The purpose of life varies from person to person..For some it is an entertainment,but for some it is a life long adventure..
Chander Pahar (Moon mountain in English) is a Bengali novel written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay,the author renowned for his earlier work 'Pather Panchali'..Surprisingly,the author had never been to African forests,but he described them so well in this work..To live the life to the fullest,one should have strong bonding with nature..The best thing about the author's works is,he beautifully portraits the relationship between nature and man..The story set in the year of 1909,just 5 years before the world war I..I read the Telugu translation of the book..The book is also available in English as "The Mountain of the Moon"...
Every human being has different outlook regarding life,by means of which he experiences the real pleasure of life..For the protagonist Shankar Roy Chowdary, life means 'adventure'..But his poverty keeps him away from exploring the world..Initially he joins in a jute mill,obeying his family's expectations on him..Meanwhile an acquaintance offers a job for him in Africa..On getting this tremendous opportunity,he moves to East Africa with many dreams in his heart..
Initially he works as a railway clerk in Uganda and later as a station master..Being a nature lover he enjoys beautiful sunrises and sunsets of the dense forests,various kinds of animals...He thought his dreams came true..After some time,the acquaintance of a Portuguese explorer,Diego Alvarez brings out the adventurous nature of the young man..Greatly persuaded by him,Shankar goes along with him in search of the diamond mines..They both start exploring the dangerous Richtersveld mountain ranges for diamond deposits..Not caring about the Bushmen's warnings that no one returned alive from the dense forest,they move forward..The two adventurers encounter dangerous Black Mambas,Lions, Hyenas and a dreadful beast called Bunyip,the guardian of the forest...When Alvarez is killed by the dangerous beast Bunyip, Shankar remains alone and miserable in the forest..But he keeps his journey on..He reaches the huge Kalahari desert..Crossing all the obstacles,whether the young man could return or not is the remaining part of the story..
The novel is not only unique and experimental but one of the best adventurous books in Bengali literature..Normally Bengali literature is known for its highly emotional depictions but apart from that this novel also gives good narration about the geometrical details and historical events from the past..The lives of fearless railway coolies and bushmen are very motivating for the readers..Such adventurous stories help this generation to learn about the people who sacrificed their lives in the process of evolution,by crossing dangerous obstacles to give the comfortable society we are living today..
The English version is available in Flipkart here..
http://www.flipkart.com/the-mountain-of-the-moon/p/itmdytpwag9fhnps?pid=9788129118240&ref=0e4c1ec2-0ef7-4892-be02-88d4d6a34972&srno=s_1&otracker=from-search&query=moon%20mountain
Chander Pahar (Moon mountain in English) is a Bengali novel written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay,the author renowned for his earlier work 'Pather Panchali'..Surprisingly,the author had never been to African forests,but he described them so well in this work..To live the life to the fullest,one should have strong bonding with nature..The best thing about the author's works is,he beautifully portraits the relationship between nature and man..The story set in the year of 1909,just 5 years before the world war I..I read the Telugu translation of the book..The book is also available in English as "The Mountain of the Moon"...
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| Copyright A Homemaker's Utopia |
Initially he works as a railway clerk in Uganda and later as a station master..Being a nature lover he enjoys beautiful sunrises and sunsets of the dense forests,various kinds of animals...He thought his dreams came true..After some time,the acquaintance of a Portuguese explorer,Diego Alvarez brings out the adventurous nature of the young man..Greatly persuaded by him,Shankar goes along with him in search of the diamond mines..They both start exploring the dangerous Richtersveld mountain ranges for diamond deposits..Not caring about the Bushmen's warnings that no one returned alive from the dense forest,they move forward..The two adventurers encounter dangerous Black Mambas,Lions, Hyenas and a dreadful beast called Bunyip,the guardian of the forest...When Alvarez is killed by the dangerous beast Bunyip, Shankar remains alone and miserable in the forest..But he keeps his journey on..He reaches the huge Kalahari desert..Crossing all the obstacles,whether the young man could return or not is the remaining part of the story..
The novel is not only unique and experimental but one of the best adventurous books in Bengali literature..Normally Bengali literature is known for its highly emotional depictions but apart from that this novel also gives good narration about the geometrical details and historical events from the past..The lives of fearless railway coolies and bushmen are very motivating for the readers..Such adventurous stories help this generation to learn about the people who sacrificed their lives in the process of evolution,by crossing dangerous obstacles to give the comfortable society we are living today..
The English version is available in Flipkart here..
http://www.flipkart.com/the-mountain-of-the-moon/p/itmdytpwag9fhnps?pid=9788129118240&ref=0e4c1ec2-0ef7-4892-be02-88d4d6a34972&srno=s_1&otracker=from-search&query=moon%20mountain
lovely review Nagini !!
ReplyDeleteWell,I am less of a reader and try managing with reviews hence I loved it.
@ Mysay,
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you liked it.Thank you so much for dropping by..:-)
Nice review.
ReplyDeleteBut what about the picture? What language is that?
That book is the Telugu translation of the work.I can't read Bengali.Thanks a lot Sourav..:-)
ReplyDeleteThats a cool review. You seem to have enjoyed it very much! The story does seem gripping.
ReplyDelete@ Meoww,
ReplyDeleteYeah its an interesting read.I loved it so much.I'm glad you liked it.Thank you..:-)
Very good review. I will search whether its translated to Kannada or English.
ReplyDeleteSounds very interesting. Will see if I can get hold of an English translation to read. Thank you for the review
ReplyDelete@ Ranjana,
ReplyDeleteYeah not just elders but kids also enjoy this read.Thanks dear..:-)
@ Magic eye,
ReplyDeleteThank you..:-)
The English version "The Mountain Of The Moon" is available in Flipkart here,
http://www.flipkart.com/the-mountain-of-the-moon/p/itmdytpwag9fhnps?pid=9788129118240&ref=0e4c1ec2-0ef7-4892-be02-88d4d6a34972&srno=s_1&otracker=from-search&query=moon%20mountain
its been a while that I read something in Telugu. Please can you let me know where I can pick up the telugu version. your review fascinates me.
ReplyDeleteYou have done such a beautiful review of this book here, that it really arises curiousity in me to know more. Great job :)
ReplyDelete@ Mynascence,
ReplyDeleteYou can get the printed book in Kinige online store..The link is here.
http://kinige.com/kbook.php?id=1283&name=Chandragiri+Sikharam
Thank you..:-)
@ Jiggyasa,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.Pls keep visiting..:-)
Loved this post..... Reminds me of my childhood days.... It was one of favorites then... Read it many times (in bengali).....
ReplyDeleteInteresting review.
ReplyDelete@ Debopam Banerjee,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Debo..:-)
@ Rajesh,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Rajesh..:-)
Loved the review
ReplyDelete@ Mukhtiar,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for dropping by..I'm glad you liked it.:-)
Beautiful review Nagini! :) Though i can actually read the real book, it's seems to be in some other language :(
ReplyDeleteSimple but fascinating review. Have motivated me to buy the book and thanks for the English version link.
ReplyDelete@ Bushra,
ReplyDeleteYou can read the English version yaar..Pls do check the link given in the post.Thanks a lot.:-) Enjoy your reading..:-)
@ Sfurti,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by..Pls keep visiting..:-)
nice review dear.. good to read... I am not able to see you in my blog.. Yes.. i am back at my blogging.. looking forward your arrival there.. :) http://acolorfulbutterfly-riya.blogspot.in/
ReplyDelete@ Surya,
ReplyDeleteYeah really long time dear.How r u ?Thanks a lot for being here.:-)
I read that book while I was in school, still remember that.
ReplyDeletei have read it few months back...and truly speaking this is one of the best creations from an era where a person who hasn't been to Africa yet could write about the it so perfectly ...a master piece...!!!
ReplyDelete@ Surajit Ray,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the visit and comment..:-)
@ Anjan Roy,
ReplyDeleteVery true..:-)Thanks a lot for your valuable feedback..:-)
It was pleasant to go through the lines tributed to the wordcraft of a legend Late Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay. For me it has another relevance also since, he was from my city only. Thanks for your contribution towards his great work.
ReplyDelete@ Sanjay Kumar Jee,
ReplyDeleteOhh really great to know.I liked all his books.Thank you so much for dropping by.Pls keep visiting :-)
Everything is very open with a really clear explanation of the issues.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely informative. Your site is extremely
helpful. Thank you for sharing!