Bengalis in Bangalore have embraced this vibrant city as their second home. The silicon valley of India is home to over 13 lakh Bengalis.
Bengalis are the world’s third-largest ethnolinguistic group. They have witnessed and became a part of this bustling metropolis’s growth.
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| UB City Bangalore |
Bengaluru’s atmosphere is neither too humid nor too dry. Bengaluru’s climate has no extreme over seasons. That fascinates the Bengali people. This climate is a respite for the Bengalis, who have spent their days mopping off water from clothes and skin. Also, the weather was a very decisive factor in the haphazard growth of Bengaluru.
Bengalis have come so far from their land of origin but still, hold to their culture and traditions.
Bengalis are loved and respected in the city because of the contribution of freedom fighters from Bengal. Talk to a Kannadiga, and he will tell you how much respect he has for Swami Vivekananda. The term intellectual and intelligent is always associated with the Bengalis.
Early movers from Bengali settled in Kormangala, Whitefield, HSR Layout, and near to Bannerghatta Road. But now, you will encounter them in every nook and corner of the city. In any large societies across Bengaluru, you will find 10 percent of the people are Bengali speaking people.
Gone are the days when your parents have to bring Bengal special foods from Bengal. Now, there is a separate corner in the supermarket for Bengali food items like Gobindobhog Rice, Gonesh Ghee, Talmichri, etc..
Best Bengali Restaurants In Bangalore
Kolkata based food chain Oh Calcutta and Bhojohori Manna have opened their branches in Bengaluru. On weekends or festive days, the waiting time for a table might go on for an hour. From Fish Kabiraji, Sorshe Ilish, Fish Paturi, you will find all the Bengali delicacies at Bengali restaurants in Bangalore. You do get the Kolkata special Biryani with potato and eggs. But, the tastes of Arsalan Biryani is still unmatchable. Best Bengali Restaurants In Bangalore That You Must Try
Bengali associations in Bangalore
Bengalis have made small associations in their localities and societies. The first Bengalee Association was founded in 1959. Today, there are more than 120 Bengali associations in the city. Most of these associations have come up in the last decade.
The small Bengali groups in a society/locality start organizing a gettogether event like Poila Boshak and Saraswati Puja, where you get to show your cultural skills. Rabindra Sangeet remains an integral part of our culture. A Bengali caterer is arranged to serve the Bhog. Yes, you read it correctly. Now, Bengaluru also has a bunch of Bengali caterers. Hiyar Majhe is one of the best Bengali caterers in Bengaluru. When this group grows, they form an association. The next step is organizing large events like Durga Puja.
Durga Puja In Bangalore
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| Bengalis In Bangalore Pic Credits – Instagram/rishi.ravindran |
Durga Puja took place at more than 100 points in Bangalore in 2019, and this number is increasing with each passing year. The biggest festival of Bengalis is celebrated, with great fervor in Bengaluru. Barsha Bengali Association Durga Puja, which also won the Best Durga Puja Award for 2019, saw a footfall of around 70K people in four days. List of Pandals To visit during Durga Puja In Bangalore.
In whichever part of the world they move into, Bengalis remain Bengalis. In Puja pandals, you overhear and rejoice gossips on which family sponsored the idol and who has donated the most for the Puja.
A large number of poor Bangladeshi immigrants have also settled down in Bengaluru. The ladies of these families work as a house help and cook. They are in great demand and charge higher than their Nepali counterparts.
Bangalore City Of Dreams
Many Bengali students, fresh out of their college, land their first job in Bangalore. Mama’s boys and daddy’s princess finally captures a chance to breathe freely and come out of the shackles of their overprotective parents. They enjoy this newly found freedom to the full. The constant competition with your neighborhood boys or relative’s kids is gone.
To the people who have moved out of Kolkata, they perceive Bengaluru as a city of dreams. While a 5 percent hike seems like a distant dream in Kolkata, Bangalore provides tremendous opportunities.
Work hard, and then party hard becomes their mantra of life. Weekend gateways with friends to Ooty, Munnar, Coorg, etc. and a short trip to the native gives you a feeling that your life is fully set.
However, after a few years, this life becomes monotonous. You sweat for five odd days and eagerly wait for the weekends. You seek peace and want to move away from this machine life.
Your eyes probe greenery in this garden City but only discover concrete jungle. Soaring living costs, never-ending traffic, and poorly maintained roads full of potholes add to your woes.
The place where you have got a respite from the humid weather of Kolkata. The city where fans were not needed a few years ago. You realize that at that same Bengaluru, which was once called the Kashmir of the south, surviving March without air condition is difficult. The phenomenal rise in population, deforestation, and industrialization is gradually warming up the city.
You know that your roots are calling, and you want to return.
The Dilemma Of Probashi Bengalis
But, Alas, when you look back, there is no change (Poriborton) at Kolkata. It remains the sleepy metropolis that it was when you left. While you are toiling day and night. There, still, people shut down their shops in the afternoon to have their nap(Bhaater Ghoom).
The salary gap has become so high that you rarely get a call for hiring from Kolkata. You are willing to compromise on your package to stay united with your family, but due to an abundance of man-power and dearth of industries, your city fails to accommodate you.
At last, you content yourself with the tag of Bangalorer Bangali, who wants to return to his roots, but lack of opportunities has kept his feet rooted to the place.
However, the Bengalis in Bangalore have not given up their hope. He has his retirement plans. Once Bengaluru was known as a pensioner’s paradise. The role has reversed. Bengaluru has grown from a sleepy, laidback, green city to a bustling metropolis ready to burst. Now it is competing with the silicon’s valley. Whereas, Kolkata has become a dying city where people are planning for their retirement.
Bengalis in Bangalore hope that this situation will change one day, and the state which used to contribute highest to the GDP of the country will be able to retain and nurture its talent.
Also Read: How Pather Panchali Is Still Relevant To Today’s Society
