CUB READS. Wanderlust in Africa

Giving Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s novels a graphic makeover is an unnecessary act. Yet, when Satyajit Ray adapted Bandopadhyay’s evocative Apu novels for the screen, it resulted in sheer magic. In Moon Mountain’s case however, the graphic namesake pales in comparison with one of the best-known, much-loved adventure novels in Bengali literature but it does fare better than the film adaptation released last year; the most expensive Bengali film ever made.

When Shankar returns to his tiny hamlet from Calcutta after his exams, a humdrum life beckons. Haunted by his thirst for adventure, he jumps at his neighbour’s offer to work in Mombasa, Kenya. For Shankar, life in Africa promises so much — exhilaration, wonder, adventure and danger. He starts work with a company laying rail tracks from Mombasa to Kisumu. He realises the perils of Africa when the workers begin to disappear week after week, only to discover that the “most fearsome” of predators, the African lion has been on the prowl. Shankar is then posted as the stationmaster at Kisumu railway station. Momentarily relieved, he quickly realises that far from being out of danger, he is now closer than ever to predators. One day, on a fishing trip, he finds a traveller named Diego Alvarez lying exhausted. As he nurses Alvarez back to health, the traveller tells Shankar of his extraordinary tale of adventure in the heart of Africa. Weeks later, Alvarez embarks on his unfinished journey to the densest jungles in Richtersveld to look for diamonds. With Shankar in tow. Together, they walk through deserts, climb treacherous mountains, battle beasts and finally, come face-to-face with the deadliest of all beasts, the Bunyip.

At its core, Chander Pahar is an adventure tale. Bandopadhyay had never been to Africa and he wrote it almost entirely from his imagination. While Saurav Mohapatra’s writing doesn’t try to match Bandopadhyay’s sense of adventure or his literary virtuosity, Sayan Mukherjee’s illustrations sometimes capture the spirit of the stirring tale. For instance, the first time an African lion attacks Shankar, the visuals in the panel are blurred with the impact of a lion pouncing on Shankar’s startled horse, dislodging him. Or the full page panel of a cheetah watching Shankar through the night in the jungle, which is masterful. All things considered, however, stick to Chander Pahar , the original.

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