Proudly Bangali!

If my Bengali teachers from school could see this...one of the following two things could happen-

· They’d be overwhelmed and die with a smile on their face.

· They’d die out of shock.

Heehe...either way, they’d die!

Yes, I’m a Bengali and proudly so! But honestly I’ve never really been drawn towards Bengali literature in a grand way- maybe just the popular ones or the ones that “every Bengali must know”. No, it has never been a matter of cool and not-cool...it just never happened. You get the picture, right? Needless to say, my bangla has always been a little kacha. I can speak the language fluently, I know the letters but expressing myself the way I do in English...bleh.

Then something weird happened. After coming to London, as EVERYBODY knows, I’ve been missing home terribly. So much so that I’ve been listening to a lot of Bengali music and watching many Bengali movies...just to feel a little at home. Yes yes, very strange I am. I listen to Dean Martin, The Doors and Anjan Dutta back to back. I despise all the hip-hop music that’s oh-so-in now! Anyhow, coming back to the subject! I ended up writing a poem in Bengali last night. Happened. Words just came to me. It may not be a masterpiece...but I’m so very proud!

হারানো ভালোবাসা

কোথায় তুমি হারিয়ে গেলে -

বুঝেও বুঝতে পারছি না;

কত কথা মনে পড়ে,

চেষ্টা করেও ভোলা যায় না।

শুধু তোমার হতে চাই,

তোমাকে চাই নিজের কাছে;

একটা চাপা রহশ্যের মত,

থাকতে চাই মনের ফাকে।

একটা নিঃশব্দ রাতের মত,

সব জেনেও কিছু না বলতে চায়-

রইল এই হারানো ভালোবাসা,

কিছু নির্বাক পাতায় পাতায়...

And before you extra-patient readers boycott my blog...here’s what it would read as:

Harano Bhalobasha

Kothay tumi hariye gele-

Bujheo bujhte parchi na;

Koto kotha mone pore,

Chesta koreo bhola jaey na.

Shudhu tomar hote chaiy,

Tomake chaiy nijer kache;

Ekta chapa rohoshyer moto;

Thakte chaiy moner phake.

Ekta nishobdo raater moto,

Shob jeneo kichu na bolte chaey-

Roiylo eiy harano bhalobasha,

Kichu nirbak patay patay.

*sigh* I’m so proud :)