The All Bengali Crime Detectives

Releasing March 2011…

The protagonists in the story are four recently retired Bengali men, who struggle to come to terms with their latest predicament. The lack of professional activity after retirement, coupled with an absence of purpose, results in apathy about life in general. In their heart of hearts, they fear a loss of identity; yet none voices this fear, this insecurity, as that would expose their vulnerable sides.

One day, the four of them find themselves in a somewhat thrilling situation; a crime takes place in their neighbourhood and they are the only witnesses. They cherish this new found excitement, clandestinely form a detective club, and eventually, after several faux-pas, solve the case. Though the crime and the subsequent investigation is the central thread that binds the story together, it is really a story about the four main characters – endearing, vulnerable, excitable, and full of failings that make one human.

The story is set in Calcutta, a city redolent of charm and nostalgia, a city struggling to cope with change and rapid modernisation; yet somewhere in her heart, she holds on to the past, to the things that make her unique, before she becomes any other metropolis. She is, in that sense, a character in her own right, much like the protagonists, who struggle to find meaning in a world that is fast writing them off.