Beginning of an Era

1605, Lahore Fort

As footsteps approached the cold dark room, the ladies in waiting rushed to prepare the evening hookah and light up the red stone mansion. Their Sultana never liked a room left dark after dusk. But the wave of her dismissive hand made them stop as a single lamp flickered in a corner, making the shadows dance in the faint light while she ordered them to leave her alone. They slowly moved away, leaving the elderly lady to her thoughts.

Drawing the veil of the Sharara away from her head, she sat down in between two velvet cushions on the seat looking over the evening sky that had turned into a shade of red. Taking the tip of the hookah pipe in her hand, Rukaiya Sultana Begum sighed.

The Zenana Mahal opposite her palace was decked in lamps and marigolds, as a mark of festivities, with Hindustani musicians playing something for the Rajput ladies to dance to. The aroma of a feast as well as perfumes filled the air, as guests kept arriving. The Queen Mother was overlooking the celebrations of her son’s official coronation. His wives laughed and made merry while on the other side of the Palace stood a contrasting scene of silence.

The Turkish Harem was drowned in a sense of loss and darkness. Silence lurked at every corner of the fairly empty corridors. The oldest queen, Salima Begum sat in the courtyard overlooking the preparations of the feast that had been ordered for the harem ladies by the new emperor. The aroma of cooked meat filled the air but none of the ladies drank wine or gossiped. Salima Begum sighed, looking around for someone as a eunuch came and bowed.

“The feast is ready. Convey my words to Pa… “She stopped carefully biting her lips with a sigh. “The Sultana Sahiba.”

“But Begum Sahiba, she had instructed us not to disturb her in the evening. She wanted to be left alone and will be fasting.” The words made Salima Begum’s eyes shine a little as music from the Zenana filled the silent air.

Rukaiya Begum had clearly stated her reasons for being absent from the coronation ceremony, as the mourning Padshah Begum of the deceased emperor, and wanted to be left alone. The Rajput traditions, the beaming faces of the Queen Mother and the smiles of their courtiers made her feel as if she was imprisoned in this happy place. She couldn’t even mourn him in peace. The music hurt her ears. She was slipping away into oblivion, fading away into death even while she was alive.

It was not that she felt disrespected in the new regime. Salim had sought her advice and permission for the coronation as per the traditions, and chosen the name “Jahangir” for himself. If rumours were to be believed then he had slowly poisoned his own father for the throne. Yet when he stood in front of her, Rukaiya blessed him with success and glory. She had to bless the son he loved but never understood. She had willingly given up her rights as the Padshah Begum to the deceased emperor. As per the traditions, the Queen's mother Mariam Ur Zamani had taken over the duties until the new Emperor chose his empress. She had been there while the announcements were made. Yet in a crowd of kin, she knew her loss was unparallel and irreplaceable.

“Oh, Jalal.”

Her voice cracked in a whisper as teardrops wet her surma-clad eyes and trickled down her now wrinkling cheeks. “It has only been a mere few months yet it seems like you were never here, you are forgotten.” She sobbed holding on to the cushion with both hands. “I am failing you Jalal; I am failing to keep us alive.” She knew this day would come when she would perhaps live a life as insignificant as the concubines in the harem, but could she complain? She had lived the most glorious life and witnessed the most powerful reign by his side. She had survived childless, in the Harem and his heart.

She was alarmed by the footstep in the hallway. She had clearly said no visitors were to disturb her now. But who could it be to defy the guards that stood at her door?

“Shah Ammi” She quickly wiped away her tears as she heard Khurram at the threshold “Why are you sitting alone?”

“Khurram Baba, why are you here, my Shehzaade?” Rukaiya Sultana Begum tried to ease her voice. “You must be...”

“Come join the Turkish Harem at dinner, Salima Begum has arranged everything.” He said in a curious voice “All the noble ladies want to see you.”

“You carry on my child. I do not feel very good, but I am sure Salima Begum will take care of them well. I will attend to the guests in the morning.” Rukaiya tried to look away as Khurram’s eyes reflected worry. Was it her imagination or did he have his grandfather’s eyes?

“They said he will choose Jagat Gossain Begum, as his Padshah Begum,” Khurram said in a matter-of-fact tone. Rukaiya stared at his emotionless face while he spoke of his biological mother. A sudden guilt crept into her heart. She had separated this child at birth from his mother. There was no surprise that his emotions were on her side more than his own mother’s. But then Rukaiya knew she had raised him well. Adequate enough to be an Emperor, he would be as trained in his weaponry as in his administrative skills as well as books and poetry. Rukaiya had made him the way Jalal would have loved their child to be. He was kind yet clever. Rukaiya cupped his face with half a smile.

“My dear, if it is so then give her my regards. I will arrange for some gifts.” Khurram looked at her face a little worried.

“Are you all right Shah Ammi?”

“Yes, my child. I am. You go on; be present at court and please your father.” Rukaiya said in a rather emotionless voice. The boy, at the threshold of his teens, was unaware of how the politics of the house worked. He did not know his value to her existence now. Her only hope to remain relevant in the Harem was Khurram. He was already his father’s favourite over the over-ambitious Khusrau who could pose a threat to Jahangir’s throne. After all, the apple never fell far from the tree.

“Your boy will one day rule Hind.” Jalal often used to tell her as they watched him play “king” with his playmates. She often smiled shrugging off the Emperor’s words as a consolation to her unfulfilled desires. Now the Emperor’s clearly implied liking towards Khurram as his heir apparent made her hope. Rukaiya heaved a sigh of relief. There was still a chance for the Timurid traditions to live in the overcrowded harem, through her son. She had to make sure every move and every pawn was played well from now on.

Khurram sat close to her lap, making her feel at peace in his innocence and warmth. He often spoke of things she failed to understand. She remembered those evenings not very long back when Jalal and he used to indulge in these conversations about saints and Sufis, of spirituality and Din I Ilahi as the future of the land. Unfortunately, even the greatest emperor was wrong at times; like he was wrong about his beloved Sheikhu Baba. The man who sat on the throne today was not the boy Rukaiya loved and pampered but the one who had rebelled against the land, his own father and had perhaps, if rumours were to be believed, killed him.

She had watched in silence as the Queen Mother made sure that the Rajputs were a strong part of the Harem, marrying her son and heir apparent first to Maan Bai of Amer, whom Jahangir lovingly called Shah Begum and then to a princess of Marwar who was renamed Jagat Gossain. She stared at Khurram’s bright face. He was the reason she had stayed put through many wrongs, overseen the otherwise obvious signs that the Emperor was being surrounded by enemies not far from home, and perhaps was responsible in some ways for losing him. He was the reason she needed to fight on.

Khurram, the later Shah Jahan was brought up by Rukaiya Sultana Begum, his grandfather’s first wife and chief consort, not only as a guardian but as an adopted son. He called his grandparent's parents and stayed with them until Akbar’s demise. His biological mother was Marwar Princess Jagat Gossaini (her title). After Akbar’s death and his consequent training, they moved to Agra where he finally stayed with his biological parents. Emperor Akbar died in 1605 from dysenteric disorder. Although nothing is clearly mentioned, rumours had it that it was Jahangir or his aides who had poisoned the emperor. However, these are only folklore with no historical evidence.

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Protisruti

প্রতিশ্রুতি বন্দিতা মা কে জড়িয়ে ধরে যেন প্রাণ ফিরে পায়। “ভাল আছিস?” জিগেস করে সুমতি। বন্দিতা হঠাৎ খেয়াল করে আগের মতো তার মুখ দেখেই তার মা আর তার মনের অবস্থা বুঝতে পারেন না। তার সাথে হঠাৎ মনে পরে কত অনায়াসে অনিরুদ্ধ বোঝে যে তার মন খারাপ। একবার জিজ্ঞেস করেছিল সে স্বামীকে, কি করে তিনি বোঝেন তার মন খারাপ। ছোট বন্দিতাকে তার মতন করে বুঝিয়েছিলেন তার স্বামী। আজ বন্দিতা বড় হয়েছে কিন্তু সেই প্রশ্ন সে আর করতে পারেনা। বন্দিতাকে খাটিয়ার উপর বসিয়ে এর মধ্যেই সুমতি যায় তার জন্য মুড়ি মুড়কি আনতে। বন্দিতার চোখ পরে পায়ের নূপুরের উপর। তিনি বলেছিলেন “তুমি খুশি হলে তোমার নূপুরের আওয়াজ অন্যরকম হয়, আর তোমার মন খারাপ হলে অন্যরকম।” বন্দিতা নূপুরটা বাজিয়ে দেখেছিল সেদিন। আজকে সে জানে পার্থক্য তার নূপুরের শব্দে নয়, অনিরুদ্ধের পর্যবেক্ষণ শক্তিতে। আবার কেন তার কথা ভাবছে সে? বাড়ি এসেছে মায়ের কাছে। আর ভাববে না সে, হয়তো দু তিন দিন পর ত্রিলোচনবাবু পাঠাবেন বিহারী কে বন্দিতাকে বাড়ি নিয়ে যেতে, ততদিন মায়ের কাছে একটু শান্তিতে থাকুক না সে। দুপুরে আম দুধ দিয়ে ভাত দেয় তাকে সুমতি। “তোর প্রিয় খাবার দেখ, মাম...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

RAABTA

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