India’s westernized elite, cut off from local traditions, “want to write a dot in a land where there are no dots.” From this startling insight, Mark Tully has woven a superb series of “stories” exploring Calcutta, from the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad (probably the world’s largest religious festival) to the televised broadcast of a Hindu epic.

In the process, he combines analysis of important themes with a sense of the subtle texture and human realities of Indian life. The result is a revelation.