Traditionally, we have relegated Bengali men to being artistic soft souls and “thinkers” who whine vocally about the government but only a handful possess the gumption to actually drive change. The first step towards unpacking this stereotype is dissecting how we view Bengali men aka the ‘Bhadralok’. I’ve known my friend to be rational in most other situations, so it was even more unsettling to realise that even the best of people – with ostensibly open-minded attitudes – can suffer from such deep-seated internal biases.Īlso read: The ‘Chudail’ Archetype Is the Personification of Society’s Fear of Assertive Women Much to my dismay, one of my friends casually said, “This is what Bengali girls are like, I’ve also dated one.” However, I couldn’t any longer when the topic of Rajput’s death came while I was on a group call with some friends from school. And while this conversation made me uncomfortable, I mostly managed to avoid thinking about it. In order to keep my sanity intact over the years, I’ve developed mechanisms to mentally disengage with online swill at times.
Jokes demonising Bengali women started doing the rounds on WhatsApp groups and tasteless memes reiterating age-old cliches about Bengali women being home-wreckers were gleefully shared on various social media platforms. The dudebros of the internet took the opportunity to come out with pitchforks and declare that “ Bangalan ke chakkar mein phasogey, toh yehi hoga.” Barkha Trehan / बरखा त्रेहन July 31, 2020Įssentially, according to the tweet, Bengali women are those who ensnare good-looking rich men, only to make them their “servants and financiers” and purportedly distance them from their families. If you want to be her servant and financer and are okay to leave your family and join her family then go ahead?? #RheaChakroborty They catch big fish, good looking highly paid guys.
In a patriarchal country like ours, where having even one of these traits immediately berates you in the eyes of many, is it any surprise that after the media on black magic began circus, a Twitter thread with the hashtag #rheachakraborty started doing the rounds, warning men to steer clear of Bengali women.īengali girls are dominating, they know how to make guys fall for them. Instead, let’s focus on a deeply misogynistic conversation that this bizarre coverage has inadvertently given limelight to – our problematic vilifying of Bengali women.īengali women have historically been outspoken, well-read and unafraid to embrace their sensuality.
But this piece doesn’t intend to break down the opinions flying fast and thick on social media around this case. Conspiracy theorists are having a field day and testimonies have been discussed threadbare. Over the last few weeks, much has transpired. This mockery in the name of journalism was how the media by and large decided to treat the coverage of Chakraborty’s alleged involvement in Rajput’s suicide.Ĭlearly, this case has turned into a literal witch hunt – glass orb et al.
News18 India, Zee TV, India TV and countless other channels quickly followed suit to discuss in ‘breaking news’ segments how black magic played a role in the suicide case. A recent Aaj Tak headline screamed “Sushant par Rhea ka Kaala Jaadu” with a tackily photoshopped picture of Rhea Chakraborty over a glass orb with a smiling Sushant Singh Rajput helplessly trapped in it.