Chander Pahar

Shankar, a restless young man from rural Bengal, takes a job with the Uganda Railway and finds himself, almost by accident, deep in the African interior chasing rumors of a mountain that holds a fortune in diamonds. Lion attacks, a friendship with a grizzled Portuguese explorer, and a terrifying creature said to live in the caves of Richtersveld stand between Shankar and the treasure of Chander Pahar. Written decades before Bibhutibhushan ever left Bengal, this exuberant adventure novel remains one of the most beloved boys'-own tales in Indian literature, a pure and thrilling hymn to the unknown.