Are you a “BNCC?” Denizens of these regions are the butt of many jokes.
If you don't know what I'm referring to, go to Facebook and feast your eyes on the page devoted to pochafy-ing people from Barisal, Noakhali, Comilla and Chandpur (BNCC). Here you will find helpful advice on dealing with these “selfish, uncultured misers.” Visitors are reminded to always refuse marriage proposals from anyone hailing from these regions.
This is meant in good fun of course, but certain stereotypes do seem to be pervasive. What have BNCC folk done to earn this place of (dis)honour? Is it what is it what they eat? Does it have to do with the topography of these districts?
As with most stereotypes, it is most likely just a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Chandpur, Satkhira, Kushtia
"Oh boy, I would never marry a girl from Chandpur, Satkhira, or Kushtia. Two of my ex-girlfriends are from Chandpur and Kushtia,” says an otherwise level-headed acquaintance. “The Chandpuira one was shrewd, and the Kushtia one was over-emotional.” But it wasn't just a broken heart behind his prejudice. “I have an aunt from Satkhira. She slapped her one-year-old kid just because some maid had angered her!"
Gopalganj
Tushar, a student at Dhaka University and native "Gopali” says: "There is this widespread notion that whenever Awami League is in power, natives of Gopalganj try to impose their will on others, as if they owned the world. To avoid the hassle, I just say I'm from Faridpur!"
Barisal
"Barisaila people are so miserly, I tell you!” Rajib, a student, tells me. "I had a friend from there named Kishore who we called “Kipta Kishore.” Whenever it was his turn to pay for cigarettes, he would give the shopkeeper a Tk500 note – knowing that the stall owner would have no change. We always ended up paying instead!”
North v south
Roksana, a student of Jahangirnagar University, says people from the northern parts of the country are very “hostile in nature,” which she attributes to the droughts they suffer on account of their dry climate. On the other hand, she says: “People from the southern parts are generous as there are a lot of rivers there and paddy grows in plenty!”
Pabna
As everyone knows people from Pabna are mad. That's why they built the famous mental asylum there. But say that to a Pabna local and you'll get the reply: "We are the ones who fix the crazies!"
Chittagong
A close friend of mine believes Chittagonians spend too much on weddings – information he gained from regularly crashing them. He tells me a wedding in Chittagong was actually called off because the bride's father, a poor school teacher, wouldn't have been able to cater for the 700 people who'd been invited by the groom's side.
Double Talk
We have a range of regional dialects that can also be a source of comedy, especially when speakers of different dialects try to make themselves understood to one another.
Khamakha
The word "khamakha" in standard Bangla translates as “for no reason,” but in Chittagong it is used to mean "for sure." When my mother was a newly married bride, and visited her in-laws in Chittagong for the first time, her new relatives inviting her to their places "khamakha," much to her befuddlement.
Puri
In the rest of the country, it is short for dalpuri, but in Sylhet the word "puri" means “girl.” A friend of mine visited Sylhet, and went to a roadside teastall. Imagine the look on the shopkeepers face when he demanded: "Mama, I'd like 10 puris. How much?"
