Sleepless

Kunwar Pratap woke up when it was still dark. He opened his eyes in the dimly lit room and could see her calm, contented face in the darkness, in deep sleep. Known to be a fighter, he had no idea how or when he developed these weird feelings. His Guruji had always taught him to be emotionless. Fighters don't have emotions. He was reminded again and again, and yet, this time around, unsure of what was in store at Bhilwara, he was... scared? He shook off the feeling. Yes, tonight was about his promise to himself to make her his wife. Tonight, he had explored his feelings and hers like never before. But, in the back of his mind, even as he watched her sleep, he could not shake off the thought. I have to leave her alone here. What if.... last time there were Ratan, Balwant and Padma, but this time she is alone... He touched her cheeks with his fingers with a smile as she leaned toward his touch, even in her sleep.

Ajabdeh woke up with the first light of dawn. She had a lot of work to do before he left. She was about to get out of bed when she saw his hand holding hers. A shy smile curved her lips as she carefully freed her hand and was about to walk away when she felt a tug at her dupatta. Ajabde stopped wide-eyed and softly spoke up, " Kunwar Pratap... I..." She turned around to see her dupatta stuck under his sleeping figure. She pulled at it in vain and decided to leave it there.

Mharo Pranam Banke Bihari Ji

Mor Mukut Madhyan Tilak Birajya

Kundal Alkakori Ji

Adhar Madhur Dhar Bansi Bajawa

Kunwar Pratap woke up to the sweet voice as he sat up on the bed and spotted his things all ready to be packed, including all his clothes, arms and amenities. He smiled, knowing she did all that by herself, without being asked for; that is what Ajabdeh was all about. He got ready to leave as she came up with the aarti thal. Eyes smiled at each other, hiding the fears within.

" Your things are ready to..."

" I can see that." He spoke up as she was about to leave. " Ajabdeh." She stopped and turned back after keeping her thaal on the table.

" Ji?"

" Promise me." He held her hands. " You will take care of everyone as well as yourself."

"Only if you promise me to be safe first." She smiled as he nodded.

Maharani Jaivanta Bai was at the entrance to see off Kunwar Pratap.

" I will be back in a day or two. If things go well..." He told his mother as worry swept across his face.

" Everything will be alright." Ranima smiled at him and stared back at Ajabde. " It has to be when people pray for you day and night." Kunwar Pratap smiled a proud smile at Ajabde, who looked away.

" Chalte hai." She nodded softly as Ranima approved. He walked up to Sarang and turned back to see her standing there with a smile. He left as she watched.

" Baojiraj, I think we should call Bhil Sardar for a talk before deciding anything." Rawat Chundawat suggested as he entered the tent.

" Yes, Rawat Ji, I want to talk to him about their grievances first thing in the morning." Rawatji left with the task of finding the Bhils in the forest. Kunwar Pratap sat alone in his camp as he unpacked some things from the trunk. His eyes stopped at a wrapped thing. He unwrapped it, and it was her Ramayana. A smile curved his lips. She sent a part of her in his trunk. Did she not know he carried a part of her in his heart? He sat down with the book under the lamp.

" Today we are making our favourite dishes." Sajja Bai smiled excitedly as Ajabde entered the Paak shala. " You want to make something, Kunwaranisa?"

" Yes, Bhabisa, make kheer please." Maan pleaded. Ajabde smiled in approval as Dheer bai entered the Paakshala.

Ajabde was busy making the kheer when she didn't put cashew nuts and Kesar as per the Raj traditions in the kheer. She was about to serve Maan when Dheer Bai interrupted.

" What are you doing?" She stopped a scared Ajabde.

" Giving Rajkumarisa Kheer...."

" No, where are the nuts and Kesar? Will my Maan eat what the villagers of Mewar eat? Have you forgotten you are not the Samantputri anymore?"

Her words struck Ajabdeh like an arrow, yet she remembered she had promised him to take care of everything.

She smiled a polite smile, saying, " Rajkumarisa doesn't like nuts, so I thought... I will add them, Chotima." She gave the Katori to Maan, adding, "Never disrespect the food we eat, Rajkumarisa, no matter how simple it is. We never know what it's worth until we starve due to a lack of food, like millions of others."

Maan nodded impressively as Dheer Bai fumed, Sajja Bai praised Ajabdeh, saying, " You are absolutely right, Kunwaranisa. We must always be grateful for what we have because we never know when we will lose it all." Dheerbai left disturbed.

" Kunwaranisa." Ajabde walked out of the Puja Ghar at the call, delighted to see Majhli Maasa.

" Ji?"

" Come, read the Ramayana to me today." Ajabde happily followed Sajja Bai to her room.

" And she stayed a decade, bringing up Labh and Kush, aware that he missed her presence. That he chose to be the King rather than the husband."

" Sita was strong enough to live her life without his help. It was Ram who needed her more." Kunwar Pratap read aloud in silence as the lamp flickered. He stopped and looked at the light flickering in the lamp, lost in thought. He missed her explanations. He missed her presence.

Ajabdeh walked into the room after dinner with a sigh. She didn't need to wait today, but something told her she would be sleepless tonight as she lay staring at his empty place on her right. He walked up to the empty papers in a roll and sat down to pen down his thoughts. Not a soul knew that the valiant warrior Kunwar Pratap Singh was a poet at heart.

Gentle like a petal,

Pure like a conch
She touches every heart with Kindness,
She is elegant and full of grace.

He smiled at his own silliness and kept aside the paper, neatly in his trunk. Miles apart, two souls waited to be united, as the moon and stars witnessed their sleepless night.

His Wife

" Where is the Kesar, Rama? And the Kalash?" Ajabdeh looked visibly displeased at the ladies who ran around. " They are at the fort gates, and nothing is ready yet!" She exclaimed. She was clad in a red lehenga and the jewellery she had inherited as the first Kunwarani of the crown prince. Little Amar ran down the hallway towards his mother. " Maasa Maasa... who is coming with Daajiraj?" His innocent question made her heart sink. " Bhanwar Ji." Sajja Bai called out to him. " Come here, I will tell you." Amar rushed to his Majhli Dadisa. " Ajabdeh." She turned at Jaivanta Bai's call. "They are here." " M... My Aarti thali..." Ajabde looked lost like never before. Jaivanta Bai held her stone-cold hands, making her stop. She patted her head and gave her a hug. The hug gave her the comfort she was looking for as her racing heart calmed down. Jaivanta Bai left her alone with her thaal. " Maa sa!" A...

Queen of the Heart

Kunwar Pratap was in the Dangal Sthal practising his moves. Ajabdeh decided it was fair to know his strength before she summoned him. Sword in hand, in a white female warrior attire with only her face visible, she hid behind one of the large watchtowers of the Dangal, watching him move. She heard Rawatji say, "Your left hand is still weaker than the right one with the moves. Both should be perfect." A smile curved her lips. Knowing an opponent's weakness always helps, which is one rule of war she always remembered. Kunwar Pratap swung his sword with his left hand and turned around. He could sense someone watching; his sixth sense was never wrong. He looked around. Ajabdeh again peeped at the grounds to see that it was empty. He had left. She walked towards the empty ground, sword in hand. Suddenly, the cold blade of a sword was felt on her neck. She stopped still. " So someone was spying on me." His voice had a hint of taunt. " No, I was ... walking by......

Begum Sahib: An Introduction and chronology

Note to the readers: Women behind men in history fascinate me. I had been reading about the mothers and wives who changed men’s fortunes. But what about daughters and sisters? A few months back, I was looking for books on Mughal Ladies, mainly Noor Jahan and her work. In the bibliography credits, I had chanced upon “The Life of A Mogul Princess” By Jahanara Begum, the daughter of Shah Jahan. I had no idea about the book and thought it was another autobiography. Previously, I had read only about how she was imprisoned along with her father at Agra, and her involvement with Dara Shikoh, her younger brother, in connecting the two realms of Hinduism and Islamism and the establishment of Sufism. All of these and the chronological events of history can be found in various books. As I read each page of her diary, cross-checking each point with Jagunath Sircar’s “History of Aurangzib” and R.C. Majumder’s “Mughal Empire” as well as numerous other sources on the Mughal Harem, I discovered ...

Happy Ending

Dheer had a sleepless night. Yes, she had killed the Maharani, but to seek revenge for her son. Jagmal was all she had for a dream, and Rana Pratap's first decision was to banish him. He had never been that tough with his other brothers, who went with Akbar, so why him? Just because he wanted to be a king? Just because they brought a false letter and bought a few witnesses? Her son died in Ajmer, so young. And she had always blamed Ajabdeh Punwar for Rana's hard decision. After all, ever since she came as a support for Jaivanta Bai, she had been like his shield, even though creating misunderstandings didn't help Dheer Bai Bhatiyani. Ajabdeh had done the impossible, showing him the real face of his Chotima. What bothered Dheer now was whether he remembered anything, and most importantly, if she did. Dheer had turned pale at the song and smile Pratap gave, but if he knew she had killed Ajabdeh, it meant Survi remembered her walking to a dying Ajabdeh and confessing that she...

To Protect You

Kunwar Pratap was in the court with Rana Udai Singh. The Mughals were conquering a huge part of the north courtesy of Bairam Khan and Mewar on their routes to the ports of Surat. " Daajiraj, we need to secure the roads leading to Agra and also towards the west. The attack-prone areas should always be under surveillance." " Yes, Ranaji. Baojiraj is right." Rawatji agreed. In the Rani Mahal, everyone was preparing for a grand lunch. Ajabdeh was making a drink for the princes and princesses, and in a hurry, she forgot to add the Kesar and Badam on top. As she served the smaller princes, including Kunwar Jagmal, Dheerbai came to inspect her eldest son's food. " What is this? Who made this? Kokoiaji?" She stormed to the kitchen with a bowl of sweet dishes. " Kunwaranisa did." Came a scary answer, from Veer Bai. " Ajabdeh Baisa." Her words let out a silent gasp from the lesser queens who stood witness. Calm and composed, Ajabdeh walke...

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...

Scheme of Things

The ousting of Shams Khan and his troops from Chittorgarh earned Kunwar Partap Singh overnight fame across the land as tales of his bravery made their way through the dunes and hills, across rivers and borders to lands far and beyond. At thirteen, he had commanded an army troop to take over the fort of Chittorgarh and restore Mewar’s borders to their former glory. People started comparing him to his forefathers, the great Rana Kumbha, who built forts across Mewar and his grandfather, Rana Sanga, who had united all Rajputs against external threats. As bards sang praises of the prince, gossip soon followed. Gossip was the most entertaining one could get in the mundane city lives and village gatherings, and it often travelled faster than the fastest Marwadi horse. So alongside the tales of his absolute bravery and how he hoisted the Mewari flag on the fort, were the stories of how his life was in danger, the king and queen did not quite get along and how he was made to live in poverty by ...

Begum Sahib: Forbidden Love

2nd June 1634, Burhanpur. " My heart is an endowment of my beloved, the devotee and lover of his sacred shrine, a soul that enchants mine." The Raja of Bundi had arrived at Burhanpur after a win in the war of Paranda. He had met the crown prince Dara and was honoured with a sword and elephant before he came to pay his respect to the Padishah Begum as per the norms of the court. Jahanara was writing in her room. Her maid came with the news, “Begum Sahib, the Raja of Bundi has arrived at court; he is at the Bagh to pay you his respect.” “Tell him to sit in the courtyard of my bagh, I will be there.” She had risen from her place, covered her face in the veil of her dupatta and walked to the place where he waited. “ Begum Sahib," he had acknowledged her presence with a salutation. She returned the bow with a nod. She was sitting inside the arch while he was on the other side of the Purdah, the sun shining over his head as he took his seat on the velvet carpet th...

PI Ved: The Miniature of Kalimpong

There are some things you must do when you are spending an extended weekend in the mountains in India. Take a long coat along for good pictures, have some Wai Wai Noodles and Momos, and wait for the fog to clear for a view of the mighty Himalayas. After a hearty meal of pork momos and Darjeeling First Flush tea, I walked out of Gompu’s Bar and Restaurant near the clock tower in Kalimpong’s main market area. The weather was slightly rainy, so my parents decided to return to the hotel while I walked down the busy road on the other side through the market. Tourists like me were flocking around the souvenir shops and departmental stores selling shawls and caps. I lazily checked out a few Jap Jantra and magnets, deciding to come back later. One could easily distinguish between tourists and locals simply by how they dress anywhere in the world. The locals treated this as summer weather in Kalimpong and walked around in half-sleeved shirts and loose pants, while the tourists found it hard not...

The Legend of Maharana Pratap: An Introduction

Itihas ke Har Panne Ki Ek Bohot Bada Uddesh Hota Hai Jo Aap Aur Main Kabhi Samajh Nahi Paate. Shayad, Meera Bai Ki Bhakti Ki Panna Dhai Ke Sahas Ki Chittor ki Jauhar ke askon ki Ek Bohot Bada Uddesh Tha. Ek Pratap Ka Charo Or Phelne Ki Mewar Ke Suraj ki Roshni Ki. Mewar, a land in Rajputana, is nestled between the serene Aravallis. With its beautiful lakes and forestland, the yellow soil that witnessed warfare, and the mighty temples that stood as a testament to the Bhajans of Meera Bai, its history and folktales reflect stories of bravery, rebellion, and loyalty. Rana Sanga, the most famous of rulers who sat on the throne of Mewar, died unexpectedly, leaving Mewar in a state of uncertainty. Here is where this story begins. The year was 1535 CE, and Mewar's capital, Chittorgarh, stood invincible on the plateau surrounded by the Aravallis. The danger that loomed large after the king's demise was to the throne. Ratan Singh, the king's secondborn, was coronated rather quickly...

RAABTA

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