Click here to listen to Bengali/Indian music by Ban Brothers.
What appears below is an example of the Bengali script...this is a letter written to me by a friend of mine and sent electronically as an attachment.
Bengali is the language spoken by the Bengalees, most of whom reside in the eastern state of West Bengal in India, and in the whole of the nation called Bangladesh, a one-time component of the Indian subcontinent, and now a neighbor of India, having common borders with West Bengal on its west.
Rice is the staple food of Bengalees, and they are also very fond of fish (the latter being called "maachh" in Bengali). Being too rich with rivers and ponds, there are innumerable varieties of fish available in the Bengal region (West Bengal and Bangladesh). Being a huge delta, called the Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta, this region is very fertile with rich alluvial soil, and is home to the world's largest produce of jute. 'Dhoti' (pronounced as "dhooti" in Bengali), and 'kurta' (called "panjabi" in Bengali) comprise the traditional outfit of the Bengalee male, and saree is the same for the female (now-a-days 'salwar-&-kameej' or 'churidar' has largely replaced the saree).
Bengalees are also known as being very fond of "adda" -- the closest English translations to which would probably be "gossip" or "chat." The second, of course, seems more palatable! It's almost like in the United States you might say "chillin' out!"
The Bengalees are also very fun-loving, and have a myriad of festivals all through the year, the biggest being the Durga Puja, which takes place in the after-rain blossoming autumn. The celebration marks the arrival of Goddess Durga with her two sons (Ganesh, the God of success, and Kartick, the God of grace) and two daughters (Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, the Goddess of learning) from her in-laws' to her parents' -- from the Himalayas to the earth -- to conquer evil and bring peace on earth! Streets of Calcutta are lighted up, people put on new clothes, and splendid temporary monuments called "pandals" built in various shapes and sizes are decorated and house the Goddess and her four children for the four days of their stay. To my mind, this event has no parallel in the entire globe! Although a religious festival to begin with, the Durga Puja, celebrated with utmost pomp and gaiety, is now-a-days more of a social event. What appears above on the right is a beautiful image of Goddess Durga!
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special thanks to my friend:
Manojit Chakladar
Thank you so much for visiting my Bengali site! I will be happy to receive your feedback! Please visit again later to see possible changes!
The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA