1: You don’t understand food without daal or maach.
2: As a kid, you were maniacal for half marks in your test papers.
3: You are well trained in detecting uninvited foreign bodies like mosha & tik-tiki.
4:You were conditioned to believe that you could survive Apocalypse armed with a file of Gelusil and a tube of Boroline.
5: Every New Year calendar starts with charting out Durga Pujo dates.
6: You have grown up worshipping nolen gur.
7: “Onek hoyeche, ebar porte bosho” was your childhood anthem (Enough, now get back to studies).
8: You have learned & taught yourself the bong echo-system: Khaabar-daabar, aaje-baaje, poisha-woisha, mota-shota.
9: As a mischievous kid, you have faced some real lovable words like bandor & bandraami.
10: You have a serious, committed relationship with botaam & septi-pin.
11: Only you know the magic of the afternoon nap.
12: Winters are not complete unless you have overloaded on 55 sweaters. No monkey cap jokes, people.
13: Your Sundays were & are all about maangsho-bhaat (mutton rice).
14: Kaemon ache will always be greeted by “ei cholche”.
15: Your birthdays start with the awesome paayesh.
16: The gift always comes first. Then comes bhai-phota.
17: You have been bred to appreciate, acknowledge, love, drink & believe in Horlicks.
18: You have been reminded time & again, how a day has ‘chhobish ghonta’ and what all can be & has not been achieved in that.
19: You have incorporated a 2BHK space in that tummy of yours because the rice servings never stop.
20: You have learned never to respond to your old uncle asking you ‘chinte parcho (are you able to remember me)’.
Because once you act squeaky & say yes, you’ll be counter-asked the most deadly question, ‘aami ke bolo toh’ (tell me who I am) & your life will fall like a pack of cards.