Summary

In a quiet enclave just beyond the mosque located after Deshapran Sashmal Road divides, there are a series of modest middle-class homes on narrow lanes. There are two oblong ponds side-by-side which monsoons often caused to rise high enough that they became one body of water. Beyond them, the lowlands often flooded as well, sometimes up to as much as four feet deep for a time. Hyacinth grows so prolifically on the surface of that water that it appears solid.

Simple huts are around the edges, and poverty stricken people can be seen wading through to collect whatever edibles they can find. Autumn brings egrets that stand waiting for prey as the water slowly evaporates again. Brothers Subhash and Udayan often use this route as a shortcut through the neighborhood to the place where they play football.

Analysis

The lowlands surrounding Calcutta...