Deshe Bideshe

Book by Syed Mujtaba Ali

978-9844060081

Deshe Bideshe (Bengali: দেশে বিদেশে) is the first book and one of the most famous works of Bengali author, journalist, travel enthusiast, academician, scholar and linguist Syed Mujtaba Ali. The book describes his experience on his stay in Kabul from 1927 to 1929 and was originally published serially during 1948 in the Indian weekly magazine Desh, New Age Publishers Pvt. Ltd. of Kolkata published it in book form the same year.^[1]^[2]

An English translation by Nazes Afroz, the former BBC executive editor of South and Central Asia, was published by Speaking Tiger Books as In a Land Far from Home in 2015.^[2]^[3]^[4] The book was shortlisted for the Raymond Crossword Book Award 2016.

Plot

Syed Mujtaba Ali stayed in Kabul for one and a half year to work as a teacher and described his experience in Afghanistan in the book. The book shows his keen observations but written with a sense of humor. ^[1]

Characters

Amanullah Khan
Bacha-e-Saqao (Habibullah Kalakani)
Muhammed
Bolshov
Ahmed Ali
Amar Singh Bulani (Sardarji/Sikh Driver)
Dost Muhammad
Abdur Rahman
Inayatullah Khan

References

^ ^a ^b "In a Land Far from Home: A Bengali in Afghanistan (Deshe Bideshe)". Speaking Tiger Official Website. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^ ^a ^b "'In A Land Far From Home', English version of Syed Mujtaba Ali's memoir 'Deshe Bideshe', launched". bdnews24.com. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^ "In A Land Far From Home". The Daily Star. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^ In a Land Far from Home: A Bengali in Afghanistan (Deshe Bideshe). Speaking Tiger Books. 2015. ISBN 9789385288029.