Mazaa aa gaya

Happy Id …uh! Id Mubarak, I corrected myself.

Aapko bhi per aaj bhi kya Id hai…Mangalwar? Bakhra Id on a Tuesday? Kaise khilayen aapko…Bakhra kaun katega aaj?

Vegetarianism on Tuesday …a very north Indian Hindu concept ...one that has seeped into the psyche of those too long associated with the north. Can’t remember if men or children in Bengal are ever forced into vegetarianism unless they are in mourning.

Happy Id! I repeated the words to myself…listen to yourself speak; it stems out not restricting your thinking to one language.

I had been chastised only a couple of day before for chatting happily with Sunil Gangopadhyay.

‘My brother’s daughter!’ apologized my aunt to the celebrity writer of Bengal, ‘listen to her speckled Bangla.’

‘Natural progression,’ he smiled. 'I have heard it said in Raj shahi in Bangladesh ...ki mojar khabaar!...and have often wondered how food could be percieved as funny. It was all explained the moment I was told about the ancient trade route that entered from Bihar bypassing what is modern West Bengal. It all made sense. The East Bengalis were infact using the northerner's phrase to appreciate a good meal: Mazaa aa gaya.'