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Reflection of the Past

“ Ajabdeh!”
“ Maharanisa!”
“ Maaaaa”
“ Daadisa?”
The palace echoed with the cries as she lay breathless, in his arms. His world had frozen. His Ajabdeh was gone. He had grown into the man he was with her. She was the part of his life he was always thankful for. She made him believe Love and Family existed for good. She was his strength. Rana Pratap sat like a stone watching her calm face as Mewar cried for its queen.  He had failed to give her any happiness, he felt.

500 Years Later…

The Fort of Chittor was a special attraction for tourists. The story of its bravery and sacrifice was famous.  As a student of history, most had the dream to see the place and today her dream was coming true.  She walked into the fort, with five friends and classmates. They got busy clicking pictures as she looked for a tour guide. She finally found one and called out to them.
“ Mahek, Purvi, Disha! Come! He’s gonna show us around.” She straightened her backpack.
“ This is the Vijay Stambh… the Kirti Stambh… Meera Maa Temple.”
Mahek was opening her shoes as she stared at her friend looking around.
“ Survi? You not going inside the temple?”
“ No you carry on, I will Look around…” She stared around the place and looked at the blazing sun with a frown. Then she took out her bottle and a cap. They were back soon and the last place to visit was the Kumbha Palace.
As they walked up the steps she wondered how the place looked familiar. Ever since her father’s untimely demise, all she did was follow her dreams to be an archaeologist. Maybe reading too much about a place made it look familiar. They stepped into the ruins.
“ Yeh tha e zamane mein yaha ka shaan ab toh pata bhi na chalta ke kitne manzil thee, sab nasth ho chuka.” The guide spoke up as they looked around.
“ I think four, see three are clearly visible” Disha spoke up.
“ How come? There can be three and a roof too.” Purvi spoke irritated at Disha’s know-it attitude.
“ What do you think Survi?” Mahek asked. She was unusually quiet.
“ There were five, yes five, with half a roof In the Ranimahal making it five and a half.” She spoke unmindful.
“ Where on earth did you read that?” Mahek’s eyes widened. “ As far as I know no one knows this.”
“ I dunno Mahek.” She looked worried. “ I must have read it somewhere.”
“ Or she imagined it.” Purvi laughed.
“ Yaha se ayiye.” The guide stepped into the corridors.
They crossed the corridor and she felt as if someone was calling her, but it was not her name…
“ Ajabdeh…” She had no idea why this name came back time and again like voices in her mind ever since she read about Maharana Pratap’s consort. She shook off the voices.
They walked into the ground with a large open area and some broken walls. The guide was about to speak up when she heard a “ CLASH!” like someone clinked two metals together. She turned around to the sound and saw no one. The sun is driving me crazy, am not feeling well. She heard it again, this time it was more like … swords clashing? But how on earth will she know how swords clashed.
“ Yeh tha akhara aur Dangalsthal.” The guide spoke up as her eyes widened.
“ Dangal? Yaha… pass mein koi astabal bhi hai kya?”
“ Nahi Babyji, asthabal toh… ab toh sab nasht ho chuka…”
“ Survi! Now, where did you read about that?” Mahek was frowning.
“  Mahek… I… am not feeling well… you people continue, I will take a cab and leave.”
“ Aree Survi….” Mahek called in vain after her.
“ Bhaiyaa yaha se Chavand kitna dur hai?” She asked the driver feeling a little better.
“ Ek der ghanta toh lagega….”
“ Hum abhi jaa sakte hai?”
“ Haan Kyun nahi…”
“ Chaliye…”
She took out a diary from her backpack where she scribbled down her findings. She read out the marked page.
“ Maharani Ajabde Punwar died in Chavand, the capital of Maharana Pratap, in a moderate hideout.”
She sighed. She never told anyone about these voices and flashes. She was scared they would end up taking her to some medical help. She had seen strange flashes ever since she was a kid, dreamt that she was lost in the jungles, trapped in a hut, and many other strange things.  But the voices appeared only after she came to Udaipur and bought a book on the Maharana’s personal life. Her thoughts were broken by the car horn.
“ Hum aa gaye.”
She got down at the sight of the simple two-storey house in ruins. This was his capital, he and Ajabdeh Punwar died here. She walked inside. Not many tourists were there but she could hear a few birds. An office of the ASI was adjacent to the main house. As she entered the dark cold room, her vision blurted. She took it as coming into darkness from the sunlight thing but no, the flashes were back, this time more prominent. She could see curtains on the jharokhas, red and yellow, a couch, and a bed. She could hear her own voice giggle. And a kid’s.
“ Ranaji…. Ranaji…. Pratap!” She was calling someone. Survi had goosebumps at the vision as she felt like she would faint. She caught the nearest pillar, to balance herself.
“ Are you all right ?” Came a voice behind her. She stared at the door palely as the light reflected his shadow then his face appeared before her. Dark brown eyes. “ You okay?”  He asked again.
“ I’m… dizzy…. Fine…. I need some fresh air.” She managed as he held her shoulders giving her support then took her out of the place. “ Are you here alone?” She nodded a yes.
“ Then let us sit you down in my office and I will get you some glucose to dehydrate you… Miss??”
“ Survi Joshi.”
“ Pratap Singh” Her eyes widened as she heard her own voice again in her head. She shut her eyes.
“ Are you feeling unwell Ms Joshi?”
“ You… You are… “
“ The Curator of the Museum, ASI officer.” He smiled.
As she sat sipping her glucose she asked “ Umm… what are the places to visit relating to Maharana Pratap? I am a student of history too.”
“ You are?” He smiled pleased. “ Wait I will write down the places for you, and advise taking the glucose everywhere. You won’t find people in most places.”
“ Thank You, Mr Singh.” She managed. “ You are from here only?”
“ Yes actually… am kind of a royal too…” She saw him smile humbly.
“ Royal?”
“ Yes, my maternal side is from the Punwar Family of Bijolia. We are family to…”
“ Ajabdeh Punwar?”  Her heart skipped a beat.
“ Yes, Maharani Ajabdeh Punwar. My home is in Bijolia, and we have business in Udaipur, but History attracted me so, I am here!”
“ Bijolia…. It’s…”
“ Maharani’s birthplace, there are palace ruins. Kunds, Mandirs… You can see them too…” He added that to the list.
“ Thank You.” She got up to leave. “ Visit again” He replied.
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Protisruti

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Answers

Aniruddha could not work all day. It started raining heavily outside, the curtains of the room swayed in the gusty wind, and things around the room toppled over. Koeli came to pick them up, to see if he wanted to eat anything but Aniruddha wanted to be left alone. Countless questions and fears raced through his mind. Bondita never went home like she did that day. Rather, once a year, even before Jamai Sasti, she checked the household chores a hundred times. If Batuk had a test, if someone was sick, she was reluctant to go. She just packed a bundle so quickly and left for her mother’s place. Had she distanced herself from Aniruddha? Was it his fault? Anirudha started thinking. Could she not take him as a husband because he pushed her away and hurt her? Aniruddha repented for his actions. If indeed Bondita denied their relationship knowing the truth behind it, could she be blamed? But was that why she was pretending to be asleep even though she was awake that night? What did she think ab...
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Promises

Bondita hugged her mother as if to find herself again.  "Are you okay?" Sumati smiled. Bondita suddenly noticed that her mother couldn't understand her state of mind just by looking at her face anymore. With that, she suddenly remembered how easily Aniruddha understood that she was upset. Once she asked her husband how he understood things without her saying it. Her husband explained to little Bondita in a way she would understand. Now that Bondita was grown up she could perhaps never ask him that question again. Meanwhile, Sumati hurried to get her some Muri Murki while she sat down on the bed. Bondita's eyes fell on her feet. He had said, "When you are happy, your anklet sounds different, and when you are sad, it is different." Bondita stirred her anklets unmindfully. Today she knew the difference was not in the sound of her Nupur but in Aniruddha's powers of observation. Why was she thinking about him? She came home to her mother. And she would not th...
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Choices

The winter rains and gusty wind were unpleasant weather for Adhiraja Ishaan Dev. The Suryapalian capital was far more tropical weather of the plain lands than that of Neelambargarh, situated on a plateau rather close to the Heemdevi. It rained more in Neelambargarh, and the winters were cold. The wine did very little to comfort him as he kept the lamps of his chamber lit in an attempt to feel warmer. On the contrary, he observed how Priyambada complained that the winter isn't cold enough. It had been a quarter of the moon cycle since Maharani Priyambada met Kumari Advika of Mait. Although Ishaan Dev was eager to know what the ladies did talk about, he wasn’t sure whether to ask Priyambada. So he waited for her to tell him something, anything! But Priyambada seemed to act like the meeting never happened. She didn’t even disclose anything to Smriti as per Kumar Viraj. Ishaan Dev was perplexed. What was talked of in the meeting? Worse, did Advika mention him? She must have. The last t...
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Going Home

Bondita's Mama came to Tulsipur to meet his daughter. He was a poor man and wore a short dhoti and a Batik shirt. It was wrong to come empty-handed to the daughter's house, so two pots of sweets accompanied him. Reluctantly, he had to go to Roy Chowdhury's house. They were the Zamindar of Tulsipur, the master of the father-in-law of Sampoorna, they needed to be respected. Apart from that, the fate of the sister and niece who he was reluctant to shelter and spent day and night rebuking them about had turned, the same sister now handed over some money to him by the end of the month, because of the kindness of Aniruddha Babu. He did not have the luxury of pushing Lakshmi away. Hence it was necessary to come to the landlord's house to meet his niece. In their house servants also dressed better than him; Look at the fate of the girl . Where he had arranged for her to stay in a corner of an old man's house, now Bondita was living a queen’s life.  Zamindar Trilochan Roy Ch...
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Uttor

  উত্তর   সারাদিন কাজে মন বসেনা অনিরুদ্ধর। বাইরে অঝোরে বৃষ্টি হতে থাকে, ঝোড়োও হওয়ায় ঘরের পর্দা দোলে , জিনিসপত্র এলোমেলো হয়ে যায়। কয়েলি আসে ছোট মালিকের জিনিস গুছিয়ে দিতে, তিনি কিছু খাবেন কিনা শুধোতে কিন্তু তাকে চলে যেতে বলে ঘরে খিল দেয় অনিরুদ্ধ। একা থাকতে চায়। তার মনে আনাগোনা করে অসংখ প্রশ্ন এবং আশংকা। যে ভাবে বন্দিতা স্বেচ্ছায় মায়ের কাছে গেল আজ, সেরকম সে কোনদিন যায়না । বরং বছরে একবার জামাই ষষ্টিতে যাওয়ার আগেও একশো বার বাড়ির কাজকম্ম দেখে শুনে যায়। বটুকের পরীক্ষা, কারুর শরীর খারাপ হলে তো কথাই নেই। সেই বন্দিতা আজ হঠাৎ বাড়ি যাবে বলে কি তাড়াতাড়ি পোটলা গুছিয়েছে। এতই কি দূরে চলে গেছে সে অনিরুদ্ধের থেকে? তা কি তার নিজের দোষে? ভাবতে থাকে অনিরুদ্ধ। সে দূরে সরিয়ে দিয়েছে বলে অভিমান না কি তাকে স্বামী রূপে গ্রহণ করতে পারেনা বন্দিতা? অনিরুদ্ধ পশ্চাতাপ করে। সত্যি যদি বন্দিতা সব জেনে তাদের সম্পর্ক অস্বীকার করে, তাকে কি দোষ দেওয়া চলে? তবে কি তাই সেদিন রাত্রে জেগে থাকা সত্যেও ঘুমের অভিনয় করছিল সে? কি ভেবেছে সে অনিরুদ্ধের ব্যাপারে? কেন চারিদিক বাছবিচার না করে এমন করল অনিরুদ্ধ? নিজের প্রতিজ্ঞ...
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Adornment

The rainy night had given way to a rather pleasant summer morning in Suryapali. The temperature was no longer soaring and a gentle breeze blew through the plains of Suryapali. The sun peeped out through the floating clouds occasionally. Priyambada walked into her chambers after a luncheon to find trays laid with drapes and jewellery, waiting for her. “The Maharani sent this for some celebration in the evening,” Vrinda spoke, bowing at her mistress who nodded silently. Priyambada eyed the trays and exhaled. She wasn’t sure if anyone talked to Ishaan Dev about the rituals. She dismissed Vrinda and decided to read the scripture. As Priyambada sat down on the edge of the bed, scripture in hand, her thoughts travelled to the happenings of the night and she inhaled as her throat felt dry. Why did he stop? Did he feel that he had offended her? Priyambada wondered. She walked up to the attire laid down for the evening and picked up the drape wrapped into a bodice and wrap-around skirt. They w...
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Ghore Fera

  ঘরে ফেরা   বন্দিতার মামা মেয়ের সাথে দেখা করতে আসেন তুলশিপুর। গরিবের ঘরের ছা পোষা চেহারা তার, পরনে খাটো ধুতি ও ছিটের জামা। মেয়ের শশুরবাড়িতে খালি হাতে আসা অন্যায় তাই দুটি মিষ্টির হাড়ি সাথে। অনিচ্ছা সত্তেও রায় চৌধুরী বাড়িতে যেতে হয় তাকে। তারা তুলশিপুরের জমিদার, সম্পূর্ণার শ্বশুরের মনিব, তাদের সম্মান করে চলা মঙ্গল। তা ছাড়া যে বোন  ও বোনঝিকে আশ্রয় দেওয়া নিয়ে দিনরাত কথা শোনাতে বাঁধতো না তার, সেই বোন  এখন মাস গেলে তার হাতে টাকা তুলে দেয়, অনিরুদ্ধ বাবুর দয়ায়। হাতে আসা লক্ষ্মী পায়ে ঠেলার বিলাসিতা করার মত মুরোদ নয় তার। অগত্যা বোনঝির সাথে দেখা করতে জমিদার বাড়ি আসা। এদের বাড়ির চাকররাও  তার থেকে ভাল পোশাক পরে; ভাগ্য দেখো মেয়েটার। কোথায় কোন বুড়োর বাড়ির এক কোণে পরে থাকার ব্যবস্থা করেছিল সে, এখন বন্দিতা রাজরানী।  জমিদার ত্রিলোচন রায় চৌধুরীর যাকে পছন্দ নয় তাকে তিনি সেটা বুঝিয়ে দিতে দ্বিধা বোধ করেন না। বন্দিতার মামা তার তেমন এক অপছন্দের পাত্র । বৌমার মুখে তিনি যা  শুনেছেন তারপর বৌমার তাদের প্রতি টান দেখে আশ্চর্য হন ত্রিলোচন বাবু। কিন্তু কুটুম্ব তারা। হাতে কর...
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Trust

Ishaan Dev woke up at the sound of the hourly bells and trumpets and found himself alone in bed. It took him some time to realise that he had perhaps overslept as he looked confused, half asleep first at the hourglass and then at the sun rays coming into the chambers through the swaying curtains. He sat up to suddenly remember the happenings of the night, as his eyes travelled to the blood stain on the sheet and he sat in contemplation for a good few minutes. He finally had his moment with Priyambada and it was nothing like he had imagined it to be. A part of him that yearned to touch her and taste her was satisfied enough to realise that his longing for her was not only physical. When bodies entwined in the union, and he had pushed himself in, as he had with a hundred other women before her, something in him felt a different sense of completeness and fulfilment that he realised was missing from his life. He had seen Priyambada react to the sensations that were completely new to her, m...
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Gratefulness

Aniruddha did not return home that night, he informed on the telephone that he was stuck in urgent work so he would return home the next day after spending the night at the client's house. Bondita spent a sleepless night. What would she tell Barrister Babu? And why would he believe it? She was lost in her thoughts twisting and turning in bed all night. She was hurt. Was her husband so reluctant towards their relationship that he did not wish to return home because of her? Once he was busy with some work and was pacing in the study room. Bondita was a child. Her Jetha Shoshur Moshai had taught her to serve her husband. She used to see Bihari take a cup of tea to the study room every day. Despite Bihari's resistance, she picked up the cup of tea that day.  "Don't do this, Ginnima ," Bihari was terrified. “Barrister Babu does not like to talk or be disturbed during his work. If he gets angry, I will lose my job.” Bondita ignored his words and entered the study room w...
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