Ghotis
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The Ghotis are the people of western Bengal, who have a culture, traditions, and cuisine distinct from their Bangal counterparts of East Bengal.
The term came into greater use after many people from West Bengal migrated to Bangladesh (then East Bengal and later East Pakistan) during and after the Partition of Bengal in 1947. Initially there was a cultural and sociological clash between the native population and the refugees.
Ghotis are frequently distinguished by their Bangla accent and use of certain local dialects and figures of speech that people in Bangladesh in general would not use. Although the term is not in frequent use in most of Bangladesh, areas near the border having higher concentration of immigrants from West Bengal use the word commonly, sometimes with a derogatory or jocular tone.
Amongst the high-caste Bengali Hindus (Brahmins, Kayasthas, and Baidyas) of India, "Bangal" and "Ghoti" are used as social sub-groups indicating the ancestral origin of a family. Those whose families came from East Bengal are Bangals and those whose families originated in West Bengal are Ghotis. The term as used here has little relation to actual geography, since most members of these groups all now live in India. Historically, in addition to marrying within their castes, people from these groups also preferred to marry within the group, whether Bangal or Ghoti. The term is used freely and not considered derogatory in this social class.
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