Fun Times

Ajabde was up at dawn to do her daily puja. She was making a garland and humming a tune to herself. After many days of emotional turmoil, she was happy. Kunwar Pratap stepped into the mandir silently, making sure he didn't startle or interrupt her. He sat down beside her, the thaal of flowers between them. She stopped singing and got up.
" Kunwarsa?" She was acting displeased. "I told you I won't meet till the sagaai..."
" Ohho, Ajabde, I'm not here to meet you. For your information, this is a puja ghar. I can come here anytime I want ... To pray." He had this victorious smile on his face, teasing her.
" Kunwarsa, I know very well that is not the only reason you are here..."
" Accha?" He stared at her, forcing her to stare back at him before she looked away.
" Then tell me, Ajabde, why am I here?"
He moved towards her, scaring her a little. She moved away a few steps.
" Kunwarsa, this is a temple. And we are not engaged."
" So? I was checking that box behind you. What did you think?" He let out a chuckle. Ajabde went red and gulped. She found her way past him out of there with her lota in hand. He followed her through the corridors into the garden adjoining the arena. She was offering water to the tulsi as he stood begin her hands folded. She started moving around the Tulsi manch, and he followed suit. Irritated Ajabde tried very hard to ignore him, but a smile crept up on her face, making things easier for him. She stopped.
"Kunwarsa, what are you doing?"
" Ajabde, you saw we just took seven rounds together?" Ajabde blushed red.
" Kunwarsa, why are you doing this?"
" So that you quit your hopes of keeping me away from you for the week."
" That won't happen."
" Really? Then what are you doing here, Ajabde? With me talking to me?"
" You followed me here."
She was about to leave when Raoji interrupted.
"Kunwarsa, you won't practice today?"
" Yes, yes, Kunwarsa, go do your own work," Ajabde whispered to him with a taunting smile, sure that he would have to leave her alone now.
" You are challenging Kunwar Pratap Singh, Ajabde Punwar, you will see..." He whispered back, scaring her as Raoji approached them. Ajabde touched her father's feet.
" Saubhagyavatibhaba. Kunwarsa..."
" Raoji Ajbade is not taking her lessons seriously." Ajabde looked at him with wide eyes.
" What? Ajabde, is that so? You are not learning properly..." Before Ajabde could defend herself, Kunwar Pratap interrupted.
" No, Raoji. Since we arrived, I have not seen her practice even once. I was telling her to practice with me now, but she is so arrogant... " He smiled, knowing his job was done.
" Silence... Do as Kunwarsa says... How dare you refuse him? Go get ready and go to the arena..." Raoji was soft yet stern. Ajabde looked up, angry at a victorious Pratap.

At the arena, he was setting up dummies when he heard her payal and turned. He smiled at her eyes, which clearly showed anger.
" Come practice with the dummies."
" You know I practice everything religiously."
"Of course I do."
" Then why did you tell Daata..."
" You don't know why?"
She picked up her sword." You want to play games, Kunwarsa... Let's play."
She pointed her sword at him as he picked up his amused expression.
" Be careful, Ajabde, I don't want a broken bone by my future wife on my sagaai itself." He replied, amused. " Am so scared!'' Ignoring his taunt, she swung her sword. He defended it. Then he attacked her, sitting on his knee... She jumped up to avoid being hurt on her legs. Her payals were adding music to the duel. Their swords clashed as he still sat on one knee. He pulled at her dupatta, and it fell on his face. She let out a laugh as he freed himself from it.
" This is cheating." He said as swords clashed again. He was up on his feet, facing her.
"What?"
" Your dupatta, your payal, they make me lack concentration."
" Well, then they can help on the battlefield too..." They were moving as they spoke. Attacking and defending.
" Ajabde Baisa, everyone is not a fan of your dupatta and payal like me." She gave a smile as she pushed him against a pillar with her sword.
" Am I too strong today, or are you not paying attention, Kunwarsa?"
He answered with the sword. He whirled it up and hit her sword in such a way that it fell from her hand. She took out her knife.
" You are fighting a sword with a knife?"
"I am a Rajputani Kunwarsa ... I fight till death." She replied.
" No, Ajabde." He stopped. " I pray you never have to fight as long as I am there." His words made her stop as well, and she nodded, " I know I will never need to fight with you around. But when you fight with me, you will have to sort it out with the sword." She smiled. "Done!" He agreed.

Kunwar Shakti came into the arena and was stunned to see them there. Ajabde quickly picked up her dupatta and put it on her face.
" Bhai Shakti, come, let's have a duel."
" Really, Dadabhai? It seems like you lost to Ajabde Baisa today. I would rather fight her instead." He joked. Kunwar Pratap was in protest.
"No, no, I didn't lose. Am the one who dropped her sword."
"But she took out the knife, and you quit. So you lost. "
" Bhai... How do you know that? Where were you hiding?" Pratap scrutinised him. Ajabde walked away, embarrassed.
" Behind that pillar!" He answered as he got a pat from Pratap.
The elders were sitting at dinner discussing guest lists and dresses when Jaivanta Bai asked, " What colour dress do you want?" Addressing Ajabde. Pratap thought it was for him as both replied, " Red and green." Then looked at each other, shocked. Chakrapani and Shakti were the first to laugh at the embarrassed duo, followed by everyone, as Ajabde walked out with the excuse of bringing more food, and Pratap resumed eating. Hansa Bai looked at a happy Jaivanta Bai, who said, "See, they are like each other's shadow. A match made in heaven."

Back in Chittorgarh, Rani Dheerbai was writing an apology letter to Udai Singh, hoping to be invited back for the sagaai. She had to clean up her mess before it was too late, and Samant Putri won.

Purnota: Chapter Eleven

Bondita opened her window to find Thamma and Jyatha Moshai missing from the lawn. The chairs were empty. Was she sleeping till late? She checked the clock and shook her head. Taking the towel, she hurried towards the bathroom, countering Kalindi on the way. She was reading the newspaper with her rimless reading glasses on. “Umm… why are you here? Where is Jyatha Moshai?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly and sighed without putting the paper away. Her lack of response puzzled Bondita as she made her way to take a bath. When she came out in a pair of jeans and a shirt, rolling her sleeves up, Kalindi observed her keenly. “Will you be going somewhere?” She enquired. Bondita nodded. “Ah, yes, the District Office, some of my paperwork for the Bar Membership needs to be signed by a Gazetted Officer. Jyatha Moshai knows someone…” “Don’t go by their house… he is in a bad mood.” Kalindi placed some Chirer Polao in front of her and spoke as Bondita rubbed her wet hair with a frown. “Why?” “Oh...

Purnota: Chapter Thirteen

Aniruddha eyed Trilochon, sitting at the desk in his room, attending to some paperwork. His reading glasses were on his nose, and he appeared engrossed in a financial document. He stood at the threshold, a bit unsure and glanced over his shoulder at Somnath, Batuk and Bondita. She gestured at him to go on. Aniruddha cleared his throat. That prompted Trilochon to look away from his document at his nephew. “Jethu, if you are busy, I can come back…” He suggested unsurely. “Come in and close the door.” Trilochon glanced over Aniruddha’s shoulder at the others who walked away hurriedly. Aniruddha closed the door, and Bondita tiptoed to place her ears on it. Batuk and Somnath stood at a distance. “So you met her?” Trilochon spoke while cleaning his glasses. Aniruddha nodded. Somnath had introduced them to Ashalata. Bondita, Batuk, and he had met them in a Dhaba off the highway. Although Bondita did most of the talking, initiating a friendly gesture to put the nervous Ashalata at ease, he had...

Purnota: Chapter Twelve

Bondita woke up to the alarm clock ringing as she struggled to get her hand out of the quilt wrapped around her. She sat inside the mosquito net, rubbing her eyes and staring at the clock, trying to remember why she had set the alarm at 3.45 AM. Then her eyes shone in delight. It was Mahalaya. She remembered that during her days in Dehra, she had educated her roommate on the tradition of starting pujo with the voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra echoing through the air. She was uninterested, and Bondita had borrowed her headphones to hear the program and deeply missed home. She remembered that as a child, while her father was still alive, he would gently wake her up, and take her on his lap to the huge Banyan tree near the Panchayat where people gathered near the Pradhan’s radio, putting flower garlands and lamps around it and folding their hands as they heard Mahishashur Mardini killing the Asura. When she arrived in Kolkata to get her law degree, she thought things would be different. B...

You Deserve More

Ajabdeh woke up with the song of birds as she felt something warm on her hand. Her eyes went wide. Her hand was on the pillow in between them, between his hands, clasped as he slept. She thought of removing it slowly, but he was holding on to it so tightly. Ajabdeh's heart beat faster and faster. What do I do now? How do I not wake him? What if... why is my hand in his? She was utterly confused. " Am I...In love?" Pratap was staring at the sleeping figure on the bed as he stared back at the rain. Then he frowned as he noticed that she shivered. He closed the windows of the room to make it cosy, then sat on his side of the bed. A lamp flickered on her side like always, and he stared at her sleeping figure as he put his blanket over her as well. She shifted a little in her sleep to make herself cosy again. Her payals and bangles made a rhythmic sound, breaking the silence of the room. Her hand was out of her blanket and on the pillow in between. He tried to slowly put it ...

Purnota: Chapter Ten

The rain clouds gave way to the scorching sun the following day as Bondita woke up as the first rays of the sun hit her face and disturbed her sleep. She cursed herself for keeping the window open and sat inside the mosquito net with a sleepy yawn. She eyed the alarm clock on her desk that said 6.30. Bondita scratched her head and pulled the mosquito net up to search for her slippers. She heard the bell ringing from Thamma’s room and the chanting of mantras. A smile came involuntarily to her lips as she realised that she might have come after ages, but everything in Chandannagar seemed to have been at a standstill. She grabbed the Kurti from the chair to change from the top she was wearing and wondered what she could do for the day. For the first time in a long time, she was free from the routine of boarding houses. Her eyes fell on the mess around her room since she had not unpacked the day before. Bondita decided to spend the morning unpacking her belongings. She opened the door of h...

Dreams and Wishes

At dawn, the Bhil women took the girls to the Kalika Mata Temple and the Jal Kund. Dressed in white, a nervous Heer followed everything Ajabde knew and did, trying to explain the significance of the rituals to her. They prayed to Lord Ganesh. Kunwar Shakti and Kunwar Pratap were staying at Punja Ji's place, as they were not supposed to see the brides before the wedding. Ajabde was dressed in her mother's lehenga, a mang tika Jaivanta Bai gave her as a family heirloom and the simple nosering Pratap had gifted. They made their hair into a simple bun with wildflowers before putting on their dupatta. Heer was dressed in traditional Bhil jewellery of silver and beads that the women had gifted her. They made her wear a red and white saree draped as a lehenga and a red chunri with it. She looked like a pretty, colourful Bhil bride. Kunwar Shakti was a nervous groom dressed in a traditional bhil dhoti, kurta and cap. The bhil shawl hung from a side, making the white attire colourf...

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, ...

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...

Confrontation

Maine kahan tha saath rahunga Banunga main tera saaya Par tere saath kuch kadam bhi Main nahi chal paya Bondita got out of bed and left the room before Aniruddha woke up. She went about her chores and decided to ignore his presence until she found herself a logical explanation for her impulsive behaviour, good enough for him to forgive her mistake. She made breakfast and told the cook to note down who preferred what for when she would leave. She waited in the kitchen long enough for the breakfast to be served by the house help and eaten. His routine was fixed. He would go to the study room and leave for work in half an hour. Then, she wouldn’t have to put up with this hide-and-seek till late afternoon or evening. But things rarely go as planned in life. “Bondita? Bouma!” Trilochan’s call made her shake her head. She pulled the ghomta above her head and walked out to the dining area. Eyes met briefly as she looked away and spoke to Trilochan as if dismissing his presence altogether....

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...

RAABTA

Search This Blog