The travails of travels

PERHAPS the ghorkuno Bengalis were introduced to real life travelstories first by Rabindranath Tagore and next by Syed Mujtaba Ali (Deshe Bideshe). Both of them have given vivid account of their journey across various terrains in their iconic style of writing. One cannot but read their stories again and again to glean the last drop of nectar stored in the pages of the books.

But travel stories are hard to come by these days though more people travel now and to a wider choice of destinations either for work or for pleasure. May be it takes different kind of a mental makeup to develop the interest and have the right amount of energy to write a nice little travel book after a long tour half way across the world. Writing down details in a note book or storing them in brain cells for future use are not enjoyed by all, especially if one has to run against time to catch the lone flight in a remote airport in the middle of nowhere.

Among the dwindling species of travel writers in Bangladesh who travel to write, Akhter Matin Chaudhury's name stands out as the one who tries to keep the genre alive. He has travelled widely, like a true "Globe Trotter", and written three books to immortalize his experiences in black and white for the future generations. We shall make attempts to review his latest publication "Footprints Left Behind". The Foreword of this book has been written by Ihtisham Kabir, a columnist of The Daily Star. He writes, "It is Chaudhury's third book about travel. He takes us on some intriguing and thought-provoking adventures. His previous books have recounted his travels in Tibet and the Balkans. Now he takes us to several outlier countries including Iceland, Laos, Jordan, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania  as well as more familiar ones such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, England and Ireland."   In another paragraph Ihtisham Kabir writes, "Chaudhury presents the book in the form of a diary. The language is formal, as if he is having a conversation with us. He informs us about the cost of things, about the relative merits of hotels, busses and trains that he uses...."

In the Preface the author narrates the beginning of his long travelling extravaganza, at the age of 5 only, when his parents took him to Liverpool from Bombay, on a large ocean liner. Since then the beckon of the salty sea air became too strong for him to overlook. He acknowledges with due humility the contribution of some persons in the publication of the book, firstly his wife for encouraging him to travel, and then Md. Asaduzzaman Joseph for helping him with the task of publication and Waqar Khan (of Bangladesh Forum for Heritage Studies) for his encouragement and connecting him with Asaduzzaman Joseph. He also expresses his gratitude to Ihtisham Kabir for the Foreword.   

The book is divided into the following chapters:
Foreword
Preface
The Spirit of Captain Bligh
The Casement Quest
The Anderson Trail
Vientiane – A Hidden Surprise
Scandinavia
The Baltics
Land of Fire and Ice
The Jewel of Jordan

The book contains some beautiful photographs, mostly taken by the author, to supplement the description of the places depicted therein. For example, description of ancient Petra in Jordan would not be as dramatic and vivid without the photographs of the place. The photographs of various historic towns, castles, tombs, museums, graveyards etc, speak volumes about the author's penchant for history and culture.  

This inexhaustible traveler is a pharmaceutical executive by profession. It is sheer passion for travelling that makes him hit the roads every now and then. He dedicated the book to his father, Dr. Abdul Matin Chaudhury and mother Mrs. Razia Matin Chaudhury.

The reviewer is Special Supplements Editor, The Daily Star.