Bbhibbhian

I was on the phone with Sharath in Hyderabad the other day. "Shoroth" (as we say in Bangla) lived in Kolkata for several years and he mentioned that Vivian's name might be a bit of a challenge for some people.

What would a Bong say at the Wendy's drive-thru: "Dada - one Bbhendi's bbharghar and one co-ka-co-la. The night is bhat yong."

All the bbh's are breathy and chesty, and yes - we are a poetic people.

In Bangla, we write but don't say "a". Instead, it's an "o". My name in Bong is "O.roon".

And we don't say "v" or "w". To start with, most of us Desis including myself are somewhat sketchy about our v's and w's - we usually mumble something in between. "The wine comes from vines" is pretty hard for me. And Jo smirks when I say "vowels". It's anti-German. They "v" everything - "vat are you doing". We Desis on the other hand, take our "witamins".

Bongs add another twist - "w" or "v" become "bbh". If you are a native Angrezi speaker, put your lips together like you are going to say "b" as in "buddy", but save some breath in your lungs and exhale a bit explosively when you open your lips. But don't over do it.

So, to my peeps from the far corners of India, my daughter's first name is Wiwian. And to my Bong peeps, it's Bbhibbhian. Her first trip to Kolkata should be bbheri pphanny.