The "Cold" Bengali.....

The winter season is almost over & I now have few views to share.... A "Bong" appreciation no doubt but still worth observing....


One phrase every Bengali worth his sweater has grown up with is 'thanda lege jabey'. It is the ultimate warning of impending doom. Thanda lege jabey. Thou shalt 'catch the cold'.

'Catching the cold' comes easy to Bengalis. It's a skill that's acquired almost immediately after birth. Watch a Bengali baby and you would know. Wrapped in layers of warm clothing even if the sun is melting the pot-hole ridden roads, the baby learns quickly that his chances of survival in this household depend on how tightly he can wrap himself in cotton, linen and wool(sorry for leaving other types of cloth). Bengalis have almost romanticised warm clothing, so much so that Bengali art has found eloquent expression in a form of quilt-stitchwork called "kantha"(a crude medium to kill the chill but effective....)...

I'm sure wool-shearers even in faraway Australia say a silent prayer to Bengalis before the shearing season (if there's any such season). I'm also sure the very thought of Bengalis sends a chill down the spine of many a sheep.

In winter, the quintessential Bengali's outfit puts the polar bear to shame.

Packaged in at least seven layers of clothing and the head snugly packed inside the queerest headgear, the monkey cap(bengalis I guess haven't been able to detach themselves from their pre-historic anscestors!!!), he takes the chill head on(literally...no wonder the monkey cap is so essential). Easy lies the head that wears the monkey cap. With a pom-pom at the top, it's not just a fashion statement; it's a complete fashion essay!!

For a race that is perpetually running scared of cold weather, Bengalis have a surprising affinity for hill stations too. "Kothay jachen??"...."Ei ektu darjeeling theke ghure ashbo bhabchi...."..(well the standard reply from most bengalis)...

Its often paradoxical...A race petrified, terrified, stupified, horrified of the cold has this unending love for hill-stations...Well they seriously are a cool community....


N.B.: This post has been written with due respect to the Bengali community keeping in mind that even I'm a part of it.... Any hint of disrespect should be severely ignored....