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Racial composition
In their racial composition, the inhabitants of
West Bengal present a prolific inter mixture of five separate racial strains. The oldest stratum of the
population is Proto-Australian in origin. The element called Nishadic is found
preponderantly among the tribals in the plateau fringe and beyond into
Chhotanagpur and central India. They are long headed, dark skinned, broad-nosed
and short in stature. Variously labeled as Negritos and Negroids, their
physical features are evident among the lowest castes of Bengal, mainly
the peasants.
The next wave of immigration was
by a long-headed race with a
taller structure, sharp nose and prominent chin, known
as Dravidians. This race is believed to have come from the northern
Mediterranean littoral, shortly in their wake came the round headed Sumerians,
also called Armenoids, from western area, via, Persia.
 The next considerable racial element to come into the western part of Bengal
is the round headed Alpine or Indo-Aryan race with its fair skin, oval face,
prominent nose and long body. The fifth racial strain, the Mongoloid is
represented in the population of the Darjeeling district of
northern West Bengal, which is of the Tibetan type.
Undoubtedly Mongoloid features show unimistakable traces among Hindu as well as
Muslim rural people of north Bengal districts the Koches and Rajbanis of the Dooars plains shows additional traces of mixture with the eastern Mongoloids
of the Burmese type.
The five main racial strains
are inextricably intermixed, and it is
practically impossible to find a pure racial type in the population. On the whole it
may be said that the main elements of the Bengali race are the long headed
matrilineal Mediterranean type which brings our Dravidian affinity and the round headed
Mediterranean type who associates with the people of upper India. As regards the
so-called lower castes of the state, these elements are of much lesser
importance. The predominant element here being the proto-Australoid in varying
proportions.
EDUCATION
In the whole of the rural West Bengal and in the most of the municipal areas
the primary education is free and compulsory. Free supply of text books have
been under taken. Girls education up to standard VIII has been made free in
rural and urban areas, including Calcutta.
DRESS
The common Bengali dress is the dhoti and a stitched upper
garment -
a shirt,
a Punjabi Kurta or a half-sleeved vest. The urban population has started
favouring pyjama and trousers for convenience and economy. The western style of
dress is being adopted by the more affluent as a status symbol replacing the
achakan-pyjama and the Shamla Pugree, there is a general absence of any
kind of headdresses, Muslims cover there head during prayer and religious
ceremonies. The women invariably wear the waist to ankle length sari in a
graceful style. The upper part is covered by different styles of blouses.
FOOD HABITS
The Bengali is predominantly a rice eater. All but the very devout Hindus eat
fish as a principal item of their food. He has a sweet tooth and everyone who
can afford them enjoys sweet meats made with milk casein (chhan) of which a large
variety have been evolved. Another essential item is dal (pulses) which
supplements their protein requirements. A large assortment of vegetables and
seasonal fruits completes the dietary. Bengalis prefer to other beverages, the
habit of taking sweetened tea has a spread to there remotest villages. Chewing
of pan laced with lime, Kattha and arecanut is universal., so is the smoking of
tobacco, either plain in the form of bidi or mixed with treacle and spices for
the hookah. Cigarette smoking has been spreading to rural areas but is still
something of a symbol . Drinking of palm juice today and home made alcoholic brews is largely confined to industrial labour and the tribal population.
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