RAABTA

The war was over, and so were the hopes of regaining Chittor. The Battle at Haldighati had robbed the Rana of all his wealth, and brave men, and bruised him for life. Trying to match up to Akbar's chief of arms, Raja Man Singh's army, with one-third its strength had cost dearly. He had lost his friend and companion in the loyal steed that had saved his life. He had brushed past death so nearly for the first time in a lifetime of battles. He had almost given up hope when Bhahma Shah came by like a god-sent messenger to help him. It took him a lot of strength to accept that he was helpless and had to ask for financial aid. It took more strength to assemble a troop once again and reach the battlefield of Dewair. It was eerily near Haldighati, and the Timurids seemed to be more prepared with their guerrilla tactics this time. He had to make sure they were introduced to newer techniques to surprise them. The only good thing that this war ensured was that Akbar accepted that he could...

Rana Pratap rose to prominence as the new hope for Mewar after his coronation on Holi, 1st March, 1572. His subjects and chiefs had a lot of faith in his ability to remove the Timurid influence from Rajputana. In the year 1573, in February, June and November, Raja Man Singh, his father Bhagwan Das and Todal Mal came to persuade the Rana on alliances respectively. Although he received the fellow Rajputs cordially, their purpose remained unsolved. These frequent visits to his court from alliances of Akbar made Gogunda vulnerable as a capital. He decided to move to a small village at Girwa, about 8 miles from Haldighati. Not being able to reach him anymore, Akbar's chieftains were forced to prepare for war against the Rana. Under the leadership of Man Singh, Akbar's army reached Haldighati, the chosen battlefield on the banks of the Banas River. The brave Rajputs, having only half the army's strength, fought bravely, and an injured Rana was taken to safety by his favourite ...

This folklore is taken from the original story narrated by James Todd in his semi-historical account of Annals and Antiquities of Mewar, where he describes a harsh punishment from Maharana Pratap to a farmer ploughing his fields, who was ordered to scorch it. Scorched earth techniques were used by the Bhils in guerrilla warfare against enemies to prevent them from getting rations and looting crops. However, James Todd’s intention in writing this incident of execution was to show the side of a ruler who would go to any means to save his honour. However, my take on this incident, a folklore nonetheless, if true at all, is that sometimes citizens become spoils of war. It is unavoidable for any state or country, even today, to save and ensure security for all citizens of a warzone. While Todd portrays Maharana Pratap as unremorsefully cruel to a subject for disobeying him, my version is about the other side of the story.  The forests were thick, and nearby, a stream meandered silently....