The Bengali Saga Continues

Finally somebody answers my beckon. And somebody whom the world sees and hears. But theres some archetypal maladies. Typical Bengali? Eh? Mr. Deb? But lets see what you have gone wrong and what you have not. But surely, I would first take this opportunity to refer to your article first. So here it is And here is what I had written some days back.

Mr. Deb writes in his article about Ganguly’s unBengali like nature. His warlike Aryanism is uncharacteristic to a Bengali who is known to be docile. And that his hostility on pitch is something that the average Bengali is not known for. Is that true? The underlying word here is “average”. But, which average man from any other part of the country has been known to be any better? We, at my office, had a lively conversation over today’s evening glass of tea, the results of which are thus. All other races other than the average Bengali has been clinically proved to have a pointed ambition / hunger for something else. The “average” North Indian for bureaucracy or the IAS, the “average” Maharashtrian for his neighbor’s flat, the “average” Tamil for his Kanjeevoram, the “average” Gujju for his bottomline and our average “Indian” from the length of flannels in what SRK wore in KBC to the number of fingers that had made contact with Greg Chappell’s butt at Bhubaneswar airport. Rarely seems to be the whose who of an ambition list to me.

Oh and more so. Mr. Deb writes that historically, the Bengali had been lost behind books and his shooting was just awry. Really so? Barring Mr. Kshudiram Bose (whose aim I find was the last bit of historical takeaway from that chapter. Yes, talk an attitude and a heart that knew not to balk, but, Mr. Deb that’s another story). From my limited knowledge I could give you some pertinent illustrations here.

The Laganesque fight for “your” freedom on a field could well match the heart of a certain Mohanbagan, ten members of an undivided Bengal who fought bare foot, and despite their “awry aim” went on to find the net.

A certain Aurobindo Bose who well before his Auroville days had been known to be one of the finest explosives supplier in this country shaking administrative buildings and English faith alike.

A certain Bengali who said a “No” to knighthood when the average Indian never cease to amuse for their love of global recognition. You shoot my country men and I piss on your awards, its that simple. (Remember, Mr. Deb, the person being spoken of could well have been the only knighted Indian till date).

Oh and Mr. Deb, your article comes on the eve of the birthday of a certain hero whom we have known to ostracize because of his un-Bengali nature (I did mention him in my archived article). The fact that he just made history in disguise is true of the innocuous nature of Bengalis. Is that what you want us to believe?

The fact that arrogance happens to be a salad that tastes best with salt, is the story that we take away quite strongly from the Ganguly episode. Here was a captain who refused to maintain an ethic and a discipline expected from a role model. Enter Chappell and made him eat dirt. And to make matters complex, he ceased to be in the machinations of the echelons of BCCI where the power struggle was plain thirsty for the blood of a scapegoat. And who better than Ganguly, especially when you had a captain in waiting whose voice could only be heard after multiple maginifications and who had a deep emotional touch with the “sugar” in-lands of India. The fact that Chappell did not care to maintain similar standards with all others is what made the story change complexion.

What transpired after that is stuff of legends, when, Ganguly scripted a demeanor, unheard of in Indian sporting chronicles. His resolve to get back became steelier and his labor stronger. Still, if he is supposed to be the stuff of yore, who form the backdrop of your story in which Ganguly is the protagonist, did you need 33 years of his life and 10 years of international career to inculcate within him just this?

And unbeknownst of the fact whether Ganguly finds a place in our history books, there was and will always lie a difference when you know that the reward of one could be greenbacks from cola giants,while for the people, you compare him with Mr. Deb, the choice could just be between a bullet or a nooze.