'Hain Maa, Pouche Gechi'. Every Bengali Kid Literally Lives by This Quote!

Bengalis are a distinct race that are omnipresent. You would find them everywhere. Mumbai, Singapore, Kerala, Dubai, Bahamas… They are just everywhere. And while they are all over the place, they don't ever forget to ring their mums and tell them about their safe arrivals to a destination. Even if they accidentally they tend to forget sometimes, their mums would make sure they reveal their minutest detail!

Last month I was away for a while from Mumbai on an assignment and was waiting for other journalists to come. We had just gotten introduced too, when I heard a Bengali delaying the introduction as she was on a call with her mom. Quite unexpectedly I heard her saying, 'Hain ma, pouche gechi!' (Yes mum, I reached safe).

My jaw was almost about to drop, but I kind of made an effort to control it, as I was amid a large audience! But in my heart I was happy to learn that I wasn't the only one bearing the brunt of being born in a Benali household, others suffer the consequences too!

Now, that was some huge respite!

This dialogue is so very common in Bengali households. Also Bengali moms have a specific aura around them, they operate out of their what we call 'Swag'. And when things don't turn their way, they have their own SWOT analysis. 'Koto koshto kore songsar korte hoy janish?' (Do you know how difficult it is to run a family?).

Hearing these when you would make the slightest effort to retort, you would be given countless such anecdotes when you must learn some manners and ethics from Sen, Das, Banerjee and Mukherjee uncles' sons and daughters. When you in return ask her as to why they actually are, you get rebuked further, for having a short memory!

With me it happens all the time. Literally all the time. 

I write this article amid some free time that I chalked out not very judiciously, in between work. Ah! Wwait! 

I just recalled that I didn't call mom after leaving from home today. Now do I have to add 'SORRY' too with 'Hain ma Pouche jachi?'

Image courtesy: Vagabomb