Ajana Deshe by Jogendra Nath Gupta PDF.
Title: Ajana Deshe (In an Unknown Land),
Author: Jogendra Nath Gupta,
Genre: Bengali Child Novel, Child Novel Book, Travel Novel, Adolescence Upanyas,
Book format: PDF, Pages: 139, PDF Size: 4 MB,
Ajana Deshe: A Timeless Journey to an Unknown Land
About Ajana Deshe
The novel Ajana Deshe (In an Unknown Land) was written by the author Jogendra Nath Gupta. Primarily intended for children, this work is not merely a novel but a socially instructive piece of literature. With great subtlety, the author Jogendra Nath Gupta portrays various events occurring within this “unknown land.” Peter Wilkins is the central protagonist of this novel. Following his father’s death, his mother became his sole guardian and took charge of managing all their family affairs. He had lost his father at a very tender age.
Child’s Development
In this manner, sixteen years of his life passed by, yet he made little progress in his studies. During this period, he became acquainted with a gentleman. One day, this gentleman spoke to Peter’s mother, saying, “It is the duty of every parent to be attentive to their child’s development; you, too, ought to educate Peter and raise him to be a capable individual. It would be unwise to let him sit idly at home now, thereby squandering his future.”
The gentleman’s advice struck his mother as excellent; consequently, she began contemplating sending Peter to a reputable school for his education. Eventually, after making inquiries, he was enrolled in a renowned school located far from home, necessitating that he resides in a hostel.
Mother’s Death
His studies continued while living in the hostel; three years passed with him regularly receiving his allowances, when suddenly—without warning—the flow of money ceased. Peter could not, for the life of him, understand why this had happened. He sent several letters but received no reply. He managed to get by with the assistance of one of his teachers.
He grew deeply despondent and became increasingly anxious to see his mother. After several days had passed in this state, a letter suddenly arrived. It had been sent by that very family friend—the relative who had originally assisted him in securing admission to that distant school. Upon reading the letter and learning the news of his mother’s death, he was overwhelmed with profound grief.
He took the letter to his benevolent teacher and showed it to him. Deeply saddened, the teacher said, “Look, Peter, I am convinced that your mother’s sudden death was the result of some conspiracy or plot orchestrated by that man. I believe you should waste no further time; you must go home immediately.” Peter requested the teacher to accompany him so that he could reach an understanding with that gentleman.
George Douglas
The gentleman’s name was George Douglas. The teacher replied, “Peter, I usually go away somewhere on vacation during this time of year. However, very well—I will go to your village with you. If I can be of any assistance to you at this juncture, I shall consider myself truly fortunate.” With these words, the two of them set out for the village early one morning on horseback. Upon reaching the house, they discovered that the gentleman had transferred all of Peter’s father’s property into his own name.
He claimed that Peter’s mother had voluntarily bequeathed all her assets and estate to him, having formally gifted everything to him in the presence of the clergyman himself. Hearing this, Peter and his teacher were left utterly dumbfounded. How could such a thing be possible?
Upon hearing this news, Peter became deeply distressed; his spirits sank, and he refused to remain there for even another moment. He spent that night at a small inn in the village, and at dawn the following day, he made his way to the teacher’s home. The teacher received him with great warmth and hospitality, saying, “My boy, you may stay here for as long as you wish to compose yourself. If you are willing to assist me with some minor chores, I shall provide you with an education free of charge.” Although Peter felt somewhat comforted by the teacher’s offer, it did not bring him complete peace of mind.
Unknown Destination
This arrangement continued for some time, during which the teacher imparted various words of counsel and instruction to him. Yet, Peter could find no inner peace whatsoever. One day, he resolved to leave the country—though he had no idea where he would go. Suddenly, one night, he slipped away from the teacher’s house and set off toward an unknown destination. As he traveled, he decided that he would become a sailor and embark on a voyage across the seas. Walking steadily, he arrived in the city of Bristol at four o’clock that afternoon.
Upon reaching the city, he inquired about the docks, and eventually—with the assistance of a local—he secured a position aboard a ship. He was issued the necessary clearance papers to board, and Peter stepped onto the vessel to begin his journey. As the ship sailed on, they eventually approached the vicinity of Cape Finisterre.
A French Pirates’ Ship
At that point, they fell into the clutches of French pirates, who plundered all their possessions and took them captive. After enduring five weeks of captivity in this manner, the French pirates’ ship attacked a large merchant vessel and plundered all its cargo. That ship carried a total of eighty people, including passengers; all of them were taken prisoner. Having looted the merchant ship, the pirates abandoned them aboard it, leaving them with provisions sufficient for only two days.
Signal The Vessel
As days passed in this precarious state, five members of their group perished. The survivors, weakened by starvation, found their bodies growing frail and immobile. Thus, drifting along an unknown course, they began to count down their remaining days. At this critical juncture, they spotted a sailing ship in the far distance. After making strenuous efforts, they managed to signal the vessel and draw it close; it turned out to be a Portuguese ship, and only seven of them—the sole survivors—were able to board it. This ship was bound for Saint Salvador.
However, shortly after setting sail, they realized that they had merely exchanged one form of captivity for another, remaining prisoners even as they approached the shore. Thus continued their arduous journey into an unknown land.
A Timeless Travel Novel Ajana Deshe
In this Travel Novel, the author has beautifully recounted the various situations and challenges Peter faced during his journey through this unknown land. There is no doubt that this novel will be embraced by readers—particularly children and adolescents—as an engaging and educational literary work.
Therefore, for the benefit of young readers and the general public, a PDF version of the novel Ajana Deshe (In an Unknown Land) has been provided at the bottom of this webpage. Readers can download the PDF of the novel from this webpage and read it online.
