Book Review on “In a Land Far from Home”

Name: Pranjal Basak
ID: 22301179
Section: 17
Book Review on “In a Land Far from Home”
“In a Land Far from Home” is a travelogue written by Syed Mujtaba Ali. The writer’s writing prowess is marvelous and gives the readers the impression that they are experiencing the whole incident through their own eyes. The writer used sense of humor to explain different complex incidents in a way that the whole reading experience is comfortable for readers of all skill levels. However, the writer put emphasis on different aspects while writing this book. For example, he talked about the lifestyle of the Pathans. The Pathans are an ethnic group of eastern Iranic origin residing to the west of the Indo-Aryan ethnic groups in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent (Caroe, 1960). He described the Pathans as simple-minded people. Their tendency toward story-telling and affinity to listening to stories are mentioned in his book. He mentioned various incidents in which Pashtun people showed their hospitality toward the writer. The writer also talked about people of other tribes such as Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Aimaq, Turkmen, Baloch, Pashai, Nuristani, Kurds, Gujjar, Arab, Brahui, Qizilbash, Pamiri, Kyrgyz, and Sadat.

Syed Mujtaba Ali’s writing style is completely unbiased. He has an equal view of people of all tribal identities. There are quite a few characters that appeared in the first half of the book. An important character is Ahmed Ali who hosted the writer in his house for seven days and did not allow him to leave him despite the writer’s plea. An old Sikh driver Amar Singh Bulani appeared in his plot where his harsh lifestyle is mentioned with due importance. An unnamed Afghan officer expressed his poetic mind through the writer’s pen. The hospitality and patriotism of Abdur Rahman are highlighted in the book. Another major character who provided hospitality to the writer is Dost Muhammad. However, a wide range of aspects is discussed in the first half of the book. For example, the writer discussed the harsh weather in Afghanistan. He emphasized the harsh weather of Khyber Pass particularly. Infertility in Afghanistan is also highlighted. Another important aspect of the first part of the book is the anarchy in Afghanistan and the violation of human rights. He mentioned that even murder was not a cognizable offense at that time. The writer mentioned that the tribal leaders often clashed with one another and the general people of Afghanistan had to live through terror. The writer discussed the colonial rule of Britain and Afghanistan with due importance. Both nations were competing to exert their influence in the region and promote their individual geopolitical agendas (Basit, 2017). In the first part of the book, Afghan leader Amanullah is described as a hero. Different serious and humorous incidents appeared in turn in the first portion of the book.

The book is set in the 1920s. It is mainly a recollection of the writer’s visit to different foreign cities such as Peshawar, Jalalabad, and Kabul. The plot he described in the book is organized in a pictorial way. The events are organized in chapters. The book as a whole dealt with a wide range of topics and scenarios. Primarily, it is a travelogue. However, a lot of historical events, the internal politics of Afghanistan, the lifestyle of various tribes, etc. are also described in the book. The overall content of the book made it more than just a travelogue. I have successfully been able to immerse myself in the world of the book. The whole plot of the book is arranged in such a way that it is really easy for a reader to follow the writer. Moreover, the writer’s humorous writing style made the whole book equally enjoyable for the readers.

The book is mainly a memoir of the writer’s travel to Afghanistan. The writer described the landscape of Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan were also explained with due importance in the book. Afghan politics is an important aspect of the book. The storyline of the book followed the writer in a period of anarchy under the reign of the infamous bandit leader, Habibullah Kalakani, most commonly known as Bacha-ye Saqao. The writer entered Afghan politics by talking about the rise of King Amanullah. Ghazi Amanullah was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929 (Malik, 2011). He took over the throne of Afghanistan following a path soaked with blood. Initially, Habibullah Khan was the Badshah of Afghanistan. In order to make her son, Amanullah Khan the next Badshah, Habibullah Khan's second wife, Ulya Hazrat plotted a scheme against Habibullah Khan and assassinated him (Ali, 2015). After Habibullah’s assassination, Amanllah Khan took over the throne. Amanullah Khan is remembered for his attempts to modernize Afghanistan and implement progressive reforms, such as the introduction of a new constitution that granted equal rights to men and women, freedom of speech, and the press (Bagai, 2015). However, Amanullah Khan's attempts at reforms faced resistance from conservative elements in Afghan society, including religious leaders and tribal leaders. His efforts to modernize Afghanistan were met with opposition, and his rule became increasingly authoritarian. He faced numerous uprisings and rebellions, including the Khost rebellion and the uprising led by Habibullah Kalakani. Habibullah Kalakani, most commonly known as Bacha-ye Saqao called Amanullah Khan a kafir and started a war against him (Ali, 2015). At one point, he managed to overthrow Amanullah. At that point, Amanullah left the throne to his stepbrother Inayatullah Khan. However, at one point, Inayatullah Khan surrendered to Bacha-ye Saqao and a dark period started in the history of Afghanistan. Bacha-ye Saqao was totally against education. He shut down all kinds of educational institutions. The writer highlighted that no country acknowledged Bacha-ye Saqao as the Badshah of Afghanistan.

Already introduced characters developed their personality in the later half of the book. Dost Muhammad Khan is a major character in the book. In different parts of the book, he tried to fool the author. He expressed his weird personality gradually. However, the writer emphasized his patriotism. He even went so far as to argue with some people from France in order to defend his cultural and religious pride. He took a clear position against modernization. Another major character mentioned in the book is Abdur Rahman. Abdur Rahman reflected people’s views on the modernization of Amanullah Khan and Western culture. However, Abdur Rahman’s patriotism gained the writer’s special attention. At one point in the story, the writer informed Abdur Rahman that he was unable to pay him since he lost his job, however, Abdur Rahman refused to leave the writer’s side. He insisted that he would be satisfied if the writer only gave him two handfuls of flour every day. Abdur Rahman’s action proved his loyalty to the writer. Even when the writer was about to leave for India, Abdur Rahman wanted to go with the writer. He proved his devotion to the writer to the end. The writer ended the book by paying tribute to Abdur Rahman. Another major character introduced in the book is Mir Aslam who also echoed people’s view on Amanullah’s modernization. He described the queen as someone who went against Muslim tradition regarding clothing. He also took position against Amanullah Khan. Amanullah Khan was described with great importance in the book. He was portrayed as an eccentric ruler who attempted to modernize Afghanistan by forcefully imposing Western culture on the people of Afghanistan. His attempts were totally against the Muslim tradition. Thus, he created unrest in the country. At one point, people started revolting against him. He was eventually defeated by Bacha-ye Saqao, as I have already mentioned. There are many minor characters mentioned in the book such as Agha Ahmed, servant of Dost Muhammad Khan, Mueen-Us-Sultane or Inayatuallh Khan, elder brother of the Badshah, Amanullah Khan, Demidoff, treasurer of the Royal Embassy of Russia, Benwa, Bolshoff, British consul Sir Francis, etc.

There is no protagonist or antagonist in the plot as the book is a non-fiction type. However, one can consider the author as the protagonist since he helped the story move forward. Bacha-ye Saqao can be considered an antagonist considering that he was responsible for creating anarchy in Afghanistan. He banned education and modernization. Considering his extreme conservative views and mass terrorizing, Bacha-ye Saqao can be considered an antagonist. The writer had a positive perspective toward Abdur Rahman. He showed respect for Abdur Rahman’s hospitality. He highlighted Abdur Rahman’s loyalty toward him.

As I progressed through the book, my view of different characters changed. Sometimes my old view reached a different intensity. For example, while reading the first half of the book, I considered Dost Muhammad to be eccentric. After reading the whole book, my view became stronger. The same thing can be said about Abdur Rahman’s hospitality and patriotism. My view of him was unchanged over time. Rather my perspective on him reached a new level. In some cases, my perspective on characters totally changed. For example, I thought of King Amanullah Khan to be a hero who helped his country in the first half of the book. However, as I read through the book, my view totally changed. Now I see him as someone who led his country toward the path of destruction in his attempt to realize his personal ambition to modernize his country against the tradition and customs of the mainstream people.

The book dealt with a wide range of topics. At one point in the plot, the writer highlighted that the British did not care about evacuating Indian women during anarchy in Afghanistan. It signifies the racist mentality of the British. The writer also mentioned British consul Sir Francis’ indifference to the safety of the professors of Kabul. At one point in the flow of events, the writer revealed his human side. He expressed sadness about the bad condition of the elephant owned by Amanullah Khan after his departure. However, the writer also revealed his other human emotions from time to time. For example, he expressed his happiness when the German consul assured the writer that he will receive a scholarship from the German government. His happy mind formed many philosophical thoughts. An important aspect that the writer mentioned is the literary genius and human side of Emperor Babur. At one point in the book, the writer described the miserable condition of the Afghan people under the oppression of Habibullah Kalakani. Everybody was under the fear of being robbed by the robbers of Habibullah Khan. The writer himself was in a poor condition under the reign of Bacha-ye Saqao after losing his job. The writer recollected his terrible experience of being in a situation where he was about to be attacked by the soldiers of Bacha-ye Saqao.

The book helped me broaden my horizon of knowledge. Thus, it was an important study material for my EMB course. I learned of Afghan history in parallel to the history of Bangladesh in my EMB course. The book also helped me get a good glimpse of the internal politics of a country as well as international politics. Good knowledge of the internal and international politics of Bengal is also an important learning outcome of the EMB course. The book helped me learn about the lifestyle of the Afghan people. I learned of the culture of different tribes of Afghanistan.

I liked the way the writer described different scenarios and incidents using his sense of humor. He provided references to Greek, Roman, and Hindu mythology from time to time in order to explain various scenarios. His writing prowess helps a reader get the most out of the book. The book can provide both an educational and entertaining reading experience to the readers. I would recommend the book to everyone because it is written in simple language, is informative, and is written in a way that will help widen the outlook of the readers. The book provided me with a learning experience that will always remain fresh in my mind’s eye.

References
Ali, S. M. (2015). In a Land Far from Home. Speaking Tiger Books.
Bagai, M. U. (2015). The Three Ps In Afghanistan’s Political History.
World Affairs: The Journal of International Issues, 19(3), 102–107. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48505457
Basit, A. (2017). AFGHANISTAN.
Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, 9(1), 38–42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26351482
Caroe, O. (1960). The Pathans.
Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 108(5052), 920–939. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41368992
Malik, A. M. (2011). The modernisation process in Afghanistan – a retrospective.
Strategic Studies, 31/32, 35–43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48527637