A Globetrotter’s Ode to the City of Joy
Calcuttascape – Musings of a Globe Trotter is written by Sundeep Bhutoria, who is a social activist, culturist, philanthropist, working in the field of international cultural cooperation and the promotion and preservation of Indian arts. He is a well-liked face in Kolkata’s social scene. The book, Calcuttascape, comprises of an assortment of essays written by him, where he discusses the city and its many facets. Conceptualized in 2013, it freely discusses the city from the point of view of someone who has an intimate understanding of the many facets Calcutta has to offer and is not afraid of providing constructive criticism it to ensure its betterment. His writing is rather evident of the amount of exasperation and love he carries for the city, and the essays are a reflection of the same.
About the book Calcuttascape, Sundeep Bhutoria noted the following –
‘Calcuttascape’ grew out of my regular blogs – many of them also published as columns. While the column started a decade back, many of the issues are as pertinent today as they were then. I have touched upon a variety of topics - from travel and food to customer services and lifestyle, from art and heritage to environment and gender equality.
Sundeep Bhutoria writes of Kolkata from hotels in Kuala Lumpur, or reports little anecdotes from the streets of Canada. It is clear from his writing that he likes knowing about details – often easily missed or ignored – and takes interest in the lives of others, that sometimes reveal a bounty of information that is then recorded. He talks about the immigrated communities of Canada and the Indians who immigrate and live in their own closed communities, and, in the same breath, the struggles of growing up in a Vietnamese family as a girl-child. He merely observes and notes, but the parallels are silent and unmistakable. From Kuala Lumpur, he talks of the taxi driver who plays Tamil music on his phone but has never visited India, or knew what the significance of 15th August was. His observations about the migrated communities there are as follows:
I am not including those Indians who have made it big abroad and equate India with dirt, filth, corruption, etc, but still turn to India when it comes to choosing brides. It is the people of Indian origin (PIO), who belong to the working class and have settled abroad a few generations ago, who suffer the pain of living away from their roots.
This is mainly because they feel that despite their long stay, they are at best second-class citizens in these lands. People who have lived thousands of miles away from India for a very long time still listen to Indian songs, watch Indian movies, read Tagore, worship Gandhi ji and follow age-old Indian rituals.
Peppered with celebrities and stars, his writing casually refers to the incredible array of people he knows and the little stories, painstakingly acquired, form a considerable part of the book. He also refers to the interesting ways in which industrialists mingle with diplomats and bureaucrats, and the way power changes hands. In this, a glimpse into the social scene of the city also comes in sharp focus along with an acerbic remark on the way people in this city treats RSVPs.
I have organised various functions, dinners and get-togethers, from Chetla basti, to pockets in Burrabazar, to star hotels. I can’t recall a single occasion when a fair number of invitees bothered to confirm their presence. Even for programmes involving protocol, RSVP is not given the importance it merits. Often, when you call celebrities and politicians, they don’t even acknowledge having received an invite.
I see no reason for not responding with a line or an SMS. I have seen VVIPs come in late for functions, putting the organisers in an awkward situation as they offend somebody with a request to vacate their first-row seat for the latecomers. This can cause problems ranging from embarrassment to a huge waste of resources.
Sometimes baffled, sometimes frustrated, and sometimes even infuriated at the city, its work culture, and the inhabitants, Sundeep Bhutoria navigates through the social scenes and tries to gauge what makes the city stand out from the rest, and after a point it is clear that no matter where he goes, at the end of the day this city and its inhabitants are perceived and studied by him throughout the year – be it Durga Pujo or Christmas, and when he’s not in town, he does long for the strange charm that this city possesses.
Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee was sent a copy of the book as part of a review. Her opinions are personal.
One Response
Very interesting book.