This morning he'd discovered the bathroom light on, its lustre wasted in daylight. - Amit Chaudhuri

Afternoon's the most dreamless and introspective time of day, a sort of midnight of the daytime ...

When afternoon came to Vidyasagar Road, wet clothes ... hung from a clothesline which stretched from one side to another on the veranda of the first floor. The line, which had not been tightly drawn anyway, sagged with the pressure of the heavy wet clothes that dripped, from sleeves and trouser-ends, a curious grey water on to the floor, and, especially in the middle, one noticed the line curved downwards, as if a smile were forming.

Calcutta has still not recovered from history: people mourn the past, and abhor it deeply.