RAABTA

Ever since Kunwar Pratap was young, the idea of his coronation day kept his mother's hopes alive. But never had she imagined his coronation to go the way it did. She had received news from trusted confidantes at Kumbhalgarh, where she was staying with Kunwar Pratap's family, that Udai Singh had passed. It was a shock as Mewar was still struggling to recover from the loss of Chittorgarh. While she fulfilled the rituals of a widow, her thoughts ran to the next course of action. To get her son coronated for Mewar's future. But the next news they received while planning to leave for Gogunda shocked them further. Rani Dheer Bai, who was with the Rana in his last days, did not wait for his other sons to arrive, as she let her son Jagmal do his last rites. Worse, they did not want to wait for the coronation. In a bizzard claim she made to the counsel, accompanied by her brother as witness, she claimed the Rana's last wish was to make her son the king. Her son, who had time and...

Historically, we know nothing about Phool Bai Rathore except that she was the daughter of Ram Singh Rathore, granddaughter of Raja Maldeo Rathore and fifth wife of Maharana Pratap. There is no historical evidence of Akbar's alliance with her in particular; however, Maldeo did give his granddaughters in a marriage alliance with the Mughals and other major dynasties. Phool Kanwar's cousin Maanwati Bai (Better known as Jodha Bai or Jagat Gossain) married Salim, Akbar's son and later emperor Jahangir. The Princess was in her chambers. The Mehrgarh Fort was in a quiet, dark state, and everyone feared what lay ahead. The men of the Rathore clan had gone to ally with the Timurid emperor Akbar. Rao Maldeo had decided that it was the only way to save Marwar's future. His second son Udai and youngest one Chandrasen supported his decision to save the country. But his heir and firstborn, Ram Singh Rathore, was a rebel. He was not going to bow down before the Mughals and lose...

The procession had stopped at a clearing. The women and children needed to rest for the day. The maids and guards who had followed them into this life of difficulty and sacrifice quickly laid the tents for rest. The young crown princess, still a child, was not used to the extreme conditions of the open air and the desert sun. She was slightly feverish. In the tent, her mother put her hand on his warm forehead, worried. There were sounds of footsteps, and she grew alarmed. The tent curtains parted. Ajabdeh Punwar entered the tent she shared with Pur Bai Solankini, a little worried. She managed a smile at Pur Bai as she checked the princess's fever. She checked the medicines kept by the bed and, after a reassuring nod at Pur Bai, stepped outside the tent where an eager Amar waited for her. "Keep vigil on your sisters." She ordered the eight-year-old as a pang of pain hit her. She did not want to take away his childhood and innocence with the weight of responsibilities so so...