Why do Sylhetis find it difficult to mix with Bengalis?

[Md Akmal]

Would you mind telling us what is an ethnical Bengali, what is an ethnically Sylheti and also what is an ethnically Assamese? So, tell us what is what and what is not what.

@bluesky, I also consider that Sylheties are not ethnically Bengali and it is a fact, we are just artificially trying to make them Bengali. Even, the Sylheties themselves feel shy to identify themselves as Bengali.

1. This can be, their language is different than Bengali.
2. Even they have separate alphabet.
3. Their culture is different then main land.
4. Their culture is similar to Assami.
5. For many years Sylhet was part of Assam.
6. Still they feel that they are minority in Bengal and does not wants any marital affairs with other Bengali people.
7. Even their food habits are different then the main land.

Now, about my experiences, once I went to village and asked one kid, " Tupra koy bhai bon ?". He replies at once, " doi bhai ek bon, boner shadi hoy geche". Now, the question arises why the kid use, " boner shadi hoy geche", Is "Shadi" is a Bengali word ? They are many examples.

 

[VikingRaider]

@bluesky, I also consider that Sylheties are not ethnically Bengali and it is a fact, we are just artificially trying to make them Bengali. Even, the Sylheties themselves feel shy to identify themselves as Bengali.

1. This can be, their language is different than Bengali.
2. Even they have separate alphabet.
3. Their culture is different then main land.
4. Their culture is similar to Assami.
5. For many years Sylhet was part of Assam.
6. Still they feel that they are minority in Bengal and does not wants any marital affairs with other Bengali people.
7. Even their food habits are different then the main land.

Now, about my experiences, once I went to village and asked one kid, " Tupra koy bhai bon ?". He replies at once, " doi bhai ek bon, boner shadi hoy geche". Now, the question arises why the kid use, " boner shadi hoy geche", Is "Shadi" is a Bengali word ? They are many examples.

@Md Akmal
You are kidding right? Indeed "shadi" is now a Bengali word .

There is some examples of Foreign words in Bengali language ..... Shalish , Nalish ,Ain Kanun, Sood ( interest ) ,Adalot , Ukil ,turup , baburchi ,Lash ( corpse) ,chahida , surongo , cha , chini , lichu , alachi , riksha , hasnahena , baranda , Almari ,Kerani , behala ,Gorad , pauruti , kendro ( center ) ,bachcha ,shironam ,kuli, borga , balti, peyara ( Guava ) ,sobji , ujbuk and many more ...................... there are countless foreign words are in Bengali, and all are necessary for any language and all are now the asset of Bengali . This is the way languages form . So We are regularly using those words that are foreign . Does that mean that we are not Bengali ? Can you even think of speaking in Bangla without using these words?

Click here for more example of foreign/Bideshi words In Bengali language .

Here you can find even more Persian ( and few others too) words in Bengali language !

PS: please translate this sentence in so called exact Bengali , if shadi is not Bengali , then none of the words in the sentence is Bengali . From this facebook page -
1. Portuguese
///গীর্জার পাদ্রি গুদামের বড় কামরার আলমারীর চাবি খুলে বালতি ভর্তি পাউরুটি, আনারস আতা, আচার, কাবাব এবং কেরাণিকে দিয়ে ইস্পাতের অন্য বাসনে আলকাতরা,আলপিন, ফিতা নিয়ে বেরিয়ে এসে সাবান মার্কা তোয়ালে পেতে বসলেন। ///
Please replace with so called pure Bengali words ! In this page you will also find Such Sentences from different languages that are pure Bengali now !

 

[Md Akmal]

@Md Akmal
You are kidding right? Indeed "shadi" is now a Bengali word .

There is some examples of Foreign words in Bengali language ..... Shalish , Nalish ,Ain Kanun, Sood ( interest ) ,Adalot , Ukil ,turup , baburchi ,Lash ( corpse) ,chahida , surongo , cha , chini , lichu , alachi , riksha , hasnahena , baranda , Almari ,Kerani , behala ,Gorad , pauruti , kendro ( center ) ,bachcha ,shironam ,kuli, borga , balti, peyara ( Guava ) ,sobji , ujbuk and many more ...................... there are countless foreign words are in Bengali, and all are necessary for any language and all are now the asset of Bengali . This is the way languages form . So We are regularly using those words that are foreign . Does that mean that we are not Bengali ? Can you even think of speaking in Bangla without using these words?

Click here for more example of foreign/Bideshi words In Bengali language .

Here you can find even more Persian ( and few others too) words in Bengali language !

PS: please translate this sentence in so called exact Bengali , if shadi is not Bengali , then none of the words in the sentence is Bengali . From this facebook page -
!. Portuguese
///গীর্জার পাদ্রি গুদামের বড় কামরার আলমারীর চাবি খুলে বালতি ভর্তি পাউরুটি, আনারস আতা, আচার, কাবাব এবং কেরাণিকে দিয়ে ইস্পাতের অন্য বাসনে আলকাতরা,আলপিন, ফিতা নিয়ে বেরিয়ে এসে সাবান মার্কা তোয়ালে পেতে বসলেন। ///
Please replace with so called pure Bengali words ! In this page you will also find Such Sentences from different languages that are pure Bengali now !

@ Thanks @Atlas, I am highly enlightened. Soon, I will be coming back.

 

[Saiful Islam]

@Md Akmal
You are kidding right? Indeed "shadi" is now a Bengali word .

There is some examples of Foreign words in Bengali language ..... Shalish , Nalish ,Ain Kanun, Sood ( interest ) ,Adalot , Ukil ,turup , baburchi ,Lash ( corpse) ,chahida , surongo , cha , chini , lichu , alachi , riksha , hasnahena , baranda , Almari ,Kerani , behala ,Gorad , pauruti , kendro ( center ) ,bachcha ,shironam ,kuli, borga , balti, peyara ( Guava ) ,sobji , ujbuk and many more ...................... there are countless foreign words are in Bengali, and all are necessary for any language and all are now the asset of Bengali . This is the way languages form . So We are regularly using those words that are foreign . Does that mean that we are not Bengali ? Can you even think of speaking in Bangla without using these words?

Click here for more example of foreign/Bideshi words In Bengali language .

Here you can find even more Persian ( and few others too) words in Bengali language !

PS: please translate this sentence in so called exact Bengali , if shadi is not Bengali , then none of the words in the sentence is Bengali . From this facebook page -
!. Portuguese
///গীর্জার পাদ্রি গুদামের বড় কামরার আলমারীর চাবি খুলে বালতি ভর্তি পাউরুটি, আনারস আতা, আচার, কাবাব এবং কেরাণিকে দিয়ে ইস্পাতের অন্য বাসনে আলকাতরা,আলপিন, ফিতা নিয়ে বেরিয়ে এসে সাবান মার্কা তোয়ালে পেতে বসলেন। ///
Please replace with so called pure Bengali words ! In this page you will also find Such Sentences from different languages that are pure Bengali now !

Can I ask have you ever heard of the saying "Bhai biradri", seeing as most of you posters are not from the 4 dist of Sylhet division I wouldn't expect you know many observational differences.

The thing that the Bangladeshis have failed to understand is that Sylhet rural is still extremely tribalistic, we still have notions of "Kun jaega shera zila", the districts of Sunamganj, habiganj, Moulvibazar encompass close knit communities who only marry within their zaat and it's still notable my maternal and paternal family consist of many 1st, second, third, 4th cousin marriages.

That is not to say that Sylhetis haven't got out of this cycle and the gap is only decreasing between Sylhetis and others because of movement due to work etc (the influx of Noakhaillas and Comilla).

 

[Saiful Islam]

The Sylhetis may think themselves different from or above others only because of this uneducated group had the opportunity to go to London long before 1947 and work there as house-servants, kitchen and cleaning staff and thus earned money which was far above the average income of other Bengalis.

In the case of Bangladesh, there is no brotherly feeling towards another unless he has money. If Sylhetis do not like to mix because they earned money from the London dirt it is also true for people of other areas who have also lately migrated to other developed countries. So, it is not specific to the uneducated/half-educated Sylhetis doing menial jobs in London, earning money and hating others.

Sylhetis are a shame to Bangladesh. Early migrants from other regions of Sub-continental India including the Pakistanis are now better educated and many of them are working white color jobs in foreign countries, Sylhetis keep themselves uneducated and superstitious. These people want "Pikdani" even in the airplanes, keep the London streets dirty and move in his Mahalla wearing Lungi.

In fact, people from other areas look disdainfully at Sylhetis and because of this, the latter do not love to mix with others.

The Sylhetis came over as cooks on ships, they were lashkar men.

 

[VikingRaider]

Can I ask have you ever heard of the saying "Bhai biradri",

"Bhai biradari" is for bhai brother (ভাই ব্রাদার) right ?

 

[Saiful Islam]

"Bhai biradari" is for bhai brother (ভাই ব্রাদার) right ?

Its more of a saying/phrase used in a family context maybe used interchangeably with "Bongsho"? Get me. These are just one word, I can provide you a construct sentence with the prefix "be", "be" meaning without and ofcourse will not deny it's used in Bengali language too.

I was in sunamgonj last year, and an old lady and man came upto me asking for my marriage they went onto talk about my hairy problem all around my body Lol. Well the old man said something about my chest hair as a joke then the lady humourously insulted the old man saying "Khanor sul khomin, bukur sul momin", hair on your ear is khomin, the chest hair is the sign of momin, roughly translated. As a joke ofcourse.

 

[VikingRaider]

Its more of a saying/phrase used in a family context maybe used interchangeably with "Bongsho"? Get me. These are just one word, I can provide you a construct sentence with the prefix "be", "be" meaning without and ofcourse will not deny it's used in Bengali language too.

I was in sunamgonj last year, and an old lady and man came upto me asking for my marriage they went onto talk about my hairy problem all around my body Lol. Well the old man said something about my chest hair as a joke then the lady humourously insulted the old man saying "Khanor sul khomin, bukur sul momin", hair on your ear is khomin, the chest hair is the sign of momin, roughly translated. As a joke ofcourse.

Wow ! What is khomin ? Momin mean I know , but khomin?

 

[Saiful Islam]

Wow ! What is khomin ? Momin mean I know , but khomin?

Ps the old man had so much hair on his ears. Khomein, khomzaat, khombokht are all words used in a bad light to refer to someone who comes from unstable beginnings, (like father gone, father bad etc etc) can also be used in humor.

Wow ! What is khomin ? Momin mean I know , but khomin?

Don't quote me on all this Bro D

 

[VikingRaider]

Ps the old man had so much hair on his ears. Khomein, khomzaat, khombokht are all words used in a bad light to refer to someone who comes from unstable beginnings, (like father gone, father bad etc etc) can also be used in humor.

Thanks . So khomin mean কমবখত , good understood now bro .

Don't quote me on all this Bro

 

[bluesky]

I also consider that Sylheties are not ethnically Bengali

Can you specify what is this ethnic difference? Food habits and others always differ from place to place. Think of old Dhaka people. Spoken language also varies even in any single district. But, talking about the ethnical difference, does a group of Sylhetis look very different from any other group from othe places? I think we have similar compositions.

However, the original Muslim inhabitants in western Assam should look a little different from the general Bengali Muslim look. They were bred in between Muslim men from Bengal and Manipuri/Assamese wives. The Bengali Muslims were of various stocks and were captured one time after the Sultan of Bengal faced a war defeat by the Assam King.

He and even a Shahjada were captured. They became state slaves but were allowed to marry local women afterwards. This is history. The Sultan died in captivity because of the shock and shame he received.

About alphabet. Yes, the Sylhetis had developed a script that is not used any more. There was also a time when Arabic/Urdu script was used alongside Bengali script. Do you think those who used this were ethnically different from us? Even Hindi/Urdu speaking Bihari Muslims are no big different from us. However, some Gadha ka Baccha Bengali nationalist stupid guys try to make a distinction.

About marriage. Ask any mother in Faridpur she would not allow her daughter to be married to a far away place in Rangpur. So, what is your point? Is this family or the people of Faridpur are ethnically different because of this? Your argument holds no water.

However, it is happening now only because people from different places live alongside with each other in places like Dhaka. However, business people of Bikrampur living in Faridpur town try to get wives for their sons and vice versa from their ancestral Bikrampur. But, does it make them any different from the Faridpuris?

 

[bluesky]

@Md Akmal
You are kidding right? Indeed "shadi" is now a Bengali word .

There is some examples of Foreign words in Bengali language ..... Shalish , Nalish ,Ain Kanun, Sood ( interest ) ,Adalot , Ukil ,turup , baburchi ,Lash ( corpse) ,chahida , surongo , cha , chini , lichu , alachi , riksha , hasnahena , baranda , Almari ,Kerani , behala ,Gorad , pauruti , kendro ( center ) ,bachcha ,shironam ,kuli, borga , balti, peyara ( Guava ) ,sobji , ujbuk and many more ...................... there are countless foreign words are in Bengali, and all are necessary for any language and all are now the asset of Bengali . This is the way languages form . So We are regularly using those words that are foreign . Does that mean that we are not Bengali ? Can you even think of speaking in Bangla without using these words?

Click here for more example of foreign/Bideshi words In Bengali language .

Here you can find even more Persian ( and few others too) words in Bengali language !

PS: please translate this sentence in so called exact Bengali , if shadi is not Bengali , then none of the words in the sentence is Bengali . From this facebook page -
1. Portuguese
///গীর্জার পাদ্রি গুদামের বড় কামরার আলমারীর চাবি খুলে বালতি ভর্তি পাউরুটি, আনারস আতা, আচার, কাবাব এবং কেরাণিকে দিয়ে ইস্পাতের অন্য বাসনে আলকাতরা,আলপিন, ফিতা নিয়ে বেরিয়ে এসে সাবান মার্কা তোয়ালে পেতে বসলেন। ///
Please replace with so called pure Bengali words ! In this page you will also find Such Sentences from different languages that are pure Bengali now !

One wrong point. Shadi was always in Bengali. Bie-Shadi in Bengali, but BIHA in north Indian villages. There are many thousand Arabic, Persian, Urdu/Hindi and Turkic words in Bengal apart from the words derived from English at a later time. In reality, no language can be strong without the inclusion of loan words. English is strong because it has thousands of loan words.

A language may change because of new arrival of people in a country, be they invaders, immigrants or refugees. In the case of Bengal, it was immigrants because of and also not because of invasion.

By the way, there was a time when our Unparh Sylhetis working as the house servants, washing man and kitchen boys could somehow manage to learn a few English words that include: Yes, No, Very Good, How are You, Thank You and a few others. But, after almost a Century in London can they now speak English as Indians or Pakistanis do? Can someone highlight it?

 

[Saiful Islam]

One wrong point. Shadi was always in Bengali. Bie-Shadi in Bengali, but BIHA in north Indian villages. There are many thousand Arabic, Persian, Urdu/Hindi and Turkic words in Bengal apart from the words derived from English at a later time. In reality, no language can be strong without the inclusion of loan words. English is strong because it has thousands of loan words.

A language may change because of new arrival of people in a country, be they invaders, immigrants or refugees. In the case of Bengal, it was immigrants because of and also not because of invasion.

By the way, there was a time when our Unparh Sylhetis working as the house servants, washing man and kitchen boys could somehow manage to learn a few English words that include: Yes, No, Very Good, How are You, Thank You and a few others. But, after almost a Century in London can they now speak English as Indians or Pakistanis do? Can someone highlight it?

No one can highlight what you have said. Unless you don't live in the midst of a thriving active Bengali community in the UK, where each town and city differs with where the Sylhetis hail from.

Maybe I have to be harsh when I say this but the bulk of non Sylhetis who came to UK and became organisaton leaders of such groups named as Samskriti, shilpi org, and there "dong dang nasa nasi, fada fadi" is what puts us off of you guys thats the truth.

Those unparh Sylhetis is the reason why Bengalis have a grain of respect or those student visa Dhakays would have been in trouble by now.

 

[Hamza913]

They are indeed Bengalis

No they're not.

 

[VikingRaider]

No they're not.

Who are you to decide? Are you a Bengali? Or do you know our language? Maybe they have slight difference in their regional language, still that's not much. And also we have lots of regional languages that are actually dialect of Bengali language.