Bengal Shows the Way

I cannot tell you the exact date, mater of fact I am very poor in history and found the subject is a boring one too (a big sorry to all historians). Somewhere down the line our beloved freedom fighter Gopalakrishna Gokhale uttered this famous line, “what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow!", it was justified at that time when he said it but now most of the Bengali's still living on that phrase without bothering to get a few new ideas. Living in past glory, but it is fading fast too. Even couple of years back we were laughing at the whole system in Bihar and sympathetic to its economy, education and political situations but today same Bihar has come up big way. The only state of our country even do not have a company listed in the share market, of course after Jamshedpur with Tata & Iron Company and TELCO gone to Jharkhand, but all these are from past. There is considerable upswing in the economic front in Bihar with 11.44% GDP growth.

My home state still lurking behind. Too much politics and political activities took away all the glory and shines from this state, which once shows the way. A few years back, when I came back here still Government office overcrowded with employees and mostly those are favoured by the ruling party. If you go by the head count on Government offices that time, it was amazing, a big joke. A decade and half ago computers are strict no-no here, seems very rich and can afford such batteries of unnecessary employees, most of those were sitting and gossiping whole days. If go by this piece of information that most of our state Government earning goes to interests and other revenues.

However, I already said that creativity is a thing that Bengal can put its nose far ahead from others. Why not? Obviously, it is not in the hand of Government and political muscle power. When I came back here, the Bengali Films were going through a horrible phase and the quality of the movies was forgettable, of course baring a few. Since last four years, things have changed and lots of young filmmaker coming with many innovative way to make films that worth watching. As Bollywood cannot live-forever in the shadow of Hollywood, Tollywood too have to shake of its inclination or cloning attitude from Bollywood. Music, Painting, Theater and Literature still are in very good hand.

Today, I want talk about something else than creativity. I am here to tell you about the family system in Bengal. Since forty years, the educated couples in Bengal preferred to maintain a small family and zeroed to a single child. Those families are very happy with a single child even it is a Girl child and there were no panic or race to get another child or never missed a male child at their respective homes. Rest of our counterparts putting all efforts to kill a female foetus, animal also does not perform this. Last four decade Bengali’s has dared to embraces this process. Even in my time, I never got a different treatment from my family being a girl child, where my friends from other states complained about how their brothers pampered more in their house for everything that includes food, education and other comfort. However, I am only talking about a girl child and not about the plight of women in our society. Those families carrying with a single child, almost half of those are girl, treated as par equal quotient in Bengal. Parents are happy and satisfied with their only offspring, there is no complaining and that is what actual mindset of a normal Bengali. Today on the eve of Bengali New Year, I feel very proud, because born to a Bengali parents who gave me enough space and facility that every child of either sex really deserve with equality. Thumbs UpC.

!!!What Bengali’s has dared four decade ago, rest of India yet to realize. In this land of Durga, every girl child is rocking too. !!!