An Impossible Love

Courtrooms are places of striking contrasts. The stern formality of the law, the stark walls of the buildings, the austere attire of the officers of the law – everything gestures towards predictability, formality, and cynicism. Yet what frequently unfolds in these steely courtrooms are tales of tenderness, love, unpredictability, passion and much more. Be it … [Read more…]

A Strange Dream

It was the 5th of May, 1899 – one of those stifling summer days in Panjorbhanga, Rajshahi that breathed only after sundown. As the cool evening breeze lulled the parched eyes of Pramathanath Mustafi, he welcomed the open arms of Somnus. But alas, the soothing nightly embrace was shortlived. At some point during the course of the night, Mr … [Read more…]

Fishy Pirates

Technically speaking, this is not a story that unfolded by gaslight. Gaslighting at the time was still in the distant future. The Calcutta we Bengalis love to be nostalgic about had not yet been born. Rammohun Roy was but a boy then, and one of Mir Jafar’s sons, Mubarak-ud-Daula, sat on the masnad in Murshidabad. It … [Read more…]

Henry & Miriam’s Love Story

Police Courts are hardly places of sentimentality. Murderers, robbers, fraudsters and petty thieves rather than star-crossed lovers are the usual denizens of these courts. It is the seamier underbelly of a city that leaves its marks on the white-washed walls of its Police Courts. Yet, perhaps only to remind the mute walls that stand silent witness … [Read more…]

The Walrus Comes to Calcutta

In the 1870s, Calcutta was growing at an exponential rate. Yet it remained surrounded by small fishing villages reminding the grand metropolis of its own humble beginnings. Late in June 1870, a group of fishermen from one such nondescript village set out as usual to fish in the stream that ran along their hamlet. They … [Read more…]