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Ajabde looked around the unfamiliar surroundings nervously. The last two days have passed like a dream. The Marriage, the Vidaai and the arrival at Chittorgarh. She was now sitting in the room she called her own, yet seemed so unfamiliar. She got up to see whether anyone was there keeping an eye on her. A little relieved, she took the lota from the centre table and placed it on the bedside table.

As soon as she placed it three daasis appeared at the door asking “You need something Kunwaranisa?”

Eyes wide and nervous she replied “N…No… I was just…”

“Maharanisa has told us to be at your service for every need.”

“I… don’t… need….” She was scared at the thought that three daasis will be at their toes for her needs.

“Disperse now.” Sajja Bai’s voice made her feel relieved.

“I will get Kunwaranisa dressed for Kunwarsa’s arrival.” She smiled at a nervous happy bride.

Kunwar Pratap’s eyes were not easy to be outsmarted. He caught Rawatji in the corridor running out of Rana Udai Singh’s room worried.

“Rawatji.” His voice stopped the man. “What happened?”

“Baojiraj. Nothing. You…”

“Rawatji, tell me.”

“News is that Surtan Singh has joined hands with Bairam Khan and your Daajiraj is worried. Also, Badshah Khan is active with the Afghans, we are afraid they will also ally with the Mughals.”

“Badshah Khan? “ He frowned. “Shams Khan’s son.” Rawatji nodded.

“The Afghans have attacked at Kelwara in the evening,” Rawatji said absentminded.

“What? You are telling me now?” Kunwar Pratap looked disappointed. “I will be getting ready to…”

“No Kunwarsa.” Veer Baiji stopped him. “Your new bride…”

“Veer Baiji. “ Dheerbai appeared behind her “I am sure Ajabde knows her duties as …”

“Don’t worry Chotima. Ajabde will be happy to let me go.”

The new bride was sitting with nervous expectations as he entered the room worried about how to put it. Kunwar Pratap had forgotten that his new bride was Baijilal.

One look at his face and she frowned “What happened?” Her question made him smile faintly.

“Ajabde.”

She walked up to him and asked again. “What happened?”

“Badshah Khan attacked …”

"Who?" She frowned.

"Shams Khan's son. He attacked ..." Pratap looked angry.

“What are you still doing here?” She looked displeased as he looked up at her face. She walked away towards the adjacent room and came back with his sword as he stood confused at her behaviour.

“You get ready I will do the puja.” She reassured with a smile.

As she turned to leave he held her back by her wrist making her stop.

“Ajabde.”

She turned with a smile as his eyes twinkled proudly.

“Kunwarsa…”

He hugged her tight, as she found peace in his arms then moved away from his embrace shyly.

“Go. You are getting late.” He smiled with a nod.

As Kunwar Pratap got ready for the mission, she put down her aarti thal from her puja placed on the table in the room beside his sword. As she opened the door she saw a daasi standing.

“Maharanisa has called upon you both Kunwaranisa.”

“Ji.”

She nodded as he heard the orders and eyes met with a nod.

Jaivanta Bai smiled at the newlyweds as Ajabde handed him his sword. Rana Udai Singh walked in and stopped as Jaivanta Bai smiled at him proudly. He nodded with a faint smile as she did his aarti. Pratap and Ajabde smiled at each other as he walked behind his father. Maharani Jaivanta Bai urged her to follow to the Rani Mahal gates.

As Kunwar Pratap turned around at the gates she smiled. He smiled back faintly before looking at his mother who gave a reassuring nod before he left. As his horse went out of sight, suddenly Ajabde felt a cloud of loneliness around this unfamiliar place. She needed to shake off the feeling. It was home now.

Ajabde turned around as Jaivanta Bai said “Come stay with me tonight Ajabde.” She smiled faintly with a nod.

" You know when Pratap was just three, we used to live in Kumbhalgarh, he..." Jaivanta Bai knew her mind and soul needed to ease. They spend the night, telling and hearing childhood tales, mostly of Kunwar Pratap's adventures.

Jaivanta Bai smiled at the sleeping figure as she caressed her head with a sigh and whispered a small prayer. For her, mostly for him.

At dawn, Dheerbai ji walked into the decorated room of the newlyweds and frowned to find it empty.

“You need something Chotima?” Ajabde’s voice startled her as she turned to see her, in a red and yellow lehenga, ready after a bath, with puja thali in hand.

“No… I…. Kunwar…”

“Kunwarsa and Ranaji have gone to stop Badshah Khan, remember?” Ajabde smiled.

“He…went?” Dheerbai managed a sly smile . “Leaving his bride on the wedding night?”

“He went.” She nodded. “For his mother needs him to save her.”

“I feel so bad for you.” Dheerbai faked a concern.

“I feel so proud that I am his wife.” She smiled as she meant every word.

Kunwar Pratap and Ranaji reached in time to scare away the small troops of the Afghans but something in Kunwar Pratap said it was not over so soon. Shams Khan’s son wouldn’t stop. He made sure the borders were secured as of now, every bordering state needs alert.

Shams Khan's son was hiding in a khema in the Mewar forest after his escape. Pointing at a fort on the map he looked at his generals.

"Kunwar Pratap will pay for killing my father. And this is how. Prepare to attack the eighth day from now."

"But Huzoor, why here?" A man asked. Badshah Khan smiled faintly.

"Because according to their Rajput rasm, this is where we will find his heart, alone, in seven days. You rip his heart out, you devastate him, revenge taken." He smiled pleased and confident. He had all the information he needed to gather on the Samant family, Bijolia and the New Bride. Well, all the information he knew about!

Kunwar Pratap looked at the Mewar map in his khema with a frown. He circled out three places. Shook his head. He was missing something. What was he missing? The doorman announced Rao RamRakh's arrival. He folded up the map with a smile.

"Kunwarsa... you are going back to Chittorgarh, I am leaving for Bijolia at the earliest."

"Ji Raoji, I will give Ajabde your regards." He smiled.

"Actually, am here to invite you for the pakfera there on the seventh day, and like the rule, Ajabde would.... stay back till the tenth... Hansa Bai will write to Maharanisa." Raoji's words made him smile like he found something. Raoji stopped confused.

"Don't worry we will be there." He nodded as Raoji turned to go.

"Raoji...." He stopped the man. " Keep your armies ready. In case." He nodded.

Kunwar Pratap opened the map and circled the fourth spot with a frown on his face.

However, he was happy that in just two days they would be back in Chittorgarh.

In these two days, Ajabde learned many things with Sajjabai’s help. At first, she thought she needed a map around the palace of Rana Kumbha. She knew the road leading to the mandir and garden, others she dared not use out of fear. The princesses were in awe of their new Bhabisa as they showed her around the garden and the mandirs. Meera Ma’s mandir filled her imagination with the lady’s tales.

In the evening she read out to the eager bunch as she missed Balwant and Ratan. She missed home. She prayed twice daily for his safety. He who made her call this unfamiliar place home.

The news of his arrival filled her heart with happiness and her mind with nervousness as Jaivanta Bai Ordered the Daasis to get her ready in her wedding attire and jewellery before he arrived. He needed to see her just the way he left her.

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Purnota: Chapter Three

“Did you ask for me, Dadu?” Bondita asked as the old man smiled at her. She looked fresh, with her hair neatly braided and a cotton pleated skirt, Thamma sewn with a faded top of one of her cousins, as she stood before the old man sitting on the porch. “Yes indeed, Didibhai, you didn’t come for chess yesterday.” The man smiled. “Oh, Pradhan Jyatha wanted me to look out for the …” She stopped as she saw Aniruddha walking towards them down the corridor. She eyed him as the old man followed her gaze. “Oh Aniruddha Babu, come here. This is Bondita Das.” Aniruddha smiled at the child as she looked away. “She is the only girl in the village who has appeared for her final examinations this year. She is very intelligent and…” Aniruddha nodded “She helped me a lot yesterday.” He made her look up, with a cold stare at him as he smiled politely. “Yes, I have called her here to show you around the village. He wants to see the affected areas of the Adivasis, Bondita.” The old man made her nod. “But...

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 Four

The group of youth provided by the Pradhan proved efficient for Aniruddha’s liking as they helped him survey the villages, create a set of data and provide a rough idea of how much fund was needed to rebuild the roofs and fallen walls. “What if we make them permanent? That way, the next cyclone will cause less damage. Pakka houses may also get other facilities like toilets and…” Aniruddha suggested as his eyes shone in the flickering light of the dimly lit kerosene lamp in the living room of Pradhan’s house. Drops of perspiration had formed on his forehead in the load-shedding, and the mosquitoes buzzed around them. For the first two nights, Aniruddha could barely sleep in the unfamiliar surroundings with buzzing insects, sounds of the unknown, and eerie animals here and there at a distance. Stories of snakes climbing up to the second floor through windows despite the mosquito net protecting his four-poster bed kept him alarmed. By the third day, after a day’s survey through the villag...

Purnota: Chapter Six

Kalindi waited outside the hut, on the torn mat they usually slept on, using the hand fan to drive away mosquitoes as she stared at the empty path leading out of the house, the path Bondita had taken some time back. It was almost an hour. Did the foolish girl escape or land in trouble? To her relief, she could hear her nephew snoring away indoors, reassuring her that they were at least not caught by the villagers till now. She was sure Bondita would return empty-handed and hurt, and that she would have no other way than to accept the proposal from the Pradhan. That morning, her Kaka would accompany Sarkar Moshai to the adjacent village to talk to a family friend of the Sarkars. They were looking for a bride for their sixteen-year-old eldest son, who worked as a labourer in Sealdah. Kalindi had tears in her eyes. Not much had changed in these years; not much of women’s fate was different, wasn't it? Kalindi was about ten years old when her father took her to the Roy Chowdhury house ...

A Heart at War

Legend has it that Pratap had to struggle for his father Rana Udai Singh's approval on his wedding with the daughter of Bijoliya's chieftain's daughter, Ajbante Kanwar Punwar. It is so because he was the crown prince and his first queen was supposed to be the next queen of Mewar. Hence his father expected his first bride to be a powerful princess who would aid his political needs. But stubborn as he always was, Kunwar Pratap had other plans. The water of the Bhimlat was still. The sound of the waterfall could be heard in the silent afternoon in the dense forest. A pebble caused ripples in the water and alerted the horse gazing nearby. He looked up at the source of the stone. Then began grazing peacefully once again. The source of the stone however was far from being peaceful. His face wore a frown as he stared around restlessly for the umpteenth time. He sat unmindful on the large rock on the bank of the water body watching the ripples closely, lost in thoughts. The soun...

Purnota: Prologue

2008. Kolkata. The autumnal rain swept across the gravelled streets of Kolkata. In the darkest hour of the night, the occasional thunder rumbled across the sky, now covered in thick grey clouds. The street lights reflected on them as though a shower of golden light was flooding the streets of South Kolkata. It was widely believed that such torrential rain with thunderstorms just before the Durga Puja was a sign of Maa Durga having a marital spat with Baba Mahadev, whose possessiveness and love for his wife made him want to stop her from coming home with the four children for the five-day extravaganza. The rain was her tears, and the thunder rolls were the arguments between husband and wife. Such was the tale told by grandmothers across Bengal when the children flocked around her, scared of the thunder god’s wrath. As the raindrops suddenly changed course and rushed into the room of the boarding house near Southern Avenue with a sudden gust of wind, she was jolted from this romanti...

Purnota: Chapter One

“The cyclone that hit Bangladesh on May 2nd, 1994, has left parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar devastated. Landslides have been seen in and around Northeast India, and Dumdum Airport has resumed its function after two days. Fishermen are still prohibited from going into the sea. The winds reached up to 215 km/h…” The men grunted at the radio news while sitting on the bench of the tea stall in Kobi Bharat Chandra Road in Chandannagar. One of the older men put away the Ananda Bazar Patrika, picking up his glass of tea while some of the others looked through a notebook. One of them had thick spectacles on and a pen tucked behind his ear while the younger ones smoked cigarettes and debated about the India-Pakistan match at Sharjah, which Pakistan once again won by thirty-nine runs. “I am telling you, Poritosh Da, they cheated.” A young man said, letting out smoke. “No way they could have won the final had it not been at Sharjah.” “Oh, stop your theories. Nobody except Kambli stood up to them ...

She Left...

The war was over and so were the hopes of regaining Chittor. The Battle at Haldighati had robbed the Rana of all his wealth, and brave men, and bruised him for life. Trying to match up to Akbar or rather Raja Man Singh's army with one-third its strength had cost his bravery dearly. He had lost his friend and companion. He had brushed past death. The only good thing that this war ensured was that Akbar accepted that he cannot have Mewar. His army retreated and left the country in peace after almost two decades and seventeen wars. This war gave something else too. Kunwar Shakti came to help his brother in his time of need. He lived up to his brother's expectations of being loyal to his family. A heavy-hearted Rana Pratap Singh was overseeing the construction work on his lost friend's memorial right where he died, trying to save his master. The Bronze statue of the life-like Chetak stood tall but was no match for the void Chetak has left behind. He was lost in his thoughts as ...

Purnota: Chapter Five

Aniruddha finished reading the book he had carried with him in the dim light of the bulb in his room and decided to pack it away. He was leaving in a few days and wanted to make sure he left nothing behind. The construction work on the school had started, and the Panchayat wanted to give him a thankful farewell he humbly refused. The spotlight should be on Trilochon to help with his next election campaign. Aniruddha did not want to associate himself with the party or the job. He contemplated going back home and telling his father that he had decided to pursue a career in India instead of his initial plan of going back to London. He had been giving it a thought for quite some time, and the day he said it out loud to Bondita, he knew in his subconscious mind he had already decided on it. The more he saw the village, the more sure he was that he was needed by his countrymen. Dadu put faith in him that he could be part of something bigger than himself and his career, and he intended to kee...

Purnota: Chapter Two

“The car will not go beyond this point, Choto Malik .” The driver’s words forced Aniruddha to step out, and his feet landed in mud. “The wheels will get stuck. It seems like it rained a lot yesterday.” The driver added as he inspected the road in the dim light of the setting dusk. “How far is the house?” Aniruddha frowned, contemplating. “I can walk.” “This is just the beginning of the area; we have to look for it.” The driver shrugged. “Should I bring out your luggage?” Aniruddha sighed. He had a trolley and a bag. How could he walk with them in the mud? Leaving the car there was not safe either. “Who are you looking for?” The childish voice came through the silence around them, though nobody could be seen. Aniruddha looked around, and so did the alarmed driver. “Whose house are you searching for?” The voice was heard again. The driver jumped back a few steps, saying, “ Bh… Bh… Bhoot… ” “What?” Aniruddha shook his head as the man looked scared “There is no such thing as…” ...

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