Kolkata won my heart with its vibrant culture and incredible food. But my visit left me thinking: Why can’t Eastern India unite culturally and economically like the South? Odisha, West Bengal and Assam together have a population of over 18 crore. Imagine the possibilities if we respected each other’s languages, exchanged cultures, co-produced films, dubbed movies and built stronger business corridors connecting Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Guwahati. But Eastern unity needs one fundamental ingredient mutual respect for each other’s languages. Why should an Odia and a Bengali need Hindi to communicate? If a Bengali settles in Odisha, learning Odia should be encouraged and vice versa. Our languages should bring us closer, not push us towards Hindi as the default common language. My Kolkata visit revealed an imbalance. In Bhubaneswar, Puri and other parts of Odisha, you can find plenty of Bengali signboards. But during my close observation of Kolkata, I could find only one place displaying Odia: K.C. Das Sweet Stall, where Odia appeared alongside several other languages. That was it! Where is the same recognition for Odia that Bengali receives in Odisha? Why does this linguistic accommodation seem so one-sided? But here’s the truth: Odias themselves are partly responsible for this imbalance. During my return journey, roughly 55 km before crossing the Odisha border, while still inside West Bengal, I stopped at a restaurant. Other Odias were speaking Hindi, assuming the locals wouldn’t understand Odia. I did the opposite. I confidently spoke Odia to the staff and they responded in fantastic Odia! They understood me perfectly, even this deep inside West Bengal. And this wasn't an isolated experience. In Kolkata itself, I spoke Odia at fine dining restaurants, to ordinary people and to street vendors. They understood me and responded in a mixture of Odia and Bengali. Some could even speak Odia themselves! Yet our own people were switching to Hindi without even trying Odia first. Think about that. We assume our language won't be understood, abandon it before giving it a chance, and then complain that others don't respect it. Eastern unity must be built on mutual respect, not one-sided accommodation. We don't need Hindi as our default common language when we can build bridges through our own languages. Jai Jagannath! Jai Maa Durga! 🙏

Hence proved

Khankir chhele tui bolbe?

Beaten and humiliated by orange goons, a poor Muslim toto driver had nowhere left to turn, so he brought his tears directly to the feet of Maa Durga for justice. They want to destroy Bengal's sacred thread of unity, We must stand united against this evil force! #DurgaPuja2026