It's winter, and the entire locality of Chowringhee and its surroundings hold a very soft corner in every Calcuttan's hearts during this time of the year, especially during Christmas. I am writing about this now because the novel that I am about to review is linked to this street in such an intimate way.

The author Mani Shankar, who is now holding a position of repute in an advertising agency, has actually penned a part of his life in this book.

He had started working from a very young age, first as a secretary to an English Barrister. His fate took a turn, for the better or for the worse is for the reader to decide and if you ever meet Shankar, then for him to tell. On the Barrister's death, he found himself without a job, and didn't know what to do and where to go. For the first time in his life, he figured out what true hardships were. He had a white collar job, but due to desperation he had to take up selling baskets to people as a salesman for a poor remuneration. But life chose a different path for him when his old acquaintance Baron, a personal detective whose own fate had never looked up, was the one who had given him the opportunity of probably his greatest experience. An experience that he would always remember and cherish.

Baron had taken him to Shahjahan Hotel, into the world of fancy hotels. Little did Shankar know how the grandeur of Shahjahan would ensnare him.

To us, the life of the Hotel staff appear so bleak. As if the work of the receptionist is just to greet people and allot rooms, the porter to carry bags, the chef to cook. We are not aware of what happens behind what we can see. In reality it is as if we are intruders in their world. All of them knows what goes on behind every room. The stories each brick holds in Shahjahan Hotel is more astonishing than the other. Love is a recurring theme in Chowringhee, but it isn't just love between a man and a woman. Of course that is there too, but there inevitably there is much more. Its a tangible relatable love, not a fairy tale. A more real love.

Shahjahan is a monstrous machine. Any part of it malfunctions and the entire hotel falls down. The maintenance of this hotel lies in the hands of two men Sata Bose and Marco Polo. One has always led a detached life only to get entwined and lose what he had given his heart to, and the other has suffered ruthlessly in the hands of love. However, both these men have been extremely driven in their careers. Both these men have had crucial roles to play in Shankar's life. Sata Bose has guided and protected Shankar during his interim in Shahjahan. Sata Bose knows every pulse of Shahjahan while Marco Polo had added more life to Shahjahan, only to be continued. The other constants of the hotel, Jimmy the steward, Nityahari aka Nata Hari the launderer, Connie the fabulous cabaret dancer and Karabi Guha, all played a massive role in Shankar's life. Each of them had a story and Shankar couldn't help but get emotionally involved with them, even though Sata Bose had warned him that between him and the world, the reception should always be the wall.

Chowringhee shows that time never stops for people and it is the cruelest taskmaster of all. What Shankar believed was unchangeable, the people who Shankar once thought would always be there,just like mannequins are there in stores forever, were slowly chewed up by the Shahjahan Hotel, only to be spat out one by one.

When the new come barging in, the old turn helpless and get scattered. They are just like a deer dazzled by headlights. This is what happened to each and every member of Shahjahan that Shankar knew. The last casualty was Shankar himself. We cannot say if he was fortunate or unfortunate to come out of this mess. But even if he stayed any longer, the shock that Shankar had received in this short span of time, couldn't have escalated to further heights.

The neighbourhood that Shankar has described, Chowringhee, is real. The hotel Shahjahan, is also real. But with a different name. It is the hotel every Calcuttan knows by heart. It is the hotel no Calcuttan can ever forget and it is the hotel that no other can ever replace, it is The Grand Hotel. Proudly sitting in the heart of the city in the midst of a bustling Chowringhee, it holds the awe of several. In fact when you pass by it, you can see the vast expanse of its terrace and imagine Shankar's words of how accommodations for the hotel staff were made on the terrace.

After reading Chowringhee, you will never look at the Grand Hotel the same way. Every time you will see it, Shankar's words will flood your mind and make you look around seeking for some semblance to what you have read. Its as if you can imagine it all over again. You can finally give it a physical touch.