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Global Village Idiot: Diverse thoughts, culture make us human, Indian
In this new year, I think it is important to respect traditions and I believe it is important to respect the traditions of all cultures and peoples and religions even as we change because it is the coexistence of diverse thoughts that makes us human, that makes us Indian
Today is Poila Boishak. The Bengali New Year. And like with all festivals and celebrations, most Bengalis cook fish (at least) for the festive meal. I say at least because I am reminded of my late maternal uncle in Delhi (endearingly called Maamaa in Bengali and many other Indian languages) who was a real smart man: He never learnt how to cook. But being the philanthropic gentleman that he was, he used to go out for a stroll and come back with family and friends for breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening snack, tea, after-dinner munch, mid-afternoon post-lunch-pre-tea chomp ... As a result, my Maami (you guessed it, my maternal uncle’s wife) used to start cooking from morning tea time. My cousin, Shubhonkor (now head of his family) takes after my Maamaa. He also looooves non-vegetarian food. (daal and vegetable dishes are all good for decoration purposes on the table). And he loves his fish curry.
My mother’s side of the family is from Bengal. As in Bengal Bengal. Which means they are Bengalis from Bengal. I cannot stress this too much because they would never refer to Bengalis as Bengalis (as I am doing quite naturally), but as ‘baangaali’ with a subtle accent between the n and the g. I can’t pull it off with my English-Marathi accented Bengali. My late elder Maamaa (older brother of the Delhi foodie Maamaa) had settled in Kolkata and was even more of a hardcore baangali. My cousins (his son and daughter) are the only direct link in my generation to authentic Bengaliness, though they too are living in different geographies now. But even now when I speak to my sister who has been in the US two decades, you can hear her roots loud and clear.
My father’s side of the family are Benaras Bengalis (from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - Kashi to be politically correct and culturally precise). They are mutton, fish and Arhar (tur) dal eaters rather than the fish, mutton and chola or masoor dal eaters from the Bengal side of my family.
I am what one would call a Maharashtrian Bengali (if there is such a thing) - I have spent almost my entire life in Maharashtra (Mumbai and Pune half half). I am not a particularly festivaly person and as such a great disappointment to family and friends alike. I used to be happier eating wada-pav than anything else. I am a big fan of what is called Bombay wada in Pune, which is round and oil-efficient, but that’s a personal preference-story for another day. In fact, for the first year in Pune, wada-pav was my staple diet. It’s the ultimate in self-sufficient, wholesome and super-quick food.
But I do have some important Bengali habits. Such as eating rice. Such as cooking mutton (from the Benares legacy) and cooking fish curry (from the Bengal lineage). And thanks to my father, I learned to enjoy the art and science of selecting, cutting and preparing various meats. Deep knowledge handed down from generation to generation from the time my ancestors were hunter-gatherers. The routine at fish shops is straight-forward: the fish all lie prone on a table (understandable given that they are past life), fishmongers are on the inside, selling or chatting with customers (who are on the outside), fish is picked, price paid, and then it is cleaned, chopped and bagged.
My favourite fish shop is Gaikwad Fish Shop in Swargate area, since Sandeep Gaikwad home delivers fresh and high-quality products super quick. A more diverse (and with longer lineage) and a close second among my favourites is the 50 years old Shehnaz Fish Center on Aundh road. (They even have Android and Apple store apps not to mention a pretty versatile website purchase option as well).
As of the past two years - pandemic era - I have upgraded to using my deep knowledge to efficiently press buttons on my phone apps that deliver vegetables, meat, fish and eggs to our doorstep without any effort on my part. (My favourite app is Fresh to Home). Which is pretty much what many of my friends and family are also doing, irrespective of where they are.
Just as we are all different kinds of Bengali under the one family, I guess every family in India has a wide range of diversity within their one culture. And just as so, every different culture, every different language, every different religion, every community and individual is different and yet part of the same fabric that is our country. And we are constantly evolving and changing and integrating.
I am grateful for the richness of our diversity and for the strong foundation of an inclusive macro-culture that allows us to be free and to be bound, to be cavalier and to be responsible.
In this new year, I think it is important to respect change and I think it is important to respect traditions and I believe it is important to respect the traditions of all cultures and peoples and religions even as we change because it is the coexistence of diverse thoughts that makes us human, that makes us Indian.
Mukherjee, author, learning-tech designer and management consultant, is founder of Mountain Walker and chief strategy advisor, Peak Pacific. He can be reached @ thebengali@icloud.com
