Blame game
Update
The controversy over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has taken an ugly turn and now social media has been flooded with stereotypical posts against Bengali women because Rhea Chakraborty is a Bengali.
What an interesting assertion.. This actually made me pause and think— or, to be more accurate, take note of why it is so.
I too have noticed a stereotype slowly growing and aligning towards Bengali girls as trolls; they have been labelled Bengali women as “gold-diggers”, “manipulative”, “dominating” “hypnotisers”, “profane and promiscuous”, This stigma against Bengali women hasn’t been created now. It has existed for very long and now, it has got the ultimate platform through TV. “Bangali ladkiyan bahut tez hoti hain”. (Bengali women have loose morals).
My Hypothesis
Having lived across the nation I did have few Bong (Bengali) girl friends; and I have hung out with a lot of Bengalis. With that experience, I’ll tell you – 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, who doesn’t?
The fact that Bengalis are pretty awesome is a no-brainer. They tend to come off a little too strong, embodying Kaali’s spirit, and they must win the argument at all cost. It’s because they are brought up in a very free society which acknowledges their individuality and cherishes independence compared to many other Indian communities. They’re the most progressive of Indian women with a good liberal upbringing that has also produced several prominent female leaders. Bengali culture is very left-wing and female-oriented.
However they do have their own set of pros and cons. Due to this type of upbringing, most Bengali women are feminists and hence do not want to be submissive to anyone and keep their head held high. You are worried about some negative traits you MAY find, they CAN be – however things are a little over rated according to me. These include –
- Self – centred to the point of being selfish
- Intolerant
- Too loud
Truth
Such generalizations are not true. Basically all human beings hate and discriminate one another on many bases to suit their requirements, needs and satisfaction be it skin colour, religion, status, language, caste/social class and education, so on and so forth. So it’s perfectly normal for regional rivalry to exist even if it isn’t right.
As I have already revealed, I was raised in different locations so I have friends across the nation. Not only Biharis and Odiyas, but even Assamese harbour animosity towards Bengalis. They despise being called a Bengali and that too in a somewhat derogatory way.
Language — specifically, accents — and food are perhaps the two easiest ways to stereotype people. We’ve all heard jokes about Biharis, Punjabis and ‘South Indians’. Hmm! Having mentioned South Indian, I’d like to add that we get mad when some one calls us “Madrasi”. We feel like yelling (@#%&*!) By the way Madras (Chennai) is not a state. Entire South India has 4 more states (other than Tamil Nadu). Rather a total of 5 now (with the addition of Telangana). Why didn’t you read Geography in school? By the way, I am Telugu.
Even though we speak different languages, our mother tongue affects us the most. Bengalis and Tamils speak English fluently, somehow the tone comes into their manner of speaking. I wonder what if these two kind of mindsets get married are there any ?how they are getting along? If yes, please share your stories.
Summary
Assumptions and being judgmental have become a part and parcel of our lives. So, the easier route is to go with the flow. Tough route, raise a voice whenever a person in conversation are being judgmental. Despite all communal conflicts, at the end of all these controversies, we must not forget that we are Indians first.
( Disclaimer: Written entirely based on personal experiences and observations. Please don’t get offended.)
Thanks,