Official Language: Bengali
West Bengal is counted amongst the most visited states of India. The place is full of varied locations and is abundant with scenic beauty, to lure tourists to its territory. You will get to see mountains, sea, deltas, monuments, temples, monasteries, forests, planetarium, amusement parks and even botanical gardens here, in short everything that marks an enjoyable vacation. However, before visiting the state, you should acquaint yourself with a few facts about it, such as its culture, cuisine, people, languages, and so on. Bengali is the official language of West Bengal, which is also used by majority of its population.
Interaction with the educated crowd of Bengal wouldn't be an issue if you are well versed in either Hindi or English. However, in order to avoid communication hassles with people like rickshaw-pullers and auto-drivers, it would be advisable for you to learn a few important phrases in the language. Other than Bengali, you can also get to listen to Nepali, Bhutiya and Oriya in West Bengal, used by the people who have migrated from these places. If you move more towards the tribal regions, you will get to listen to several tribal dialects and languages, like Santhali, used exclusively by the tribal-sects.
Interestingly, you can also listen to Chinese and Burmese in West Bengal. People from these countries, who settled in the state long back, are the ones who still use their mother tongue, though mainly amongst themselves only. Though a number of languages are spoken in West Bengal, the major one is Bengali only. Even those who hail from other states or countries use it for frequent interaction. The popular newspapers of the state are also Bengali-dailies only. Just pack your bags, with a hand-book of Bengali thrown in, and you are certainly going to have utmost fun on your trip to West Bengal.
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