Grand Delusions: A Short Biography Of Kolkata takes readers on an unforgettable journey through a city brimming with stories and surprises. This cultural history, written with warmth and curiosity, plumbs Kolkata—formerly Calcutta—through its neighborhoods, architecture, and rituals. Designed for curious adults, travelers, and anyone eager to understand how a city thinks and breathes, this hardback invites you to see Kolkata with fresh eyes and a hopeful, insightful tone.

Indrajit Hazra writes with a voice that is intimate yet perceptive, weaving personal essays with historical context to create a narrative that feels both documentary and lyrical. The journey sweeps from the city's north to its south, through paras and markets, revealing magnificent crumbling architecture, the charming chaos of Park Street's restaurants and bars, and streets alive with the energy of political rallies. The book moves beyond a straight memoir or chronicle, offering a cultural history that blends the personal and the political.

Readers will encounter cinema halls echoing with memories, solitary patrons, and encounters with soothsayers and tantric love gurus—moments that illuminate Kolkata's unique blend of tradition and modernity. Grand Delusions presents key ideas about memory, place, and identity, making learning feel like discovery rather than study. The storytelling is vivid, the pace inviting, and the insights frank, inviting you to revisit Kolkata with new eyes.

• A cultural history of Kolkata that blends personal reflection with public history
• Vivid journeys through north and south Kolkata, including paras neighborhoods and iconic streets
• Descriptive scenes of architecture, Park Street, rallies, and cinema halls
• Interwoven personal essays and cultural observations that illuminate city life
• Accessible explorations of memory, identity, and urban culture

After finishing Grand Delusions, readers will come away with a nuanced understanding of Kolkata—its complexities, rhythms, and enduring charm—and a sense that the city invites renewed curiosity, empathy, and wonder, a perspective that only Grand Delusions could inspire.