Kolkata's youth, on Bengali ashmita
'Political movements, intelligence, culture: Bengalis have always been at the forefront of these things.' — Pratyasha Pal, a post-graduate student of History, 23
'Bengali identity is the Bengali language, Durga Pujas, and football. The way we express ourselves in Bengali, our mother tongue, is crucial to expressing our true emotions.' — Guddu Adhikari, hospital intern, 21
'We have a lot to be proud of, as Bengalis, like our literature and our freedom fighters.' — Soumit Choudhury, journalism student, 19
'To me, anyone who speaks Bangla is Bengali. There isn't a divide if you are Hindu or Muslim or where your place of origin is. As a student of Bengali literature, I am very attached to our great writers: Rabindranath Tagore, Jibanananda Das, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.' — Riya Nayak, Bengali literature student, 19
'Bangla is our mother tongue, and to me, that is the most important aspect of being Bengali.' — Aniket Pal, voice actor and blood bank staff member, 25
'Bengali identity is everyone who speaks in Bengali, be it in West Bengal, Tripura, or Bangladesh. It is our mother tongue, and that is where our identity lies; it is a shared identity.' — Abhinab Das, student of philosophy, 20
'If there is anything called Bengali ashmita, then it is a reaction to what is happening in our country right now. Before, this identity was more cultural; now it is a matter of ego as well.' — Rushati Saha, illustrator and graphic designer, 25
'For me, my Bengali identity is associated with Durga Pujas, football, and staying in Kolkata. I was raised in Lucknow, so my exploration of the conventional Bengali culture has been limited.' — Pritam Sarkar, studying Comparative Literature, 20
'Bengal's culture and heritage are great, but the current rate of unemployment and lack of opportunities in West Bengal make me wonder if I have enough to be proud of.' — Shinjini Guha, MBA student, 21
'My favourite part of being Bengali is being in love and expressing love in Bangla. This is the sweetest language in the world.' — Swarnali Adhikari, medical student, 24
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