Status Updates From Grand Delusions: A Short Bi...

"The first thing that anyone coming out of the brick-red building of Howrah Station sees is this grey stretched-out cat’s cradle hanging in the sky. Generations of migrants from all across India, on setting foot in Kolkata for the first time, are made to sense the solidity of this structure, a sheer show of strength..."

Unironically, Howrah Bridge has remained a landmark of Kolkata for almost forever.

Not sure how I feel about it even 50% in. It feels like the author isn't himself sure what he's trying to capture. Too many talking points at once tbh

Actually not sure how I feel about the North and South Kolkata's differences being reduced to "The North also envies the modernity of the South" which is debatable? Would I like to have a mall like Axis a stone's throw from my house? Maybe. But would I really wanna live in rundown version of an American suburban neighbourhood, even with how quiet it'd be, I'd like to think not. Though maybe it's my bias speaking too.

It's also interesting to read rn cause lately I visited South Kolkata and it was an experience. Everything had that lonely suburban whitewashed vibe that was missing from my own part of the city. Almost like a different world.

Reading a book about my own city was not on my 2026 bingo card but here we are.

Fyi, "There is no east or west in Kolkata. There is just north and south. Not Upper West side-Lower East side. Not Left Bank-Right Bank, or East End-West End. Just Uttor Kolkata and Dokkhin Kolkata. North. South. Old. New. Authentic. Ersatz. Culture. Chaos. Hic. Hep. Raw. Cooked." Very accurate