Cold war

The wedding preparations were in full swing. Survi's relatives and friends were surprised. A career-minded girl like her marrying this early was not something they expected. Jaivanta explained that it was a proposal too good to refuse. The wedding party was a small one of a hundred and eight people. They were all close friends and some relatives. As they got busy with weddings, they didn't get much time. Survi realised that with each dream, her past was clearer than her present. She was a happy bride. Pratap was tense. He remembered the past and dreaded losing her again. He kept an eye on her, making people feel he was a possessive groom in love. They teased Survi as she blushed. But he didn't mind any tag just to make sure she was safe. The wedding was going to be a low-key affair, or so she thought. She always liked things to be simple, but they always got complicated.

Hansa was happy that her practical-minded, career-driven boy had found love in this perfect girl. She liked Survi the minute she saw her. There was a kind of attachment she couldn't describe. However, Hansa refused to believe they met in Chavand the way they said. He had never brought a girl home, and when he did, he was marrying her. That couldn't be a coincidence. They must have met in the past.

Survi had noticed Dheer in secret calls and sneaking out many times. But the rituals kept her busy as she couldn’t talk to Pratap. She saw Dheer sneak out of the Mehendi ceremony. As her hands were drying, she excused herself and walked straight into Dheer’s empty room. She decided to be safe and brought a pocket knife she carried for her study, hidden in her dupatta. She was looking for the red file and found it under a pile of clothes in the wardrobe. Her eyes widened.

She heard footsteps as she quickly shut the wardrobe noiselessly. Someone was behind her. She turned, and like a warrior, her knife was at his neck.

“ Ajab… It’s me!” Pratap looked alarmed.

“ Survi! You will land us in trouble!” She frowned.

“ Miss Survi, today, in this attire, you are looking like my Ajabdeh.” He took away the knife and said, “ One Minute.”

He walked to her back, took the flowing Dupatta of the lehenga from her back and put it on her head.

“ There. My Ajabdeh.” He smiled. She smiled back as her eyes twinkled. Their story was one of a kind, never to be told.

“ Look what I found.” She showed him the files as he smiled, adding, “ Time for a showdown!”

" Waise..." he added, "What's with the knife?"

" I... took it for protection," she smiled.

" I am your protection." He smiled. "Keep your Rajputani bravery in check now, Delhite!"

“ We are going to the wedding location before the Sangeet,” Pratap said to an excited crowd.

“ But where is it?” Hansa asked as he took his bride’s hand and added, “Surprise!”

Survi gasped at the sight. The Bijolia Kalan was decorated with drapes of red and gold. Marigolds decorated the mandap. The sight was exactly as it was years ago. A teardrop appeared in her eyes as he wiped it away.

“ No more tears. It’s time to make others cry.” He took her hand in his.

Hansa smiled at Jaivanta. The history buffs had chosen the perfect location.

Dheer stepped out of the car, expecting nothing out of the ordinary and was preoccupied with her sudden dreams. Rather nightmares. As soon as she saw the venue, her eyes were fixed on the couple up there, and a memory became vivid. The Nightmares became a reality of the past. Survi noticed her turn pale, and so did Pratap.

“ I am not well, we need to go.” She called at Hansa as Pratap hid a victorious smile. She did remember, they were not alone.

On the way back, Survi insisted on stopping at the temple. Hansa and Jaivanta gathered that the duo wanted to take blessings before the wedding and left them alone. She walked up to the Shiva linga and folded her hands.

“ I don’t know why you sent us those memories and made us meet, but we do know we have had unfulfilled dreams in the past. Let me live this one like a dream, Har Har Mahadev!” She was loud and clear, as he added. “Give us the strength to defeat the evil.”

She took the Aarti thaal and did his tilak as they smiled at each other. Time seemed to have travelled back in the time machine of their love.

“ What is Pratap going to perform?” Dheer asked at the Sangeet, rather impatiently.

“ Mausiji, He said he has something special, let's wait and watch.” Survi smiled, pressing Dheer’s cold hands as she looked uneasy.

The lights went off, and the focus was on Pratap as Hansa smiled, “ There he is.” Haunting music appeared.

Begani si Begani hai, Tanhai si Tanhai hai, aur ek hum hai pyar ke bin... He smiled at the crowd.

Sunne walo Suno Aisa Bhi Hota Hai… Koi Jitna Haseen utna hi Rota hai….

Dheer looked wide-eyed, Survi searched her face for the expression, as Hansa and others looked clueless. Pratap was in… Royal attire? And a pagri. He remembered, did he? Dheer looked at him and back at a clapping Survi.

Pyaar aisa jo karta hai, kya marke bhi marta hai? Ao tum bhi aaj Sunlo. Pratap sang as Dheer started sweating. Survi smiled at him.

“ He is singing the wrong lyrics.” She shrugged coolly at a stunned Dheer.

Daastaan hai yeh ke uss Massoom haseena ne jise kiya viswas woh thi Andar se harjaayi….

“Wow, he’s made a song,” Survi added. “ But why?” She looked amused at Dheer.

Sang dil se dil lagake, bewafaa ke haat aake ussne ekdin maut hi payi….

Dheer stared at a smiling Survi before staring back at Pratap. What was he...

Ek sitam ka fasaana hai, jisko sabhi…. Dheer got up to leave the room. He blocked her way.

Kyun koi Kaatil samajhta nahi, yeh jurm woh hai jo chupta nahi… yeh daag who hai jo mitta nahi… Rehta hai khooni ke haat par….

He took Survi’s hand and twirled her as Dheer stood.

Khun uss hasseena ka Jab tha hua…Koi waha tha pohoch to Gaya

Lekin usse woh Bacha na saka, Roya tha pyaar uski maut par…

He looked at Survi, who sang along, smiling a reassuring smile at him. Roya thaa pyaar uske maat paar…

Dastaan hai yeh ke jo pehchaan ta hai khooni ko woh Naujawaan hai lautke aya…. Dheer wiped her forehead.

Keh Rahi hai Zindagi, kaatil samajh le Usske sarr pe cha chuka hai maut ka saya…
Janmo ki karmo ki hai kahani jisse…
He stopped as Dheer walked away. Survi looked at the speechless, confused crowd as she added.
“ Wow, Pratap, what a performance!” Jerking him back to reality as he smiled at her.

Does he know? No, he doesn’t! He won’t believe in some stupid dream than me. That was just a song. But why that song? Maybe I am overthinking. I'll escape the night of the wedding itself. Dheer made up her mind.

That night, Survi lay sleepless as she heard footsteps making her heart skip a beat. She was about to shout when the lights of the room were lit, and she heard Pratap ask, “ What are you doing here, Dheer Mausi?” Survi jolted up in bed as Dheer stood where she was right at her feet.

“ I…came to check on the bride.” Dheer smiled at Survi as she exchanged a quick glance with Pratap.

“ Now that’s done, Mausi. Goodnight.” Pratap prompted her to walk away as he added to Survi
“ Lock the door. We have a wedding at dawn”.

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...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Three

Aniruddha stepped out of his room, in a wrinkled Kurta, with a towel and toothbrush, to almost bump into Bondita, who was hurrying out of her room, trying to wear her watch on the go. He stopped before she barged into him and spotted her in one of Thamma’s Dhakai sarees. It was a white-on-white saree she had worn with a quarter-sleeved black blouse. Her hair was bunned with a claw clip, and she wore a small black Teep complementing her Kajol-drawn eyes. She looked slightly startled as she stopped at his dishevelled appearance and looked away at his stare. “Why are you…” He cleared his throat to do away with his morning groggy voice, “Dressed up?” Bondita shook her head at his words. “Because I have camp today, the NGO representative is waiting downstairs.” At her words, Aniruddha nodded and promptly held her wrist to check her watch. Bondita eyed his index finger and thumb, briefly brushing around her wrist as he suppressed a yawn. “But… It's 7 AM.” Bondita smiled, amused at his wo...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Six

Bondita opened her door in the usual hours of the morning and found Thamma and Jyatha Moshai on the couch in their living room, sipping tea. She had half sat on her bed, leaning against the pillow all night, imagining her plight when she faced Aniruddha in the morning. What if he did not think of it as much as she thought of his actions? What if that was his uncomfortable way of comforting her because she was upset? But what about his eyes, his gestures? Had she misread all of it? Bondita blushed to herself the moment she remembered how his eyes followed her around for the past two days. Bondita was hurrying through her daily chores, eyeing the clock, for she would be late for work and overheard Trilochon lament about things not changing since Binoy left. He thought that things were getting better at home, but as soon as Aniruddha had left for Sunderban, Binoy informed him that he had changed the attorney in charge of his case. Bondita frowned slightly as her hand stopped at wearing th...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Five

“The bride is older than the groom.” Aniruddha heard one of the older villagers speak in a judgmental tone. “No wonder the higher castes don’t attend such atrocities.” He eyed the younger man he was talking to, who smiled. Aniruddha was sitting beside them on a bench in the open courtyard of a house where the wedding rituals were taking place. Tirio and Tumdak were playing rhythmically in a corner as some women danced to the tunes surrounding the new bride and groom. The men sat on the other side of the courtyard. “Forget about the Brahmins, we don’t expect them to come.” The younger man shook his head. “As for traditions, what is wrong if the bride is older?” He smiled sheepishly at the older man. “What’s wrong? Everything. Master Moshai, you can be educated, but our ancient traditions have reasons. The groom must be older than the bride. It has some reason.” He shook his head. The teacher, in turn, educated the man that it was a perfectly normal Santhali ritual to marry older wo...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Seven

“Why will Bondita not come for Holi?” Asha asked as she inspected the colours, Abir, Pichkiri and balloons Somnath had ordered from Baro Bazaar. He shrugged. “She is scared of colours, I think.” Asha smiled, a little amused at her clueless husband. “She is not ten anymore.” He looked up at her words with a sheepish smile, “Well, I never saw her play Holi, perhaps Dadabhai knows the reason.” Asha contemplated her husband’s words. She did not share a relationship with Aniruddha frank enough for him to share things about Bondita. It would be easier for her to ask Bondita instead. “If you wish for her to come,” Som said, like he could almost read her mind, “Perhaps you can invite her. She won’t say no to you.” Asha nodded. “It will be good to have the whole family together. It's not been so since the wedding.” She smiled. Som agreed as he matched the list with the things. “Yes, and Baba will be coming too, he told me not to tell Jethu, but I was surprised by that.” “Maybe because he an...

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 ...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Four

“You are cheating, he can’t play!” Bondita was attracted by the commotion downstairs as she opened the window of her room. She walked out to the balcony to inspect it. It was Sunday, and Padma had promised to make Chicken Curry, knowing Bondita had invited Tapur to join them for lunch. In the courtyard was a group of boys, probably Sidhu’s friends, with a broken pipe for a bat, a wooden plank for a wicket kept between two bricks and a rubber ball, arguing over a game of cricket. Bondita’s eyes stopped at Aniruddha, marking a line with chalk and then measuring feet using steps to mark the boundaries. Bondita looked amused at the sight. “Batuk. You went out fair and square; give me the bat.” Bondita put her hands on her waist as she commanded. Batuk refused to part with his new bat. Som frowned at his brother. “She is right; it was a clean bowl. Give her the bat!” Som commanded. “I was not ready.” Batuk shook his head. “She knew that.” “It's still out.” Bondita frowned. Aniruddha wal...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Eight

Trilochon was so overwhelmed that Binoy came for the Pujo and Kirtan on Dol Purnima. Their neighbours, friends and acquaintances had all gathered in the Thakur Dalan, first for the pujo when the idol of Sree Radha and Sree Krishna were worshipped in the Dalan, and Horir Loot of Batasha and Naru were distributed. Unlike in the village, people here, especially children, did not fight over the Horir Loot . Bondita and Batuk took part in the ritual like they used to as kids, counting the number of Batasha each of them had, amusing the elders who reminisced about their childhood and how Batuk snatched Bondita’s share and ran as she chased after him, shouting. The Kirtan followed the pujo, the tales of Sree Krishna’s prowess, his Leela and Radha’s sacrifice were sung with the sounds of Dhol and Khanjani . It followed the devotional songs praising Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his praises to Lord Krishna. Bondita not only liked the stories of Kirtan but also how the crowd joined in the singing and...

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...

The Difficulties

“The best of our characters are often reflected in our children.” Kunwar Shakta had visited the court at Udaipur after a Turk marriage offer was turned down by Rana Udai Singh for the third time for one of his Princesses. The Ranimahal at Chittorgarh buzzed with rumours of him warning his father about the consequences of enemity with the Turks and also about the impending doom of Mewar. He had apparently irked Kunwar Partap by suggesting a peace alliance with the Timurids was beneficial to Mewar. Rana Udai Singh, in his anger, had banished him from his court. Kunwar Shakta had sworn not to be associated with the royal family any further and to join allies with the Turks. Rawat Chundawat was calm enough to pacify the angry prince and offer him to shift to Bassi and give his decision a second thought. However, Kunwar Partap had refused to abandon Chittor, defying his father’s orders for a shift to the newly founded capital with his Ranimahal. He wanted to stay at Chittorgarh, which...

RAABTA

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