Chander Pahar

Bibhutibhushan Bondopadhay
Chaner Pahar was written by
Bibhutibhushan Bondopadhay in
1907.Bibhtibhushan Bondopadhai is a great
writter.He made a large amount of space in
our mind and heart for him.Till today also we
all truely give respect him from our
heart.Bibhutibhushan Bondopadhai is mainly
famous in India for Pother Pachali,beside
Pother Pachali he wrote many other novels
also,like-Aparajita,Aranayaketc.,for child
he wrote Baksho Bodol,for young boys
Chander Pahar.
Chander Pahar is not a translated
story from any english novel.Bibhutibhushan
Bondopadhay wrote this full story from his
own mind and thoughts.But he took few help
from few novels of sir H.H.Jhonston and Rosita
Forbus. In Chander Pahar he wrote about a
life of a boy,named Shankar.His journey in
South Africa with Diago Alverage.Diago
Alverage was a brilliant Portugese
prospector.Bibhutibhushan Bondopadhai
described the Ricktarsveld Mountain
Range,Dingonic(Rodessian Monster) and
Bunyip in South Africa.
1st Scene
Shankar and his family were very
poor.After completing his F.A examination he
has nothing to do,so now he is sitting in his
village.For now his work is to enjoy and gossip
with his friends,to take long sleep after lunch,
fishing and playing at Palghat.He spend the
whole March and April like this.One day his
mother told him to do a work so that he can
earn some money for his family.Because his
father was day by day going older and
weaker.His father had a disease of
coughing.His mother thought that like this his
study may be stop.Because if his father
stop,then who wil earn for him?
Mothers words and speech felt Shankar in
problem because evry time he was thinking
about that.It may be stop for his father to pay
money on his sons studies and on their
family.But what will happen to Shankar,what
will he do?
We are telling about that period when
World war ii was going to start after five
years.At tht time market of businesses was
not so bad.In Shankars village,there was a
man,worked in a Jute Mill at Shaymnagar or
Naihati.Shankars mother told his wife to tell
him to manage any job in his mill for
Shankar.Because if her husband could manage
any work in his mill.Next day that man came
to Shankars house to tell that,he will try hard
for Shankar to manage a work in his factory.
Shankar was different from othr boys.
During his schooldays he always stood first in
every game. Once, durimg a
exibition,namedmohkumar he stood the first
rank and got a gold medal in High jump.
Nobody in his village is as good as him in
Football(Center forward). Shankar was the
famous swimmer in his village. He can easily
climb on tree, ride on horse.He is also a very
good boxer. When he was learning in Kolkata,
he practised Boxing there. For all these resons
he could not obtain the first rank. He obtained
the second rank.
But Shankar had a special habbit.He
always deal with maps of all countries and to
read huge geography books. He cane easily
solve many sums of geography. He nearly
knoww about all the stars,present in the sky.
That is Kalpurush, that is Soptorshi, that
isKashiopia and that is Brischick. In which
month which star rises he know everything. He
can tell their name by directly seeing at the
sky.We everybody know that, most of the
childdren in our country will fail infront
Shankar in these cases (i.e.,they cannot tell
any name of any stars by directly seeing at
the sky.Before telling, they cannot remember
them only).
For this time when he was coming
back to his village from Kolkata after
completing his exams, he agin bought many
Geography books from a library. When he get
time or feel lonely, he read those books and
what he thinks no one could understand. Next
comes his fathers weakness, poverty of their
family and request from his mother to go to
Jute Mill. What will he do?He is completely
alone this time.He cant see and tolerate the
poverty of their family.He himself feel
ashamed that he cant do anything for his
father and mother. At last he have to work in
Jute Mill only. But his dream will remain
incomplete?It will break dreak down?The
famous Center Forward,champion of High
Jump, no.1 swimmer in his village Shankar
will at work in Jute Mill?The horse ridding
Champion will be the labour of Jute Mill?Now
the Sun is ready to set in the east. Shankar
wss sitting at the bank of a river and thinking
about all these things only. His dream is to
roam and see the whole world like Livngstone,
Dr. William Stanely,Harry Jhonston,Robinson
Cruso,Marco Polo etc. For these he prepaired
him like those unbeliveable adventourous
men. But he never thought that which
European do, that is completely impossible for
Indian. They born to become lawyer, school
master or doctor. They cant walk through the
rude and danger path in their life.
That day he was reading the huge
geography book of Westmark. An incident in
that book suddenly surprised Shankar. That
was an incident of a German adventorour
named,Ant Hoffman. He wrote about the
famous mountain in, named Mountain of the
Moon(Chander Pahar). Hoffman gave a
beautifull detail of that mountains forest and
green valley. Many times Shankar read that
book. Whenever he read that book he thought
that yes, he will also go and touch the ground
of that mountain. Dream!!Mountain of the
Moon can never come down in the Earth.
 On that night Shankar saw an
unbeliveable dream.....
His surrounding were full of dark
forest. Wild elephants were breaking the
group of bamboo trees. He and another person
was climbing on a mountain in South Africa.
The scene was looking completely as same, as
the scene in Hoffmans story which he read in
that huge geography book of Westmark. The
forest was completely full of rotten-yellow
leaves. Sometimes,he can see the clear view
of mountains. It seems that the high peaks of
mountains are playing Hide-Seekwith
Shankar. Sometimes,they hide in clouds and
sometimes in the dense forest. Once he truel
heard the trumphet of the wild elephants in
that forest. The whole forest scared. Shankar
scared so much,that he cant sleep any
more.He woke up and sitting quietly in his
bed. He saw that night has covered. The Sun
was present in the sky. Sunlight was slightly
enterimg through the hair crack and gap of of
window.
Oh!What a dream he saw just now.
The dream of first morning can become true.
He heard this many times. In his village there
is an old,half-broken temple.
A gentle man, named Modon Roy built that
temple.Modon Roys family is not still survive.
The temple is now half broken, a lot of wild
trees and bushes has grown there,like Banyan
tree etc. But the stage on which the statue of
the God was standing is now also clear.
Although the statue is not present there, all
the girls come and woship there. Shankar
heard from many villagers, that temple and
the plateform of the statue is famous and
powerful. Whoso ever wishes any thing, the
wish will come true.One day Shankar went o
that templ and wishes something after
hanging a stone in a banyan tree.
During evening he spent many time
in that temple. He was stting on those long
yellow bushes. Although the the temple is
present in the the middle of the village, it is
completely surounded by dense forest. Near
the temple and the forest there is a small
house. During Shankars childhod, a murder
was done in that house.