Can Somebody tell me who exactly is a "Marathi manoos"??????????

How do we exactly define who a Bengali is?
Is it someone who is able to speak Bengali,or someone capable of learning Bengali language and/or tradition ?
Is it someone who has deep respect for Bengali culture and gets absorbed in it? Or is it someone who a Bengali by birth? Worse, would it be someone(like me) who was born a Bengali but shows not much interest in following the rich cultural and traditional heritage of Bengalis?
I personally know a Bihari girl who had no particular interest in these pursuits but began loving Bengali culture-and at the same time forming a very egalitarian opinion about the pluses and minuses of the Bengali society when she spent a few years in Kolkata. And I happen to know about a guy, who does know to speak Bangla, but has learnt to read and write in the language just by reading the hoardings, advertisements and other street graffiti in Kolkata in the past three years. And not to forget ,I am a Bengali by birth, but without much interest in the typical camaraderie that Bengalis feel on meeting another person with a familiar surname- and I choose to use the "Bengali" tag only when it can be made use of for benefit. Not that I nurture any disrespect for it-I just am a bit careless and indifferent in this regard.

So, my question is still not answered. Am I a better Bengali or are my friends who love to celebrate this culture and effortlessly slip into the "mishti"  Kolkata milieu?

Let us think over some more questions.

Who is more civilized- a posh Delhiite scornfully calling an autorickshaw driver a "Bloody Bihari" or a Bihari anonymously earning his living in a distant land and keeping mum on the pretext of this "distant land" providing him his daily bread (and butter, if he is able to afford it!).

Who is a better Kashmiri- a directionless born-in-Kashmir youth who ends up in a militant camp,only to kill his brethren later on? Or is it a soldier who spent days and nights trying stop bullets and bombs from striking innocent people of the battered state?

After considering all these questions,can we categorise who is more Marathi?
Can this be answered on the basis of  birth, descent or jingoism?
Sadly, such is the state of affairs of our country that we have left the responsibility to answer this question in the hands of a few goons who manage to find themselves seated in the once-upon-a-time hallowed portals of power, only to end up flinging microphones,chappals and pieces of furniture on their compatriots for not choosing a particular language to swear the oaths to their office. Should it not be left to the individual to decide his tastes and preferences? Does the language in which the oath is uttered have any say in deciding who better serves the people?

Every individual loves to respect the set of cultural values he has grown up with. But does it imply we disrespect those with different set of values? In that case , how can we expect others to respect our values?
Its plain and simple- I don't need to be a Marathi to learn and respect Marathi culture. Nor does a Marathi need to eat "doi maachch"  or taste rossogullas in order to respect Bengalis. All that we need is to respect the simple ground reality-each individual is different. If siblings can have different tastes and preferences, why expect everyone on earth to have tastes identical to ours! If I don't like raw fish, why should I expect the Japanese to quit eating sushis? They have been loving it for ages!

So why take to street fights to resolve a problem, which has its roots in our minds!

Mr. Raj Thackeray and his followers harass North Indians on the pretext of their definition of "Marathi manoos". Can somebody please tell me what exactly is the definition of a "Marathi manoos"?
In this context, at least I beg to differ from their point of view.
In a state that faces grave issues of concern such as poverty, drought ,malnutrition, communalism and not to forget the alarming rates of suicides by farmers despite a loan waiver and a relief package by the Centre, does such hooliganism find any justification- a rational answer cannot be anything that strays from NO.

Probably the MNS itself needs a "navnirman" !