amitava earlier visits calcutta dinner party sitting corner aloof entered party full swing whisky flowing freely duly introduced party back boisterous back loudly vocalizing opinion subjects process ignoring else's bengali style forlorn lady corner unobtrusively stood live country asked knew answer clairvoyant arrived days long dust work faces pulled chair thing noticed ease environment people accepting friendly detachment appeared choice part marked openness hard noticed talked amazing varieties fish gariahat market sarees park street couple common acquaintances discovered shared subjects america waiting story earshot party dinner time congregated small groups lived united states twenty-seven years husband returned india intention living permanently months parents calcutta wanted closer family work quite lady miss comfort amenities living united states fine made depressed company people made feel suffocated adjust result resented turn makes nostalgic life back america teary eyed inquired bothering traffic filth pollution health care issues people talk sister-in laws suddenly arrive doorstep unannounced walk bedroom talk intimate setting bedroom appeared living relatives calcutta relate amusing living people collective passion talk argue endlessly talk behaving long found humanoids planet krypton exchanged telephone numbers promise touch united states possibly diasporas world relationship defies conventional definition family linguistically emotively narrative confined bengalees people cultural social disposition feel interesting perplexing friends acquaintances world react relatives friends past family conventional sense collection relatives person connected blood marriage random house dictionary defines word relative samsad bangla abhidan chalantika rajsekhar bosu define bengali word atmiya literally relative broadly person person close another-self atman etymologically english dictionary definition restrictive word relative derived word relate person relate hand derivative definition atmiya use-wise means relation birth marriage words languages connotation extension choose define family collection people relate close birth marriage proximity mentality musings ceased abstraction home week friend america called landed calcutta month meet rush point curiously dawned eager meet talk weather jersey sarah palin subject america talk meet realized word vibe mattered communication words nuances doubt bonding relationship solely matter love blood personal comfort level understood daily lives visit woman morning tara program renowned singers invited sing interviewed splendid equal locally famous singers watched daily morning show cousin sitting impressed surprised live america expressed amazement mitali bhawmik friend gloated claim friendship stretch spoken made proud wanted personal touch feeling kinship genuine moment lady party quite feeling closeness feeling alien home absence material stuff partly relatives friends skin surmised unbeknown traffic pollution decaying infrastructure uncertain health care factors contributing aversion life india time returnees cultural family ties draw back feel strained local human dynamics feel foreign frustrating general absence ethical behavior lack openness daily interaction establishing meaningful relationship reviving chandra ghosh london record store case point feel people friends relatives strange chandra babu inquired point brother house couple days brother family nice quite caring complaint felt intruding importantly uncomfortable uneasy unfamiliar environment find relaxing enjoyable ramakrishna mission institute golpark family manchester staying time sounded brother problem problem chandra babu strange interjected brother alienation long absence attitude relatives india friends changed losing touch period time explain bond fondness feel diaspora-friends affinity developed fact matter adopted foreign land home adapted society exiled birth country chosen soul blood surfaces stark relief back country discover family chandra babu found friend back england relationship friend wanted meet promptly arrival called close mitali bhawmik friend real sense word brought backdrop desh now- alien land now-alien culture months back home received call boston lady party husband back plans returning india live foreseeable future amitava 