bengalis? If not, then it explains BJP's behaviour.
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u/gcs8 A people ruled by traders will eventually be reduced to beggars Dec 21 '16
Marathi culture is composite.
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u/coolirisme Dec 21 '16
That explains it.
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u/gcs8 A people ruled by traders will eventually be reduced to beggars Dec 22 '16
What?
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u/Adhvaga Dec 22 '16
This map should explain it. WB is overwhelmingly non-vegetarian whereas only about half of MH is non-vegetarian.
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16
We Bengalis have two major factions.
Ghoti - The Bengalis who are originally from here.
Bangal - The Bengalis who migrated to WB post independence.
There is friendly rivalry between two groups. The marriage customs differ in subtle ways and even the language used to differ before.
Kolkata hosts the 2nd largest football stadium in the world - The salt lake stadium. It even holds the record for largest football crowd ever in Asia.
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u/anctheblack Dec 17 '16
Cricket was a never a thing among my friend group while growing up. We all played and followed football avidly.
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Dec 17 '16
And the hybrid bati. E Bengal v M Bagan used to be pretty charged and stuff, at home.
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u/kalmuah West Bengal Dec 17 '16
M Bagan > E Bengal anytime.
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16
Fuck off, mate. 😁😁
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u/kalmuah West Bengal Dec 17 '16
Fuck you, you E Bengal supporter. M Bagan for Life.
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u/indiancunt Yogi 2024 Dec 17 '16
Look at you Vijay Mallya fanboys. Mohammedan is where it is at.
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u/sammyedwards Chhattisgarh Dec 19 '16
Me granddad was a Mohamedan fan. He tut-tuts at current PL football, and regales about the team of 30s.
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Dec 17 '16
How do you separate yourselves from them? I mean how can one identify ghoti or a bangal?
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Dec 18 '16
There is a dark joke that you can probably spot a Bangal by looking at the injuries on his back, from crossing the border.
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Dec 17 '16
Nothing, really. Older generations have a bangal tan in their language(Jaicho, Aisho in stead of Jeo, Eso) but otherwise, most are born here and speak normal Bengali.
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u/Fluttershy_qtest Dec 17 '16
Should just say accent.
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Dec 17 '16
Ahh yeah, but it isn't really accent. Australian and American English is mutually intelligible, as is British and Indian English. Bangal is not really intelligible with the thicker tans, and usage of different words. Pani and jol for example. It's probably more of a Swiss-German difference, than just accent.
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u/Fluttershy_qtest Dec 17 '16
Well I mean the boundary between accent and dialect can get blurry. British/Australian/American english have their own unique words.
Bangal is not really intelligible with the thicker tans, and usage of different words.
Is it a lot of words though ? I've heard the accents they don't seem too different.
Swiss-German
Yeah maybe.
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Dec 17 '16
Preparations of cooking are also different. Sutki Mach isn't all that popular in the West. Also in the east, food tends to be a bit sweeter.
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Dec 17 '16
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u/anctheblack Dec 18 '16
Ah the derby - pretty much one of the few places where you can dress up, literally, in your Sunday best.
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u/afclu13 Dec 17 '16
What's the status of the new metro. Is phase 1 done?
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Dec 17 '16
Apparently by 2018 a part of the new line is going to be operational and looking at the state of things, that just might happen, but this part would be only 30% of the total plan.
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u/bengaliguy 1% with no Aadhar Dec 17 '16
and in other news Behala metro will be completed around the time humanity reaches mars
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Dec 17 '16
Just a couple questions for the Bengalis...
- Is football as big across the state as it is in Kolkata?
- How different is the Bengali spoken in WB and Bangladesh? Are the differences smaller or bigger than Hindi-Urdu?
- Are Oriya and Assamese intelligible to the average Bengali?
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u/sammyedwards Chhattisgarh Dec 17 '16
1.Depends. It is pretty big in north Bengal (Gorkhaland) territory as well. 2.It is pretty much distinguishable with the accent, and the way certain words are spoken. 3.Not really. You have to really pay attention to what is being spoken in those languages to understand them.
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Dec 20 '16
Yes. Football is a very popular sport here. It only takes a field, a ball and 4 bamboo poles to start a match.
There are two distinct dialects in Bengali. But you cannot compare them by statehood that easily. The dialect spoken by the Bangladeshi population can still be heard in northern areas of WB and spoken by elderly people who themselves migrated during partition (bangal). But the current generation living in Kolkata speaks a different dialect which is mostly adapted from people living in WB before partition (ghoti).
Oriya and Assamese are somewhat intelligible if spoken slowly.
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Dec 17 '16
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Dec 17 '16
Nice! Good to see there are still passionate Indian football fans. Such a shame that it's come to historic clubs pulling out of I-League to protest against AIFF's general incompetence
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 17 '16
From what I heard from Oriya friends, its not possible for a Bengali to understand Oriya, but its easy for an Oriya to understand Bengali.
I think this is similar to the relation between Malayalam and Tamil - Malayalis can understand Tamil but not vice-versa.
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16
Bengali speakers can understand about 50% oriya if spoken slowly and clearly.
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Dec 18 '16 edited Dec 18 '16
Modern literary bengali or "chalitbhasa" was formed in Kolkata under British patronage. So, people exactly speak that language in Kolkata and other major cities in WB. Bangladesh however speak differently, they even type in the accent they speak. Only in literary books do they use chalitbhasa. That said, accents widely differ here too every 150kms or so. My father's side and mother's side has different accents.
Most commonly, Bangladeshis can't pronounce "-येछे" ending and pronounces it as "आईसे". I used hindi equivalent letters for easier understanding.
And no, due to the language reformation, we can't understand much Oriya. Assamese too but their letters are exactly same more or less. For some reason Maithli is understandable but even their tirhut script is same. Scriptwise, it still easy to figure out equivalent Oriya letters. They just don't use matras much if I'm not wrong.
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Dec 18 '16
Maithli is understandable but even their tirhut script is same.
Maithili is very different, I'm guessing your friends where Maithili speakers from a border district so they have a different dialect. Many Maithils believe there Tirhut script was stolen by Bengalis.
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Dec 19 '16
How can anything be stolen. If you notice the languages in each adjacent states, you would realize the subtle deviations that happen. Assam, Tripura, Santhalis all use the exact script with very minor variations. Shifts happen everywhere. I can understand Oriya letters even though they use a different script. Parallels between devnagari and eastern scripts can also be drawn.
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Dec 20 '16
Sorry but Maithili is much closer to Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Nepali. Not to Bengali. Many consider Maithili a Hindi dialect so definetly nothing like Bengali. Please don't group us with Eastern languages.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 21 '16
People probably confuse Angika (spoken in Bhagalpur, Katihar and other eastern districts) with Maithili.
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u/Fluttershy_qtest Dec 17 '16
- Not too sure. Probably ?
- The accent is different, a handful of words are unique to each. The differences are not as much as hindi-urdu
- Oriya - not really, a few words are similar but the script is completely different. You might be able to pick up on some things. Assamese is closer and you can understand a lot of it if it's spoken clearly and slowly. Almost identical script and the pronunciation is like Bengali spoken in Bangladesh. Assamese is like a sister language and oriya is like a cousin.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 17 '16
What about Maithili, Magadhi, Angika and Bhojpuri ?
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Dec 18 '16
Maithli is very close, I used to converse with a roommate's family without much trouble. Bhojpuri is kinda all over the place. No idea about the other languages.
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16
They are cousins in the sense they all derived from Magadhi Prakrit/Pali like Bengali unlike Hindi which came from Shauraseni Prakrit.
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Dec 17 '16
Not really, Bhojpuri is intelligible with Awadhi and Maithili is intelligible with Nepali. Neither are comprehensible to Bengali speakers.
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u/Worst_Username_Yet Dec 16 '16
Is it true that West Bengal is changing its name to Bengal?
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u/goodbeertimes Dec 17 '16
Last news was they arrived at a consensus on ‘PaschimBanga'. Looks like people didn't give a fuck and no news on it since then.
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u/Alwaysreadthearticle Dec 17 '16
What's your opinion on the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland?
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Dec 20 '16
Well the gorkhas are descended from Nepal. And Darjeeling is our crown tourism spot. So we don't want to give it away. But they have been given special provisions.
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Dec 17 '16
Even since hill councils have been framed, bimal gurung's importance has died down, hence I haven't heard about any demand for gorkhaland of late.
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Dec 18 '16
Culturally it should be separated. They are Gorkhas for god's sake. It makes no sense all major decisions are taken way South by a different group. People don't even mix. You won't see much Gorkhas in Kolkata or many Bengalis(only tourists) in Siliguri. WB should have had more territory from Jharkhand and make Gorkhaland independant. Since population is low, such movements will die down.
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Dec 22 '16
You won't see much Gorkhas in Kolkata or many Bengalis(only tourists) in Siliguri.
Majority of Siliguri is Bengali. The majority of Gorkhas are in Darjeeling.
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u/Thisisbhusha Dec 19 '16
My roommate is a Bengali. Fits all stereotypyes-
• Inversely good looking to the bengali girls
• Fish lover. Tells me stories about the fish at his place.
• loves to argue and discuss politics/sports/food. Also a didi fan
• gluttonous sweet consuming machine. Extremely knowledegable on everything about Bengali sweets.
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Dec 19 '16
You will never understand why all bengalis are fish lovers until you have hilsa. I avoid sweets though.
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u/anctheblack Dec 22 '16
I have eaten all manner of fish around the world but nothing tastes as good as a well done hilsa in ground mustard.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 23 '16
It has too many bones.
Most Bengalis prefer sweet-water dishes reared in lakes and rivers. We South Indians prefer sea fish, much less bones. I have heard Bengalis say they cannot stand the stench of sea fish like bombil, bangda, etc.
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Dec 26 '16 edited Dec 26 '16
The bones are very soft and edible. People get used to it actually. You're correct about sweet water. There are villages where people have small streams circling around their houses and rear small fishes. They make kickass pickles out of it. Those fishes have a wide variety of tastes. Unfortunately those fishes are marketed only in those villages and not available even in the cities.
And yeah, sea fishes have a stench for us when cooking especially bangda and surmai. It goes away when cooked.
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u/gp2aargh Jan 14 '17
WB is crazy about football and has a very prominent literature scene. Also, bengali girls are hot! Been wanting to visit Kolkata, but it's so far away (from Tamil Nadu)
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u/RonDunE North America Dec 17 '16
For a different perspective on the development of Calcutta and the surrounding regions, see this:
A Google Earth timelapse of Kolkata from 1984-2016 using NASA's Landsat 8 satellite and ESA's Sentinel2:
https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse/#v=22.5648,88.3055,9.804,latLng&t=0.00
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u/sthornr Earth Dec 16 '16 edited Dec 16 '16
What is your opinion of Mamata Banerjee with TMC vs CPI(M) with (say)Jyoti Basu?
Has any real progress been made after the regime change?
What is the political stance of TMC on the left-right debate? TMC is more right winged than CPI(M), while more left winged than the UPA central government.
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u/Abhi_714 Monkey bhaat Dec 17 '16
Are you kidding? TMC is more left than the left front itself. Right wing politics won't fly in bengal.
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Dec 17 '16
TMCs political ideology is like a wind vane. They have allied and broken up with both NDA and UPA, and are now trying to pull CPM into their Delhi natak.
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Dec 20 '16
Both are fucking retards. One hand we have the left vying to drive the state into backwardness by fighting progress and on the other hand mamata is driving the state into chaos by illogically fighting the center. Both parties unite when it comes to minority appeasement but funny thing is no party gives a rat's ass about actually uplifting the minority.
We are doomed either way.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 17 '16
TMC is Alt-Left if ever there was one in India. Pretty much like AAP. They are different from the 'mainstream Left' of CPI(M), Congress, SP/RJD/JD(U) but not right wing either.
Also since Alt-Left & Alt-Right often have similar stances on economic issues, they sometimes find themselves on common ground with Shiv Sena and MNS.
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u/Fluttershy_qtest Dec 17 '16
Interesting comparison. However I always felt TMC was closer to the likes of SP/RJD/JD(U) than AAP. So that would be state-level political parties led by a personality cult and what are essentially thugs at the grass roots level. AAP seems like an activist party that has been steadily drifting towards mainstream state-level politicking.
common ground with Shiv Sena and MNS.
Other than demonetization where has this happened ?
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 17 '16
TMC has a very activist bent to it. The main point of dsifference with Congress over what they broke with Congress was the Cong's relatively relaxed attitude towards CPI(M). Compare TMC's vociferous reaction to demonetization to Congress's reaction which has mainly remained confined to the Parliament. TMC heavily involves in street politics and is very dharna-friendly which is somewhat anathema to the centralized, top-down way in which mainstream parties like Congress operates. In this is more closer to AAP.
Also TMC politicians seem to be very religious people, they openly broadcast their visits to Temples and worshipping inside Temples (and Mosques). Something which a classic Leftist party will avoid at all costs.
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u/Fluttershy_qtest Dec 17 '16
Yeah that's true. TMC in power is very much against strikes and bandhs though.
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u/DeeDaarDe Har Har Mahadev! Dec 21 '16
Is it true that there have been riots all over Bengal for the last couple of days?Seeing all kinds of things on whatsapp,and this link seems to be the only credible source so far:
http://www.epaper.eisamay.com/Details.aspx?id=28404&boxid=141215601
Can someone please translate?Also,how credible is the paper?Thank You!
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u/StackOfChips25 Dec 22 '16
Eisamay is the TMC mouthpiece. (like Ganashakti is the CPIM mouthpiece)
There have been some riots in Dhulagarh. You can read articles which are a bit unbiased on the riots from ToI, Telegraph. They will be available online in English I think. Translating this article is a fool's errand because this is a propaganda piece.
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u/sammyedwards Chhattisgarh Dec 17 '16
Amar shonar bongla..aami tumi bhaalo baashi..
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16
You are reciting Bangladesh's national anthem.
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u/sammyedwards Chhattisgarh Dec 17 '16
The poem is an ode to the land of Bengal, not just Bangladesh.
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u/rollebullah Dec 17 '16
Funfact: Bangladesh used to refer to the general region of bengal. Just like Tamil Nadu - literally country of Tamils.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 17 '16
Just like
Tamil NaduTamilakam - literally country of Tamils.Tamilakam did refer to the 'ancient Tamil country' which comprised all of present day TN & Kerala and large parts of Karnataka, Sri Lanka and Andhra Pradesh.
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16
Doesn't change the fact that it's the anthem of Bangladesh.
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Dec 17 '16
Which is ironic considering it was penned by Tagore to instill a sense of unity among the Bengali Muslims and Hindus at a time when Brits were planning the partition of Bengal along religious lines but it ended up being adopted as the national anthem of the divided east Bengal.
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u/jonstew Dec 17 '16
Can anyone summaries how bengal has changed with mamtadi at the helm?
Have a cousin who is her ardent fan in Kolkata and I visited him in 2005. Felt the city was a time capsule from the 1940s. Hated it then.
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u/miguel-styx West Bengal Dec 17 '16
Felt the city was a time capsule from the 1940s. Hated it then.
What's wrong with that asthetic?
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u/coolirisme Dec 17 '16 edited Dec 19 '16
I like old buildings better than the depressing architecture norm of today. I hate those glass monstrosities. Long live colonial and indo-saracenic architecture.
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u/miguel-styx West Bengal Dec 17 '16
Those 'glass monstrosities' also have no place for a city in a tropical region.
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u/jonstew Dec 17 '16
That just means you guys did nothing after the British left.
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Dec 17 '16
Maybe. But we love it just the way it is. Getting to spend time with our friends and family matters more than worrying about shapes of buildings. Fact is we all grew up seeing these structures, so we aren't really susceptible to change. We tolerated what we thought was communism for 34 years, that goes to show what our priorities are.
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u/miguel-styx West Bengal Dec 17 '16 edited Dec 17 '16
That just means you guys did nothing after the British left.
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Dec 17 '16
She has done some good work. Trash compactors have eradicated a lot of open dumping grounds, the electricity is more or less 24X7(And in rural areas too, it's much better). She has crushed the Govt employee unions, teachers, group Ds, everything. Those wankers had too much power during CPM. Last time, for the first time in forever, we weren't forced to pay 'chanda' on rural roads during pujas, so that's pretty awesome. I think she is putting a leash on the syndicates a bit now, a handful of the top syndicate members got arrested after her victory.
She has also done some bad work. Most colleges are shit holes of politics. A professor I know, some 50-ish year old, just started her PhD so she can stay at home on study leave. According to her, it's impossible to take classes in the current environment. TMCP leaders came into class and slapped a student for not attending rallies right in front of her, dragging him out. There have been shoot outs in college elections, in recent times, killing a few SFI people and one cop, in broad daylight. Police have lost what little fear they inspired, with TMC goons sacking their offices while a cop hides under the desk. The bureaucracy's top has been filled with loyalist idiots, and the bureaucracy's independence as a whole is under attack. IAS and IPS officers who looked the other way on rigging are given official awards(DM-ratna, SP-ratna) and it's such an open secret, that the first thing EC did during Legislative Assembly elections was remove them from their posts. The person they put in charge of State Police, an officer known for his honesty, was threatened on an election dais by Mamata. Attacks on press have also happened during last Panchayat elections, even multiple attacks during Municipal elections in Salt Lake, a posh suburban area.
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u/bluebeaver789 Dec 17 '16
Which college is that?
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Dec 17 '16
Oh wait, I messed up questions. The shootout happened elsewhere., Hari Mohan College as far as I remember. And, the anecdote is from Ashutosh.
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u/JamieNoble03 Telangana Dec 17 '16
She has crushed the Govt employee unions, teachers, group Ds, everything. Those wankers had too much power during CPM.
Why are Govt employees so loyally attached to CPM. Not just for WB, even in the whole of South India (AP & Karnataka included), the Left parties control the Trade Unions in the Railways, PSUs and Banks. Even in Tamil Nadu a major chunk of state govt employees tend to vote for CPI/CPM.
Also how do Govt Officers feel about the loss of power faced by Group Ds ? Do they feel it leads to more freedom for Officers or do they see it as a general loss of power for all govt employees, officers and non-officer alike ? (i.e. whether Officers have strong sense of solidarity with Group D employees).
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Dec 17 '16
CPM created them. They do fight for their rights in Parliament, no matter how much we might hate them for wanting protectionism and socialism. Their immediate rights, that is, not their future rights. See how much CPM opposed computers entering banks and Govt offices in WB, for example, and you'll know.
Nah, officers hate employee unions. They don't have much hatred for Group Ds under them, but their organisation is almost always reviled. Mostly because it turns up corrupt, uncouth idiots from the bottom rungs of even the quality of Group Ds into someone with more informal authority than them.
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Dec 17 '16
We are a group of smart sensitive sensible individuals who stay largely secular. We love long discussions on the finer aspects of life. We love eating food, enjoying art and to travel. You are welcome to visit and stay as long as you want. You might not find everything to your taste, but you are bound to find at least one thing or the other that will make you come back for more.
Have sweets, roam aimlessly, do whatever you want as there's no one to stop you from having fun; just don't call us bongs.
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u/Masslogik Dec 17 '16
Waiting for some real political change in Bengal. Hopefully Bjp wins the next election. Can see many youngsters aligning towards the right these days.
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Dec 17 '16
This 'real change' isn't going to happen. We hate those youngsters of abvp who think they're aligning towards the right.
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Dec 20 '16
Hows that fence along the border with BD coming?
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u/nigerianprince421 Dec 20 '16
It was already near completion in 2013. Some stretches remain pending due to geography (wide rivers, marshlands). And in some places the borderline goes straight through private property so they can't put a fence there. Although these are tiny and can be patrolled easily.
Hard to say if it's effective or not. People still easily cross using long bamboo ladders. It takes less than 15 mins to place three ladders across the wire and cross over. BSF personnel can be bought for a dime. In most places smugglers already have semi-organized monthly payment schemes to BSF officers.
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Dec 18 '16
West Bengal, those who stole rasagolla!
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Dec 18 '16
I have many Bengali friends and I have some observations about Bengalis. Feel free to debate...
- A Bengali will not speak any other language if there is another Bengali in the group. It annoys everyone else. In the same time, the jealousy(leg pulling) is very rampant among ordinary bengalis.
- too much pride for Kolkata, which you didn't build(British built Kolkata) and there is no other city in Bengal. Kolkata is too horribly maintained.
- Most successful Bengalis are out side of West Bengal. You go to any part of the world, you will definitely find a Punjabi and a Bengali. Migration is too common that you will find Bengalis in Odisha also(a much poorer state than West Bengal).
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u/coolirisme Dec 19 '16
A Bengali will not speak any other language if there is another Bengali in the group. It annoys everyone else. In the same time, the jealousy(leg pulling) is very rampant among ordinary Bengalis.
Jealousy part is false. It was true for the older generation but we millennials are not jealous of each other.
too much pride for Kolkata, which you didn't build(British built Kolkata) and there is no other city in Bengal. Kolkata is too horribly maintained.
Only North Kolkata, which is old. The southern part and salt lake/newtown area which came up after independence are well maintained.
Most successful Bengalis are out side of West Bengal. You go to any part of the world, you will definitely find a Punjabi and a Bengali. Migration is too common that you will find Bengalis in Odisha also(a much poorer state than West Bengal).
True that. I blame the communists for that.
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u/hopelessray West Bengal Dec 20 '16
How is jealousy equivalent to leg pulling? I feel sorry for you if you haven't indulged in am intense session of leg pulling. It is distressing at times but some of the best memories you will keep. Also it helps initiate conversation when you have nothing to talk about
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Dec 17 '16
Have visited Kolkata and Howrah thrice. The more you visit the more you like it, sort of. Have also visited Silliguri, Jalpaigudu, New Jalpaigudi and Darjeeling. These were not so good.
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u/rollebullah Dec 17 '16
Maybe you should visit silliguri, jalpaigudi and darjeeling three more times, youll like it
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Dec 17 '16
You didn't like N Bengal but you liked Howrah? What kind of creature are you?
But seriously, Howrah? The place gives me claustrophobia from outside. There's streets there where I'd have to walk shoulder first, they are that narrow. Many used to have open drains, and still have them in patches. It's like our mutated cousin who never heard about taste, colouring buildings and public space. The kind of place Slumdog Millionaire would be shot in. If a zombie outbreak happened there, the world would be safe since zombies wouldn't be able to fit through the roads.
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u/RonDunE North America Dec 17 '16
The newer parts of Howrah, far away from the Maidan area are actually properly developed now! Traffic can be a nightmare, but the 2nd Hooghly bridge Southwards is pretty similar to Calcutta in feel.
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u/dreamlord_morpheus poor customer Dec 17 '16
Ei je morog da, Howrah niye kichu bolle baje bawal lagbe bole dilam. 🙅
But in all seriousness, yours is an apt description of Howrah if there ever was one. Especially the Shibpur area.😂
However, there's a laid back suburban para culture here (which has mostly evaporated from Kolkata, except in the North) that I personally love a lot. Good ol' rowak e bose cha er adda is very very common.
You didn't like N Bengal but you liked Howrah? What kind of creature are you?
Same question. Unless there are some hidden paradises in Howrah that I'm unaware of. 😂😂
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u/RonDunE North America Dec 17 '16
Man I've lived all over India but I still like Howrah quite a lot, more than Secunderabad or Gurgaon or Patna. Probably because I lived near B. Garden and not at the dirty congested regions like Shibpur or Salkia.
Plus the last time I came back, the pollution situation has improved quite a lot! Probably due to all the electronic rickshaws. On the downside, traffic has degraded heavily.
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u/dreamlord_morpheus poor customer Dec 17 '16
Yep that part is pretty nice. It is within Shibpur though.
P.S. Can't believe I'm discussing places in Howrah, of all things, on reddit 😂😂
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u/RonDunE North America Dec 17 '16
We mainstream now bois!
Also it's a welcome relief from all the constant talk of American college towns.
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u/bluebeaver789 Dec 17 '16
BESU te porechen naki ?
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Dec 17 '16
Maybe he just went to Botanical Gardens.
Karon baki Kolkata kaj kore, re. Paray bose adda deoar culture chole geche karon olpo boisi chelera aaj kal bari pherei nota-doshtay. Tokhon adda dite gele pore obibahitoder bap ma aar bibahitoder bou uttom kalabe.
Amar paray je kota chutiya adda dei sobkota bokhe jaoa chhele. Nesha kore meyeder citi mare, gundami kore, botol chonre. Basically people jader theke dure thakte hoi, at all costs. Ami kokhono baba-mar kotha moto decent lokeder adda aajkal even north Kolkatadey dekhi na. Shob decent lokera biji.
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u/dreamlord_morpheus poor customer Dec 17 '16
Hyan setai bolchi. Amader ekhane bhodro lokera ekhono office er por ektu adda marte beroy. Basically amar dol er sobai eksathe boro hoyechi chotobela theke ar ekhono sobai obibahito. Samner bochhor theke line diye ek ek kore biye korbe tho....ar adda o thakbe na serokom. :((
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Dec 17 '16
Heh loyal troops in the mud. Go through the meadows of childhood rifle in hand, into the trenches of higher education, to emerge from their depths, there's the minefields of the first few years at office, ending in the active shootout of marriage.
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u/bluebeaver789 Dec 17 '16
Adda dite hole lokjon college chottor e boshei daye. Tar opor, social media r juge, aroi adda culture ta chole geche.
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Dec 17 '16
College chttor-e adda to thik cha-cigaretter songe hoi na. Onno paniyo o (phonkyo?) thake :).
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u/bluebeaver789 Dec 17 '16
Sob somoye sob jaygaye toh onno paniyo sombhob na, tai cha cigarette o bhalo motoi chole. Personal experience theke bolchi.
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u/[deleted] Dec 17 '16 edited Dec 17 '16
One Bengali is a film critic. Two Bengalis are a political party. Three Bengalis are two political parties.