Hiramanik Jwale by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay [Paperback]

Hiramanik Jwale (The Glitter of Gems) is a captivating story by the immortal storyteller of Bengali literature, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, who, in almost all his works, has narrated tales of the distant horizons and adventures of Bengali boys. This story, too, tells the tale of a distant calling and a Bengali boy's triumphant journey. Sushil’s expedition to the Champa Kingdom, an Indian colony across the seas, is no less thrilling and adventurous than Shankar’s journey to Africa in Chander Pahar (The Mountain of the Moon).

Sushil is the son of a declining aristocratic landlord family. However, he has no desire to cling to this decaying nobility. One evening, Sushil meets a sailor named Jamatulla, who tells him a spine-chilling story of a distant island in the Far East, deserted but holding the ruins of an ancient Hindu civilization. Along with this, Sushil learns of a mysterious stone with carved designs. The allure of the vast treasure trove of the Champa Kingdom, an Indian colony across the ocean, and the idols of Hindu deities, representing remnants of an ancient civilization, pull both Sushil and Sanat into an epic adventure.

This story is filled with perilous sea voyages, the quest to recover the lost glory of Indian ancestors scattered on a distant island, and Sushil’s eventual return home with an enormous treasure. The book is packed with exciting and thrilling experiences from start to finish, making it a must-read for Bengali readers of all ages.