The narrative of Bengali name pronunciation difficulty is a long one with many casualties. Except when they aren’t, the A’s are O’s and the O’s are A’s. The same phonetic principles will not apply to ‘Anindya’ and ‘Partha,’ ‘Amrita’ and ‘Haldar.’ The only controlling rule in this situation is that there is none. It’s just energy. A viral Instagram video demonstrates how the misconception occurs. The play depicts an interviewer speaking to various Bengali candidates, continuously mispronouncing their names, and the interviewees are all hilariously offended.
The worst had yet to happen. ‘Jaltaranga’ and ‘Pundarikaksha’ are Bengali names. When it comes to Bengalis, it’s sometimes ‘A for apples’ and sometimes ‘A for oranges.’ It’s the opposite with ‘O.’ You get the idea. “Has your name ever been mispronounced? Or have you butchered a Bengali name? ” Sushovan Sircar, the inventor of Instagram, inquired.
“Once a North Indian friend asked me what are the rules when it comes to A and O’s in names and tbh, I don’t know but we just know!???” “An Instagram user left a comment. “Am I Taro? Tora? Toro? Nayantoro? Nayontora? Noyantaro? Ekei bole existential crisis,” said another. “I’m Samantak and there’s an NGO in Bangalore called Samarthanam. Sometimes, I become the NGO,” stated another user.
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The creator also has a Reel about the amusing conversations that occur when non-Bengali speakers attempt to communicate in the language. It’s cute, but you have to realise that it lends itself quite easily to stereotypes. It turns out that there are things other than “maachh” that exist “and Bengali rasgulla, from “ami jal khaabe” to “ami tumake bhalobashi,” the video covers it all.
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‘This is really fantastic guy, Janpath shopkeepers will say “eta aapko hobe, eta aapko hobe na” “last kitna paisa diba” “didi hum bangoli bujhta hai” “,’ wrote one Instagram user. “I’ve bumped into at least two of the ‘Ritwik Ghatak-Pancher Panchali-Ekla Cholo Re’ kind,” said another, “I want to be financially recompensed for all the times people have (badly) professed love to me.”
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