Surprises

Kunwar Pratap and Ajabde were at the main entrance of the Mahal. Hansa Bai came out with Jaivanta Bai, eager to see Ajabde. Hansa Bai hugged her daughter in happiness.
"How could you leave without telling me, Ajab?"
" Am sorry Maa sa... It won't happen again. I promise."
"Where is Chotima?" Pratap asked Jaivanta as Ajabde looked at him, scared. He was angry. God knows what he would say.
" She left for Chittor after a tiff with Ranaji. Kunwar Shakti is here with Chakrapani and Bhagwati."
" Bhai Shakti?"
" Ji Dadabhai... I was missing you all too much, especially Maa Sa." Sajja gave a weird smile and stopped at Shakti's glare. Her son had warned her against smiling like that.
Ajabde went to her room with her mother and hugged Ratan tight.
" Maa, so did you tell her?" Ratan's face was serious. She turned to her mother, who was fondling baby Balwant.
" No... I...."
" Tell me what?"
"Daata fixed your marriage. Apparently, the insult and your running away made him feel you'd better get out of this situation. It's another samant family..." Ajabde was stunned. She looked at her mother helplessly.
" I am sorry, but I tried to reason with him." Hansa Bai explained.

"What?? Marriage?" Pratap was stunned as Jaivanta broke the news. She also informed him that the groom's family would fix the dates that day only.

Ajabde stood on the roof, sad and unmindful as he walked in. She didn't turn towards him.
"Ajabde..."
"There is nothing left to talk of Kunwarsa. Please leave."
"I'm not leaving, and you know that very well." He was visibly angry. " Whoever this person is, I will talk him out of marrying you."
" No..."
"No??"
" You know my Daata had received enough insults for me. Not anymore." Her determination stunned him as he walked away angrily, saying, " Fine... Be unhappy!"
She wiped away a silent tear...

That evening, Hansa Bai and Jaivanta Bai were dressing up Ajabde in her best lehenga. Bhagwati and Sajja were helping.
" She looks pretty," Ratan concluded.
" She is so lucky to get such a good proposal, Jaivanta," Hansa told her friend in happiness.
" No, Hansa. He is lucky to have her." Their words were not registering in her brain as she remembered she wore this same lehenga at Bhagwati's wedding, and he had loved her so much. Those stealing glances always caught her eye. Those will remain in her memories forever.

Pratap was pacing in his room when Chakrapani walked in with an attire. "Ranaji, send this ... Wear it and come to the hall... Ajabde's marriage..."
" Get out, Chakrapani. I'm not going anywhere." Pratap scared off Chakrapani.
"Dadabhai Daajiraj is calling you." Shakti stepped in. Pratap looked up at his brother.
" What is wrong with everyone?'' he asked angrily.
'' I said I'm not going there." Jaivanta walked in, asking Shakti to leave. He gave a smile and walked away.
" Pratap..."
" No Ranima... I can't see Ajabde marry a stranger."
" Who said she is marrying a stranger?"
" What do u mean?"
" We all know him. He is a perfect match for her."
" Know him? Who is he?" Pratap was stunned to see Ranima praise his competitor.
" There ... That's him." Jaivanta smiled, pointing to the mirror.
" Where... I can't..." Realisation dawned as he looked at Ranima, stunned.
" Are you serious? But how?" A delighted Jaivanta bai told him what happened after he had left. Pratap hugged his mother in joy.
" Does she know?"
"Not yet... Dress up now... Let's give her the surprise of her life..."

Ajabde walked in with her mother. Her face was hidden in the dupatta. There was a priest there looking at her Kundli. Kunwar Pratap came in, stared at her and smiled. She looked away, thinking... Where were the guests?

" Baisa has a very good kundli. There is no problem I she gets married soon." Everyone was smiling, including Pratap. His smile scared her.
" Kunwarsa's kundli, please Maharanisa..."
" Surely Panditji, after all, marriage is for two people."
Ranima's words stunned Ajabde as Ratan whispered to her... " surprise"
She still couldn't believe how and when, as he smiled at her.
" Next week will be perfect for the Sagaai."
Everyone was happy. They took the elder's blessings and hugged their friends and siblings. She was in her room with the queens and her mother, who were happy that their surprise plan worked.
Kunwar Pratap was about to walk in when he hid himself, noticing the elders there. She saw his reflection in the mirror. With a hand gesture, he told her to come out, and she nodded no. They didn't realise the elders were smiling.
" Kunwarsa, you?''
Sajja Bai stunned Pratap.
" Ha woh... I came to talk to Ranima." They all laughed.
" In Ajabde's room?" She blushed.

They left in silence as Ajabde blushed red.
" Why are you here?"
" I..."
"You knew everything, didn't you?" She pointed her finger at him.
" What? No..!"
" Then why were you smiling?"
"Ohh, I knew then..."
"And you didn't bother to tell me..."
"When could I..."
" I was so worried, so scared... I..."
"Hush,, He put his finger on her lips to stop her and removed me, amused at her.
" I am not talking to you till Sagaai."
" Aree..."
"No... Subhratri!" She turned away. He smiled and walked away, saying, " I will see how you don't meet or talk!"

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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