Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The Epic City, The World on the Streets of Calcutta
Kushanava Choudbury
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Epic City, The World on the Streets of Calcutta
Kushanava Choudbury
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Epic City, The World on the Streets of Calcutta, by Kushanava Choudbury, is the memoir of a young man who grew up in New Jersey, graduated from Princeton and returned to Calcutta to eulogize the beloved city where he was born. He describes his courtship of Durba and their search for a house to rent. It’s hysterical the way the brokers lead them on a wild goose chase. They finally find a place on their own.
When his Dida (grandma) dies, he describes the funeral, the process of it, the red tape and the sadness of it. In the mornings, early, he goes to the nearby sweet shop to get twenty round kochuris, stuffed with dal, and potato curry in a clay bowl, stuffed into a paper bag and sealed with a rubber band. The old houses are being bulldozed and concrete boxes put up in their places.
The author writes about his former newspaper job at the Statesman, now a legend, a dead one, and the men who used to work there, also dead. Only Mike remains, but he’s despondent and discouraged. This young author brings Calcutta to life as he wanders down College Street where he can find hundreds of books, but not the book he wants, Mother. Exams in grade school are more difficult than SATs in the U.S.. Kids hang themselves if they don’t pass. The top ones are pictured on the front pages of newspapers. Test preparation books are published and demanded by students before the exams. They have the answers. The saying is: “Commit to memory, and vomit.”
But one can have cards printed that say anything. Choudbury had two hundred cards printed in six hours. He was “Somebody”. The author writes about poets and poetry and how important it is to people. It often speaks of politics and history in its verses. Despite the fact that ancient India had covered sewage systems thousands of years ago it smells bad everywhere. The Victoria marble palace is one of the most visited and most amazing structures in Calcutta. Huge marble statues, Belgian glass mirrors, many chandeliers, and original paintings adorn the palace. Four hundred homeless are fed there daily.
Calcutta is an impossible place, says the author. They fight over strands of Communism while sipping tea. Will the author stay in Calcutta? Will he return to live in New Jersey? Find this fascinating memoir on the new non-fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
When his Dida (grandma) dies, he describes the funeral, the process of it, the red tape and the sadness of it. In the mornings, early, he goes to the nearby sweet shop to get twenty round kochuris, stuffed with dal, and potato curry in a clay bowl, stuffed into a paper bag and sealed with a rubber band. The old houses are being bulldozed and concrete boxes put up in their places.
The author writes about his former newspaper job at the Statesman, now a legend, a dead one, and the men who used to work there, also dead. Only Mike remains, but he’s despondent and discouraged. This young author brings Calcutta to life as he wanders down College Street where he can find hundreds of books, but not the book he wants, Mother. Exams in grade school are more difficult than SATs in the U.S.. Kids hang themselves if they don’t pass. The top ones are pictured on the front pages of newspapers. Test preparation books are published and demanded by students before the exams. They have the answers. The saying is: “Commit to memory, and vomit.”
But one can have cards printed that say anything. Choudbury had two hundred cards printed in six hours. He was “Somebody”. The author writes about poets and poetry and how important it is to people. It often speaks of politics and history in its verses. Despite the fact that ancient India had covered sewage systems thousands of years ago it smells bad everywhere. The Victoria marble palace is one of the most visited and most amazing structures in Calcutta. Huge marble statues, Belgian glass mirrors, many chandeliers, and original paintings adorn the palace. Four hundred homeless are fed there daily.
Calcutta is an impossible place, says the author. They fight over strands of Communism while sipping tea. Will the author stay in Calcutta? Will he return to live in New Jersey? Find this fascinating memoir on the new non-fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.