Ashwin Sanghi

[This book] gives the reader a glimpse into the journey of a boy from a small town in Rajasthan to the wider world: a world that has given him the scope to take forward his interest in community and artistic causes' JAYA BACHCHAN 'If you want to see Kolkata come alive, all you have to do is dive into this delicious book' SEEMA GOSWAMI Calcuttascape grew out of the regular blogs written by Sundeep Bhutoria and his weekly column in the Hindustan Times, Kolkata, titled 'Cityscape'. A peripatetic soul, the writer criss-crosses the world on business and leisure, but his heart resides in his hometown, Kolkata. With characteristic wit and disarming plain-speak, Sundeep writes about a variety of topics from travel and food to customer services and lifestyle, from art and heritage to environment and gender equality. A keen eye for detail and with a firm finger on the pulse of a city, this collection of columns is an ode to the cosmopolitanism that sits at the very heart of Kolkata, even as it minces no words to point out some shortcomings, as only a loving resident is allowed to.

Puja - 19, confused, energetic, fiery. Her philosophy: life is complicated and only super achievers have it figured out. Her strict mother sends her to a rural location in Kerala to spend her summer vacation doing volunteer work. Arush - 20, studious, careful, shy. Born and raised in Britain, he is elated when he gets an opportunity to spend 12 weeks in India, a place his parents are from and one to which he has never been. When Puja and Arush meet, their stark differences are obvious to each other. But with choppy internet and no other distractions, they start getting to know each other and slowly fall in love. But falling in love and staying in love are not the same thing. When disaster strikes, Puja is forced to confront the harsh realities of life while Arush realises that India is not always the picture-perfect postcard he presumed it was. Desperately fighting to expose the truth and save themselves, what happens to their love? Is it strong enough to survive forces beyond their control? Is it deep enough to drown their own doubts? Sometimes you have to travel far to find your true self. An intensely gripping novel from Preeti Shenoy about young love and discovery.