“ For years and years, even during the time of my first visit in 1962, it has been said that Calcutta was dying, that its port was silting up, its antiquated industry declining, but Calcutta hadn't died… V.S. Naipaul
“ As they were walking, a beggar came up, holding his hand out and crying, Baksheesh! Baksheesh!Mike kept on going but Mitchell stopped. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out twenty paise and placed it… Jeffrey Eugenides
“ Those places where sadness and misery abound are favoured settings for stories of ghosts and apparitions. Calcutta has countless such stories hidden in its darkness, stories that nobody wants to admit… Carlos Ruiz Zafon
“ Calcutta has still not recovered from history: people mourn the past, and abhor it deeply. Amit Chaudhuri
“ Faxian and Xuanzang might have been the first Chinese to travel to India, but sometimes it felt like I was the first. Hong Mei
