The Slashed Canvas

Siddhartha. One name, three different entities, three different eras. 533 Bc, Siddhartha the Buddha gives up his life as a prince to unfold the mysteries of life. 1922, Siddhartha of the novel by the same name of Hermann Hesse leaves home for his spiritual journey of self-discovery. 1976, Siddhartha the seventeen years old leaves home once again. He passionately wants to be an artist but Siddhartha's personal canvas reveals a palette of intriguing characters that unfolds a journey larger than his quest. He's in love with Lipika, but when the mysterious Esha, walks into his life, he walks out on his love. He needs to decide if he will be drawn into the vortex of wild sex and scheming vultures. He lands a job in a coal mine as a mining engineer where the dark underworld comes to life as he yearns for Lipika, but his desire for art transforms him into a wanderer. Siddhartha's journey takes him from the beguiling streets of Calcutta to Delhi, a city filled with dealers, fixers, and corrupt bureaucrats. The Slashed Canvas, a novel, follows Siddhartha throughout as he pursues being an artist in a concrete jungle and tries to make sense of life, love, and relationships.

Deb Sanjoy Dutta was born in Calcutta and did his schooling through RIMC a military school in Dehradun and National Defence Academy in Pune. He also studied commerce and is a Mining Engineer. He is also a fine artist recognized by Lalit Kala Akademi and has participated in many National and State level fine arts exhibitions. He was awarded by Camlin Art Foundation in 2002. He is a wanderer sauntering through various professions and interests. From teaching to mining, painting to photography, poetry and philosophy. He has been a keen observer of human characters and life and these diverse fields helped him delve deep to unfold many hidden facets of human characters.