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This is a story of the lives and loves of the people from the eyes of Shankar, the one-time receptionist at the regal Shahjahan, one of the largest and best hotels in Calcutta in the 1950s.
The 1st half chronicles the narrator’s story till, as luck/fate would have it, he lands a temporary job at the Shahjahan. It is in the second half when the book grows on you- the characters, who were fleetingly mentioned in the 1st half, are fleshed out by the author through short narratives stitched together seamlessly to form a colorful quilt.
Tragic and triumphant love. Betrayals. Double-speak. Everyone has hidden skeletons here, a story to share with the then naïve Shankar -Marco Polo, the diligent, mysterious hotel manager ; the innocence of Connie the Scottish cabaret dancer; the heartrending tale of Karabi Guha, the beautiful hostess; Sata Bose, the suave receptionist. People find it easier to open up to a “green” person, isn’t it? Their lack of prejudice , their trusting ways, the ghost of what they were earlier… ?
Couple of beautiful lines that struck me the most:
1. “Clouds bloodied in a mining fire, sunset comes” – from Samar Sen’s poem on Curzon Park.
2. “The first symptom of love in a young man is timidity; in a girl it is boldness. The two sexes have a tendency to approach and each assumes the quality of the other” – Victor Hugo
Overall: Good. Worth a read once, but I wouldn’t recommend a buy.
