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Bengali Language and Culture
Where does it come from? Bengali is a member of the Indic branch of the Indo-Iranian sub-group of the Indo-European (Aryan) family of languages. The modern Aryan languages are considered to have evolved from Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Indian sub-continent. Bengali developed as a language in the 13th century.
How many people speak it? Approximately 200 million people speak Bengali (or Bangla, the name given to what is the same language in Bangladesh) around the world.
In how many countries? Bengali is the state language of West Bengal in the east of India where about 60 million people speak it as their first language. Outside India, some 140 million use Bengali as the official language Bangladesh, it is also spoken in the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
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A spot of Culture Bengali theatre is popular, and both amateur and professional performances are quite sophisticated. Traditional open-air performances, are popular in the countryside, along with kavigan an impromptu duel in musical verse between village poets.
Traditional music takes the form of devotional and cultural songs. The kathakata a religious recital based on folklore, is another rural entertainment. Films offer yet another type of popular diversion, and Bengali productions have earned national and international awards.
Music & Dance Baul is one of the few widely known and appreciated types of folk music in Bengal. Baul is not only a kind of music, it is basically a Bengali religious sect. The songs are thought of as allegories on the state of separation existing between the souls of men and the spiritual ground. Another type of folk music is Kirtan which is based on the love stories of Krishna and Radha, who are the characters from Hindu mythology.
Food and Drink Fish cookery is one of Bengal's better-known features and distinguishes it from the cooking of the landlocked regions. Bengal's countless rivers, ponds and lakes teem with many kinds of freshwater fish which are then steamed or braised, or stewed with greens or other vegetables and with sauces that are mustard based or thickened with poppy seeds. Bengalis also excel in the cooking of vegetables.
The use of spices for both fish and vegetable dishes is extensive. Examples are the onion-flavored kalonji seeds and five-spice (a mixture of cumin, fennel, fenugreek, kalonji, and black mustard). The trump card of Bengali cooking probably is the addition of this phoran, a comination of whole spices, fried and added at the start or finish of cooking to add a special flavouring to each dish. Bengalis share a love of whole black mustard with South Indians, but the use of freshly ground mustard paste is unique to Bengal.
