Move over, rosogolla: Here are five things West Bengal and Odisha can fight over
The jury is still out and will always remain so
If you are from either West Bengal or Odisha, you can’t just wash your hands off the debate over the origin of the rosogolla, which is in a pretty sticky situation right now, after the arrest of defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra over a year-old tweet in which he just decimated Odisha’s claim on rosogollas.
But to many (i.e., the rest of India), the debate is just wasted as they think the rosogolla itself is overrated.
But what they may not know is that the rosogolla is not even the 'be-all' and 'end-all' of all the disputes between these two border-sharing states.
There are many, and there can be many more, if we stretch our imagination beyond just the rosogolla.
Who stakes claim on Netaji?
This question has the power to cause bloodshed on Quora. While many Bengalis believe in the leanest possibility of Netaji still being alive, Odisha should never let go of Netaji as it was his birth state, where he spent the first 17 years of his life.
If Kolkata has Netaji Bhavan, Cuttuck has Janakinath Bhawan, the ancestral house of Netaji.
If Kolkata has Presidency and Scottish Church College, from where Subhash Chandra Bose graduated, Cuttuck has his school — Ravenshaw Collegiate School.
If he was a Bengali by birth, he was also Utkala matankoro sujogyo sontano.
What is so Bengali about rice and fish?
Every time there is a discussion about rice and fish, you remember a Bengali friend, a Bengali co-passenger, with whom you might have shared a journey, etc. What is so special about Bengali rice and fish? It’s the same thing that the Odias live by! Everyone knows Bengal’s pantabhat (leftover rice soaked in water overnight and consumed in the morning after with chilli, onion and salt), but the same is Odisha’s pakahl bhat. But who's listening?
Why don’t you then identify Odisha with rice and fish? Also, what’s so special about Bengal’s mustard fish preparation? Odisha has mustard in most of its (delish) preparations.
Why is Utkala ahead of Banga in the national anthem?
Why does ‘Utkala’ come ahead of ‘Banga’ in the national anthem, which was written by a Bengali and first sung in Calcutta in 1911? Yes, it rhymes with ‘Taranga’ that way. But it was all part of the Bengal Presidency (Bengal Province from 1912) anyway. Odisha was formed on April 1, 1936, which is observed as Utkala Dibasa.
How does it then even have a mention? Another mystery — and another potential fight.
Who claims chhau dance?
Chhau dance, a martial, tribal and folk form of dance, famous for the masks used during performance, was inscribed in UNESCO’s representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. But how come the two states are not fighting over it? Even Jharkhand can lay its hands on this as the tribal belt where this dance form is performed is spread across Purulia (West Bengal), Mayurbhanj (Odisha) and Seraikela (Jharkhand).
This can actually become a three-state war.
Who wears white better?
Well, the jury is still out — and will always remain so.