Bengali Feast
All those colorful salwar kameezes and beautiful, glamourous sarees for women and ultra-relaxed and incredibly practical lungis as well as super smart punjabis for men really really impressed me and I loved the uniqueness of the fashion there.
Dhal, bhat, begun, veggie curries, kedgeree, soybeans and biryani as well as street food like samosas, singaras, bajis and my ultimate favourite fusckha. I wasn't especially keen on spicy food before but Bangladesh made me get used to it and appreciate the aroma more. The breakthrough, though, was when I got used to eating with my hands which felt like a reversal of all the table manners I was taught by my mum. I have to admit rice for every meal became a little hard to stomach but the rotis and poratas were so good!
There are two distinctive features of Bangladeshis: their love of their mother tongue and music. Music is everywhere in Bangladesh; in the streets, on the ferry, at the religious festivals, prayers (hindu), even at the workshops and especially for educational purposes like picture drama. All the local organisations, who would have carefully crafted logos in the west, here have their own songs, proudly sung in the events they run. I remember those ferry crossings on our way to our communities, there would always be someone in the group singing leaving me mesmerized. I was fascinated by the voices going very low and deep and carrying so much sadness and melancholy while some songs were absolutely cheerful and upbeat, and the accompanying dance moves were hilarious.
In the midst of those thoughts, there came the idea of Bengali Night which intended to introduce the Bengali culture to my friends in East London when we all dressed, ate and danced like Bengalis. The night was a tapestry of colors and cultures. We had Irish, Turkish, Scottish, English, Bangladeshi, Russian, Kenyan, Korean and Dutch together celebrating under one roof.
Here's a little taster of what we were up to:
Viva diversity and inclusion!
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