Abstract:How do I say thanks if I should not say thanks?One of the first things I learned after arriving in Calcutta was that it is impolite to say "thank you" in Bengali.The expression dhanyabad is said to be...How do I say thanks if I should not say thanks?One of the first things I learned after arriving in Calcutta was that it is impolite to say "thank you" in Bengali.The expression dhanyabad is said to be an equivalent to English "thank you." But dhanyabad does not perform the same speech act that "thank you" performs in English.In Bengal, receiving a favor is imagined as part of a conviviality in which the calculative measuring of an exchange is ill-mannered.A favor is either another moment in a long-standing relation or the beginning of a new series of exchanges, whereas "thank you" implies that no further contact is necessary.Hence verbalized thanks transgress what might be called Bengali "baseline communism" (Graeber 2011).But what can I do if I am not allowed to say thanks?At this moment, all I can do is to acknowledge my gratitude for all the kindness I have received from so many people over the years.First, I want to express my gratitude to all the people in Calcuttadoctors, patients, friends-who allowed me to spend time with them and who so generously helped me in the creation of this book.Thank you all for making my times in Calcutta so unique, so enjoyable, and so memorable.My research over the years was assisted by exceptional people.Jokesh Francis was brilliantly helpful in supporting the research on popular body concepts, on Ayurveda, and on homeopathy.His dry sense of humor made the sheer endless transcribing as much fun as endless transcribing can possibly be.Bonani Roy, from whom I took Bengali lessons, was a treasure trove of knowledge of the language.Arijit Chakraborty was immensely helpful in collecting data on how Calcuttans define depression.Soumita Basu deserves great thanks for being such a cheerful colleague during a later stretch of the antidepressants research.And Jhunu's superb cooking was the best and most metaphorfree mind food I can imagine.I want to thank all the friends who have made Calcutta a new home away from home: Shanu-di and Damayanti "Dodo" Lahiri; SuhasiniRead More