Engaged to Love

At dawn, Ajab de was singing her favourite Bhajan to the Lord when Hansa Bai came and sat with her. The palace was decorated well for the Sagaai, and Hansa Bai's eyes teared up at the thought of losing her favourite daughter.

" What's wrong, Maa Saa?"
" Nothing, Ajabde. I was thinking it's only a matter of time before you go to Chittor and I will never hear you sing again." She sobbed as Ajabde hugged her.
" I will come back to visit you, Maa sa...."
" Only in Pak Fera and on occasions, and when you have children. That's the rule of the Royal Family, you cannot come here when you want. "
" She is my daughter, Hansa, and if she wants to meet you, I can assure you that no rule will stop her. "Jaivanta Bai interrupted the mother-daughter moment with a smile.
" I know, Jaivanta, I will not worry about her because I know you will be there."
" Hansa, Yu should not worry as long as Kunwar Pratap is there for her." His name made Ajabde blush as she walked past them and to her room.

Ratan was busy with a hundred options for her Jija's Sagaai. Not every commoner married the crown prince. She had to do something special. Hansa Bai made Ajabde sit down and applied Chandan on her to make her already glowing face glow more. Jaivanta Bai came in worried.
" Ranaji has called Dheerbai; she is arriving at the Sagaai soon." Everyone's faces were gloomy when Ajabde smiled, "Of course, Choti Maa has to come to bless her favourite son." Her smile and confidence made Jaivanta less worried.

As they got Ajabde ready in her crimson red chunri and green lehenga, Sajja Bai decided to do a Nazar Uthran of Mewar's Kuwarani.
" I think we need to save Ajabde from Kunwarsa's eyes only. She is looking so beautiful, he will only stare at her." Sajja Bai's comment made everyone laugh, and Ajabde blushed red.

In a room at the far end of the corridor, Kunwar Pratap was wearing his turban, helped by Chakrapani.
" You are making him wear the turban, Chakrapani. Look at the smile he is wearing today. "
Kunwar Shakti chuckled as Kunwar Pratap stopped smiling and looked at him sternly.
"You are next, Bhai Shati, we will see what you do!"
" True, Kunwarsa, the first time I am seeing a man so happy to get married. " Chakrapani joined in.
" Aree... stop talking, you two, and help me get ready, I'm late." Pratap tried to ignore their glances as Veni and Bheem laughed.
" So Kunwar Pratap is so eager for the Saagai." Everyone was shocked as Udai Singh joined the group. Pratap was stunned.
" Daajiraaj, you also!" He replied, shocked.
" Come, Kunwarsa, I need to talk to you." Everyone else left immediately.
" Kunwar Pratap, you are soon going to start a new life, and I want to tell you something really important today.... " Pratap waited in silence.
" I have seen that in many ways, Ajabde is like your Ranima. Her ideals, morals, and self-respect are all like Jaivanta Bai ji. I had always tried to understand her in vain; I know I displeased her a lot. I was married to her when I was your age, and since then, the only happiness we shared was you. " Pratap was stunned at his father's words. Everything he said was known, but he never expected his father to actually say those.
" Always keep Ajabde pleased and give her priority among all your alliances. I failed your Ranimaa. But I know you are more like her than me. And Pratap, I am sorry, as a father, I didn't listen to you first; no one could be better than Ajabde for you." Kunwar Pratap hugged his father with a smile. See, Ajabde, what you have done, you made Rana Udai Singh speak out to me....

Jaivanta Bai was shocked to see Rana Udai Singh share a smile and a hug with her son. She smiled, pleased as she broke the father-son moment, saying, " Come, Pratap, the Panditji is calling you to the hall. " Udai Singh nodded in approval as Pratap went out with Ranima. As Udai Singh sat lost in his thoughts, a guard came in and announced, "Rani Dheerbai is here, Ranaji."

Ajabde sat in her room, her hands going cold in nervousness. The guests had arrived mainly from her family, the Chittor and Jalore Royal Family, Jaivanta Bai's homeland. Bhago and Ratan came running in to inform, " Kunwarsa is at the hall and he looks so handsome." Sajja Bai smiled at Ajabde, who was blushing.
" He is handsome as always, he's my Dadabhai after all!" The voice made them turn as a beautiful girl, almost Ajabde's age, entered with Jaivanta Bai. Her lehenga and jewellery indicated she was a royal.
" Ajabde, this is Heer Kanwar, Pratap's cousin from Jalore."
" Bhabisaa!" She hugged a taken-aback Ajabde. Ajabde remembered Pratap talking of Heer to her once.
" Aree, let the vivah happen, then call her Bhabisa." Sajja laughed. Heer touched her feet.
" I have heard of you from Dadabhai, too." She gushed.

Kunwar Shakti was at the door.
" Panditji has called for Bhabisa." He said to his mother as his eyes fell on the stunning beauty beside her.
" Shakti, this is Rajkumari Heer Kanwar of Jalore."
" Kunwar Shakti Khamma Gani."
"Gani Khamma." Ajabde noticed a familiar smile on Shakti's face, a smile that could be genetic, she thought as she looked at Heer blushing. A smile curved Ajabde's face. Dheerbai entered the room, " I will take Mewar's future Kuwarani to the hall. "
"Of course, Dheerbai ji, since you are so happy with this sagaai." Jaivanta Bai's taunt made Hansa and Sajja smile at each other. Ignoring them, Dheerbai held Ajabde's stone-cold hands.
"Are you nervous already? What will happen when you have to welcome more wives of his with a smile, Ajabde?" Dheerbai whispered. Ajabde smiled. " It's just jitters, Chotima." Dheerbai was not impressed.

At the hall, amidst the mantras and the crowd chatter, he heard her Payals... and looked up. Her face hidden in a dupatta, she made her way to the hall, and a smile curved his face. He saw Dheerbai lead her and was a little bothered as he looked at his mother, who gave him an assuring nod. A bail of water was kept between them as the Panditji instructed them to unveil her dupatta. Dheerbai stepped forward to do the honours, and her nervous face was unveiled as he looked at her reflection on the water. Then he looked into her scared eyes directly with a smile. His smile paced down her heartbeats, and she smiled back. Mantras were said, pujas were performed. Jaivanta Bai blessed Ajabde with traditional jewellery and clothes, and Raoji blessed Pratap with a sword and turban. After the puja, the cousins and friends decided to have some fun. They took the newly engaged couple to the room.

Kunwar Shakti was confused. He didn't know why he couldn't take his eyes off Heer throughout the ceremony and even in the halls. Her smile made him smile, and her voice made him skip a beat. What's happening to me?

Kunwar Pratap was waiting for a moment with Ajabde in private, but they were always surrounded by people.
Ratan and Heer were teasing Pratap, saying, "You should gift her something."
Not being able to scold his sister, Pratap asked Ajabde, "What do you want?" as the others laughed.
" A promise."
" Promise?"
" Yes, Mewar will always be independent, promise me," came a soft reply, stunning everyone. He smiled with pride, " I promise you, Ajabde, as long as I live, Mewar will be independent."
Heer frowned. " What is this, Bhabisa? You had the opportunity to ask for anything!"
Shakti smiled, " She is Dadabhai's reflection!"
Heer looked at him with a smile that stopped his world as Ajabde looked at the duo and then at Pratap, who was looking at Chakrapani helping Bhagwati with the flower on her hair.

That night, Ajabde stood on her balcony, looking at the rain, lost in thought. After a few more days at her home, the thought made her sad. A creak of the door made her turn as she looked at Pratap walk in, looking back to check if someone saw him.
" You?"
" Ajabde..."
" We need to talk." Their voices together stunned each other.
" You first", She replied.

" I don't know why Chotima is here, but I am sure she will trouble you." He sounded worried. " I ..."
" Don't worry about me, Kunwarsa, I will not make the same mistakes again. " She assured him as he held her hand.
"Now my turn!" She was excited.
" Say... what's the news...."
" Kunwar Shakti... did you notice him at the ceremonies?"He was lost.
"Did you see Heer Kanwar Baisa?"
" Behena? Ajabde, you are confusing me."
" I think Kunwar Shakti likes her!" Her smile was cut short by his laughter.
"Bhai Shakti? He is never interested in girls!"
" Were you always interested in girls?" Her question shocked him.
" No... I...."
" I don't know how you did not notice him at the ceremony. He has your smile...."
"I didn't know you were busy noticing them when all your attention should have been towards me. " He stepped towards her with a teasing smile. " And now, the sagaai is also done, you know!" She skipped a heartbeat.
" Kunwarsa!"
He stepped forward and unveiled her dupatta. Then her scared eyes made him smile as he stepped back and said, " Subhratri." He left his bride smiling as he dashed to his room.

Purnota: Chapter Sixteen

It had been a month since Bondita had started working in the firm. With Somnath’s wedding date being set for winter, many things were keeping Trilochon and Kalindi busy as they took charge of the smooth running of things leading up to the wedding. They needed to shop for everyone, buy gifts and choose jewellery and sarees for the bride. Despite his attempts, Trilochon found Binoy reluctant to participate in his son’s wedding arrangements. Somnath took him and Kalindi to places they wanted to go, especially Kolkata for shopping, and Trilochon made arrangements to make sure that the first wedding of the generation was grand enough. Bondita tried to help as much as she could as she noticed Aniruddha being oddly aloof from the entire thing. She assumed it was due to Trilochon’s reactions to his lack of interest in marriage. Trilochon kept pestering her to enquire into his reasons while she kept stalling him with excuses. Bondita also failed to know more about Kalindi and Trilochon’s past, ...

My Everything

Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda amidst uncertainty and chaos. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rawat Chundawat, and some other chieftains stopped the ongoing Raj Tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhatiyani hadn't expected Kunwar Pratap to show up, that too, despite her conveying to him his father's last wish of crowning Kunwar Jagmal. Twenty-one days after Udai Singh's death, she was finally close to a dream she had dared to dream since Jagmal was born. He was not informed about the Raj Tilak as per Dheerbai's instructions. She eyed Rawat Ji. He must have assembled the chiefs to this revolt against her son, against the dead king. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family. " What are you doing, Chotima?" A disappointed voice was directed at her. She could stoop down so low? For the first time, an anger...

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

Purnota: Chapter Seventeen

Bondita opened the curtains of her room at The Park to find the view of Stephen Court and the street below going towards the Maidan. She eyed the double bed and placed her things on one side while lying down on the empty side. The soft bed made her yawn as she sat up, staring at the clock. She needed to change for a quick dinner. They had an early matter at the High Court, and the client’s car was supposed to pick them up around 9 AM. As she changed into a full-sleeve black top and jeans, removed her earrings and adjusted her smudged Kajal, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find Aniruddha standing in a pair of jeans and a grey polo-necked T-shirt, his hair brushed back, as he cleaned his thin-rimmed glasses with the edge of his T-shirt. “Are you ready for dinner?” He asked, putting the glasses back on. As she nodded, she grabbed her handbag. They walked into The Bridge, and Bondita was a little conscious of her environment. Many foreign guests, businessmen and even s...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty One

The morning after the Chief Minister of the state attended the reception party, Binoy wrapped the newspaper that had just arrived at their threshold, eyeing the picture of him and Trilochon with the chief minister smiling proudly, made a mental note of framing it for his office in Siliguri and stepped out to see the car waiting for him in the entrance to take him to the station. He glanced over his shoulder at the house, still asleep and watched Bihari put his luggage in the back seat. Bihari had been with the Roy Chowdhury House since he was a teenager. He eyed Binoy as he lit his pipe and straightened his jacket when Bihari approached him. “Boro Saheb, should I inform Kotta Moshai once?” Binoy eyed Bihari with a disapproving glance. “If I wanted to tell him, I would have done so myself, Bihari. Where is the driver?” He checked his watch. Bihari sighed as he ran to check on the driver. Bondita stopped on the gravelled path leading from the entrance to the main gate as she watched...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Two

The winter morning was pleasant, especially when the sunshine hit the dewy grass on the lawn, and Bihari set down the porcelain cups for Trilochon and Kalindi to start their day. Kalindi had just taken up some orders to knit sweaters and mittens for some of the neighbourhood kids as she wrapped the thick brown shawl tightly around herself, on the chilly morning as she sat down on the lawn chair with her needles, pin and colourful balls of wool, as she knit a pair of mittens while waiting for Trilochon to join her. Bondita hurried out of their place and stopped at the sight of her sitting alone, unsurely. “Do you need something?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly from the wool and asked as she shook her head. “I was hoping to talk to Jyatha Moshai…” She shivered a little as Kalindi scolded her to find a sweater first. She rushed indoors as Kalindi spotted Trilochon in a thermal t-shirt, a pair of pants and a shawl walking towards her with the cane in hand. He stopped as he watched her kni...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty

Trilochon’s only desire for Som’s wedding was for it to be so grand that the entire Chandannagar remembered it for the longest time. He had also invited the leaders of the opposition, ministers and even the CM, and if rumours were to be believed, he would accept the invitation. That meant trying to impress him for a ticket to the next Lok Sabha elections. He knew the only way to do so was also to showcase Som as a prodigy. Their family name was enough to earn votes for the party in the area. “Perhaps you could tell him about Somnath Babu’s involvement in some of the projects here. Like the slum area where water was flooding the pathways…” Poritosh had suggested. “But it was done by…” Bapi Da had stopped as Trilochon shook his head, “How does it matter who did it? What matters is that we say Som did it.” They agreed. “Jyatha Moshai.” Bondita walked into his room, not expecting the elderly men from the Party office to be there. “ Bolo, Maa. ” “The Gaye Holud is here.” She smiled. “How a...

Purnota: Chapter Fifteen

A week was all it took for Bondita to get used to work and the new routine. She would wake up early and hurry through her chores, helping Kalindi prepare a tiffin of either Chirer Polao or bread jam and then proceeding to the Roy Chowdhury house. She would arrange the day’s paperwork before Aniruddha arrived at the study room. Occasionally, she would hear him call out to Koeli for breakfast and pack her things, knowing he was almost ready to leave. He would walk into the chamber, check his list, and they would go to work. She would follow him from courtroom to courtroom. She would be sitting in the audience and learning. She would follow him to conferences and client meetings and take notes. They would discuss complicated cases. She would share the tiffin she brought from home. He would at first take a reluctant bite, then eat more than her. She often gave him her share of food discreetly. They usually stayed back after everyone was gone and ordered food for dinner. Some days, he woul...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Three

“So the question is, do the slum dwellers get their dues to relocate, or do they protest on the road, grabbing media attention? If one of them mentions the sewage project where all this started, we can’t guarantee not dragging certain names then. It will be beyond our control.” Bondita breathed in as she eyed everyone at the table. The conference hall of ARC & Associates had an oval table with a whiteboard, projector and podium and sitting around the table were a stenographer, Bondita’s secondary attorney, Debashish Ghosal, the contractor and his attorney Biswas, the representative of the NGO with the Union leader of the slum, Trilochon, Somnath and Aniruddha. The people of the NGO appreciated her strategy with a nod. Ghoshal looked perplexed as his lawyer whispered something in his ear. Somnath did not look up from the table as Aniruddha passed a note to Trilochon in writing. “Now the decision is yours.” Bondita continued. “We are keen on out-of-court settlement if our basic ...

Purnota: Chapter Nineteen

“Wake up, wake up!” Bondita smiled, amused at Aniruddha and Batuk sleeping on his bed, hugging each other like children. She removed the curtains, and the room was flooded in daylight. “Urgh.” Batuk stirred as Aniruddha sat up. “What is wrong with you?” Batuk threw the pillow Bondita caught before it hit the floor. Her wet hair shone in the sunlight, with droplets of water lingering on its tips as she adjusted her well-pleated orange saree with a blue border and opened the window. A gust of cold breeze blew in from the Ganges, prompting Batuk to pull his blanket over his face. “Let me sleep, Daini !” He murmured. “Is it not enough that you all gave away my room to guests?” Aniruddha was stretching and yawning as Bondita chuckled, amused, pulling her wet hair to the side of her shoulder. “Why are you dressed up?” Aniruddha asked, suppressing a yawn. “Oh, you should be, too. Jyatha Moshai said We are going to Kalighat.” She raised her brows, amused. “Oh shit,” Aniruddha murmured, hitting...

RAABTA

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