Prologue
happened to stumble upon the term 'Bangaliyana' Thappened on the internet a few years ago. Loosely put, it is about Bengali culture, food, festivals, music, debates and discussions (adda), anything and everything that makes a quintessential Bengali. I am a probashi Bengali-a term for Bengalis born outside of West Bengal. Being born and raised in Mumbai, the city rules my senses. I swear by Sachin Tendulkar and not Sourav Ganguly, although I will admit Dada infused the much-needed steel in the team's spine during his tenure, both as a player and as captain of the Indian cricket team. Vada pav still commands my palate, although during Durga Puja (a festival celebrated by Bengalis) in Mumbai, it is egg roll and Mughlai paratha with mutton kosha that I, like my fellow Bengali brethren, plunge into. Come to think of it, I have always observed a sea of humanity (read Bengalis) at the food stalls rather than Mother Goddess'idol. Well, to be fair, we Bongs (short for Bengalis) always first pay obeisance to Ma Durga before we head to the food stalls to satiate our hunger pangs. Cartooning or doodling was always a part of my growing up years. At school, there was not a single notebook left without a doodle or two on every page. Sometimes, it was just faces, sometimes random square lines. I was fascinated by images of fighter planes, helicopters and tanks, so they figured in my sketches most often. Frankly, I was never a meritorious student, and the hour-long classes seemed an eternity; so, sketching was my escape from the drudgery of everyday school. In fact, I slept through my school life. So much so that at the only school reunion that I attended, the teachers struggled to recollect if I was ever part of their class. I was saved from further embarrassment by a bunch of popular and known students from my time who gathered around the teachers. Their befuddled gaze quickly moved away from me, and I fortunately did not have to bear the ignominy of 'no recollection of this boy from the class of 1990'. This situation was best analysed by a school friend of mine, who also faced a similar situation, during the reunion. 'You see. We were both
About The Book
Dr. R.K. Sinha was born in a small village in Muzaffarpur, Bihar in 1934. He was educated at Patna University and the University of Calcutta. He holds a Master degree in English and also in Prakrit, Jainology and Ahimsa. He was awarded a Ph.D. Degree by Bihar University for his research work on Gandhiji. Dr. Sinha was a Minister in Bihar in 1971 and a Minister of State Labour and Parliamentary Affairs in the Janta Party Central Government led by Sri Morarjee Desai (1977-79). He retired as University Professor of English from B.U. Muzaffarpur, Bihar in 1996. Dr. Sinha has been a social and political activist for the last five decades.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist