Quintessentially Bengali!?

Kgp stands for Kharagpur

IIT Kharagpur is in Bengal. Or is it?

Outside Kgp is surely Bengal.

But, inside it is only a penumbra of Bengal.

A Kgpian is reminded that (s)he is in Bengal only when a voice in the mobile informs him/her:

Apni jei numbere chesta korchen, sheta ei muhurte byasto aache. Kripa kore kichukhon pode chesta korun. (The number you are trying is busy. Please try after some time).

The Kgpian rarely gets a flavour of the Mach-Jhol or the Roshogolla. 

I am sure Kgpians would understand Bengal better if they think of what is Bengali, what is non-Bengali and what is it that goes to shape a Bengali.

Below, I am enumerating what I find typically Bengali. The reader is invited to offer alternative potraits/add on.

Party/Politics

The first thing that comes to the mind when one thinks of WB is the colour red - the Communist colour. How the Communist party has managed to stay in power for so long amazes most non-Bengalis. And it amazes me! 

It goes to reflect the unwavering faith that Bengalis have on those in power and their reluctance to try something other than Mach-Jhol or Roshogolla.

Roshogolla

Roshogolla and Mach-Jhol is always associated with Bengali food. Roshogolla, though, in IIT also means a duck - a zero because of its round and juicy nature.

Whenever I go to visit a Bengali family back in my hometown, I am presented with no less than 4 Roshogollas and a variety of other delicacies. Muri (puffed rice) is the staple breakfast. A meal without fish is considered incomplete.

My personal favourite though is Alu-Posto.

Football and POK

Bengalis are very passionate about football. A Mohan Bagan vs East Bengal match would evoke stronger emotions than an IPL match. Unlike the rest of India, Football here is followed with as much fervour & tempo as Cricket.

The 'Prince of Kolkata' though is very special. The kind of adulation that Saurav Ganguly receives in WB - other players can only dream of. This though is accentuated by Ganguly being the only player from Bengal in the national squad.

The Siesta

The lethargic attitude is probably one of those characteristics of a Bengali that irritates a non-Bengali to no end. A typical/Khanti Bengali cannot do without the Siesta/Afternoon Nap.

The lethargic and easy go attitude though is more pronounced in the urban Bengali than the rural Bengali.

Adda

The evening gatherings where everything from politics to cinema is discussed with a passion typical of Bengalis. 

This is the Bengali version of 'hanging out'/intellectual discussions. In Kgp , Bhaat (Bekar Chaat) would probably come close to Adda.

Fine Arts, Literature & Music

Bengalis have been known for their love for fine arts, literature & music. 

Bengal has produced some of the finest artists - be it Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay or Satyajit Ray.

And it is no coincidence that the very best are from Bengal. I remember having to attend painting classes from my childhood. I am not an exception. This is the tradition in every Bengali family. 

I am a Bengali who has lived outside Bengal all his life. My perspective towards Bengal is bound to be different from that of a 'Khanti' Bengali or that of a non-Bengali. In fact, it has to be different. Do let me know your views on what you find typically Bengali.

Indicators

Indicators - we all know. While some may be familiar with chemical indicators, others with indicators on cars and other vehicles. Most of us would have come across road signs which indicate the directions. I am sure we all would have come across some form of indicator or other. There are instances of indicators everywhere.

Being a Science student, I can talk about chemical indicators - no, not at length - but surely I can talk about them. Phenolphthalein, Methyl Orange or Iodine - they are all chemical indicators. What do they indicate? They indicate some point of interest in the chemical reaction. They help us to measure the progress of a chemical reaction.

Similarly, we have have what I would call 'Social Indicators'. They indicate the progress of a system in the society. I could think of only a few but surely interesting examples of 'Social Indicators'. If you can think of more (or even better?!), do let me know.

Exams

Every now and then, the question over the futility and the utility of the examination system. People keep asking the authorities to do away with them. I believe you need the exams simply because they are indicators. They indicate your progress in a course of study. However, just as chemical indicators are added in small quantities (a few drops), exams should be conducted judiciously. An overdose of exams will only hamper the progress.

Sensex

I am not a student of Economics. However, any aware citizen of this country would be knowing the role of the Sensex in indicating the state of the Indian Economy. Sensex going up implies that the economy is doing well - sab kuch badiya hai (All is well). If the Sensex is volatile, investors tend to lose faith in the structure that is in place that helps our economy grow.

Elections

Elections (atleast in a democratic country) signal progress. Timely and fair elections help people assess the legislators and the policy makers. Absence of elections indicates that something is wrong with the democratic setup.

Attendance

What does the attendance in a class indicate? According to me, it indicates how well a professor teaches of probably a professor's popularity. Or it may even indicate the smartness (or should I say laziness?) of the students enrolled in the course.

I am positive you should be able to find more examples of social indicators. However, before signing off let me share with you what I consider are the essentials of a 'Social Indicator'

• It has a property that changes.
• It measures progress
• It aids in progress
• Too much will surely spoil the broth

And lastly...

We need to pay heed to indicators

Labels

Indian society despite its lacunae and shortcomings provides a very interesting study. In my last post, I talked of the Jugaad system - a roundabout system of solving problems. Such systems have become a part and parcel of the Indian society.

Although every system is more or less within the legal framework, they have formed such complicated cobwebs that change is out of question - and the cobwebs keep increasing by the day. I discovered labels in the society much before I discovered them on Gmail. And contrary to Gmail labels, they add to the Jungle.

Below, I have presented a few I have have come across in school, college and hostel. And as usual, you are free to add your own to the list

First the ones with negative connotations

Maggu

This is the kind of person who is always in his room. (S)he believes in rote study rather than understanding

Ghissu

The term 'Ghissu' I have rarely come across in Kharagpur. A Ghissu is a really hardworking diligent chap and may or may not be a Maggu. However, this distinction is rarely made and often it is used synonymously with Maggu

Now the positive ones

Though they outnumber the negative ones in my list, they have more or less a similar effect on the Indian society

They promote hypocrisy

Phodu

This is the kind of fellow who achieves miraculous results with (relatively)(very) less effort. They are what one might call 'street-smart' people

Bond

Etmologically speaking, this word comes from Bond 007. I guess you all know about him. Someone who can do anything - pull off unimaginable feats with amazing perfection

Stud

This fellow is supposed to be a complete individual with an awesome personality. (S)he is not just good at academics but also in interacting and socialising with people.

Genius

Einstein has been famously quoted as saying

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

This definition does not hold in the Indian society. Only a Ghissu can qualify this definition. What people look for in a genius is

1% perspiration and 99% inspiration

Update

Two more that I missed earlier.

God

Self explanatory, I suppose. Generally, in Kgp lingo you can be a god in something. God in Drams, God in Guitar, God in football and so on.

Pro

As suggested by Rash I am adding Pro. Derived from Professional.

More suggestions welcome.

Almost everyone is labeled depending on his behaviour in the society and his/her skills. However, my position is very clear on this issue -

I hate being labeled

Jugaad!

If you have gone through my profile recently, you might have noticed an addition to my favourite books - 'The White Tiger'. This Booker prize winning book by Arvind Adiga struck a chord with me - not because it talks of India - not because it talks of Entrepreneurship - but because it has managed to substantiate a mere abstract idea of the rotten system in India into something tangible which he calls the coop - the cage.

However, I kept thinking once I was finished with the book - Is such a violent approach the only way to escape the coop? (For those who haven't read the book, Balram, the protagonist of the story murders his employer in his pursuit to become an entrepreneur). And then it flashed - Why? We have Jugaad!

Jugaad - as I would define it - is a roundabout way to solve a problem when the direct approach is not apparent or difficult. I don't know how successful I have been in defining it - I guess students in Engineering Colleges over India might be able to offer an alternative (better??) definition. Here, I would talk of Jugaad in the context of Engineering Education - however I guess it can be extended to other domains as well.

Proxies ->

Yeah! You got it!!

Proxy Attendance!!

There are thousand and one ways to give proxies and every now and then students come up with new ways to give a proxy. They are always one step ahead of the professors. There are times when 100 people would be marked present when only 50 were present. in the words of our physics professor in DCE, proxy may be defined quantum mechanically as psi=0 but psi squared not equal to 0. At times, a single fellow would sign or respond to multiple attendances and go unnoticed. At other times, the professors are sharp enough to catch them. They start calling out roll numbers at random. Well, whatever happens, Jugaad still flourishes.

Topa ->

This is a slang in Hindi which means - to copy. What do you do when you get loads of assignments? You resort to topa. One fellow does the hard work - and the rest copy. You might ask - is this not injustice for that one fellow who made the assignment? To that I answer - the one in question not only gives but also receives the benefit. The fellow who is the copied in one assignment might be the copier in another. And thus Jugaad flourishes!

Light Tracing ->

(Technically?!) Speaking, Light Tracing falls under the category of Topa. However, the technique is so unique that I thought it needs a section of its own. This is what many people do when they have to finish their ED (Engineering Drawing) sheets. I was tempted to give the step by step procedure for light tracing here but I have limited time right now. Mid semester examinations are knocking on the door - so I reserve the procedure for a later date.

Mass Bunks ->

I have talked at length before how mass bunks need to be an essential part of college culture - atleast in India - and why IITs also need to have mass bunks. You can read it in more detail here.

Solution Manuals ->

I was reading somewhere that it is the British tradition not to publish a solution manual of a book whereas the Amrican tradition demanded that answers to alternate problems be given. Then what is the Indian tradition?

Look at the solution first, then at the problem

Even I have found it quiet difficult studying from books which have no solutions. However, one can easily procure a solution of any popular book in the Indian Market.

Corruption (??) ->

Jugaad should never be confused with corruption. There is a thin - no thick line dividing corruption and Jugaad. Neither of them is a consequence of the other. There is a tacit rule about Jugaad - that it is non-violent, quiet and more often than not within the legal framework of the coop - the system. Corruption is an evil that needs to be fought and rooted out of the Indian society.

Jugaad is here to stay!!