Hijr: Again?

"The Department of Archaeology & Museums, Pakistan, in association with Archaeological Survey of India, celebrates 100 years of the Indus Saraswati civilisation," read the banner at the conference inside the Partition Museum.

Scripture expert intern Hoor Bhat stared at the board for quite some time. They were witnessing a historical event. Two countries at loggerheads had come together for the hundredth year celebration of discovering culture in the subcontinent they call home. She proudly wore the tricolour badge representing the country. She showed her ID card and walked in to be greeted by her seniors.

"Meet Taraksh Chauhan. He's joining us from across the border and is your teammate." Taraksh extended his hand while Hoor did the adaab. He nodded politely.

"So you are a scripture expert too?" She asked, hoping that the small talk would ease their tension.

"Symbols, actually. Heard we are trying to decipher the scriptures. The latest findings have a lot of new letters in them, it seems. If not words." His voice was very professional.

"Let's get to work then." Hoor was a woman of few words. Especially at work. The team head introduced them to the gallery where they would work.

"In one of our recent excavations along the river banks, we found these seals and cave paintings. The pictures on the table are close-ups of the seals and paintings. The symbols are very interesting. If you study them, you will see that the language, if you may call it that, seemed to be changing over the years under the influence of cross cultures. Our symbol and script experts here have a week to submit the reports that would be evaluated by both organisations. All the best."

Hoor's eyes scanned the table. There were ten of them there, all interns, eagerly looking across the table. Her eyes fell on a symbol. It had the shape of an eye, much eerily similar to the Egyptian ones. Her hand landed on the printed enlargement of the seal. Taraksh, at the same time, wanted to see the eye symbol up close. His hand stopped as Hoor picked it up. He smiled.

"We'll make a great team, Mohtarma." He smiled. "I was intrigued by this one, too." Hoor nodded.

"Let's get to work. First, I will set up the table." Taraksh offered.

"I will grab any similar kind of stuff I find here." Hoor smiled. "We have to start somewhere."

"So, where are you from?" He asked, making a similar image in his notebook.

"Umm… Ajmer. You?" She asked without looking up from scrutinising one of the seals with a magnifier.

"Lahore." He smiled. "It's a historian's paradise."

"I'd love to visit someday." Hoor smiled.

"Be my guest." Taraksh nodded. "You want coffee?"

"Tea, please. Thanks." Hoor didn't look up again as Taraksh walked away to grab some.

An interesting thing to note here is that the Indus Valley script can be read both ways, it is symmetrical and hence doesn't have a mirror image or direction of reading unlike other scriptures which makes it more difficult to decipher, not to mention the political tension between the countries prevent this hypothetical situation of working together towards the mystery of the oldest and largest of civilisations even more difficult.

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...

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...

One Night

Happy Valentine's Day, readers! Hope you put your self-love and your love for reading right at the top when you celebrate today! The night was eerie; the veil of stars shone in the clear sky, occasional clouds travelling with the wind, playing hide-and-seek with the crescent moon. The leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, and somewhere in the forestland, the call of an animal broke the silence. Owls hooted somewhere, and in the darkness, one could see across the arid land, beyond the water of a lake, a fort wall was lit by the torches of the guards who were awake and alert. The sandstone castle in the middle of the small township was asleep. The corridors of the Mardana Mahal, where noblemen and princes were stationed, were heavily guarded tonight. The prince of Mewar was travelling through this small town, on one of his many campaigns. The square-shaped palace had an inner courtyard for the ladies. Opposite the Mardana Mahal was the Andar Mahal, where the women resided. They shar...

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: 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 ...

The Wounds of Love

The procession had stopped at a clearing. The women and children needed to rest for the day. The maids and guards who had followed them into this life of difficulty and sacrifice quickly laid the tents for rest. The young crown princess, still a child, was not used to the extreme conditions of the open air and the desert sun. She was slightly feverish. In the tent, her mother put her hand on his warm forehead, worried. There were sounds of footsteps, and she grew alarmed. The tent curtains parted. Ajabdeh Punwar entered the tent she shared with Pur Bai Solankini, a little worried. She managed a smile at Pur Bai as she checked the princess's fever. She checked the medicines kept by the bed and, after a reassuring nod at Pur Bai, stepped outside the tent where an eager Amar waited for her. "Keep vigil on your sisters." She ordered the eight-year-old as a pang of pain hit her. She did not want to take away his childhood and innocence with the weight of responsibilities so so...

Protectors

Rao Surtan was at the Fort gates as the soldiers tried in vain to attack with arrows from above the towers. His troop was stronger and more competent than the one Balwant headed at the Bijolia Fort Gates. They had managed to hold the troops back for a day, but they feared they could no longer do so. “Break the door”, Surtan ordered the elephants. “Where is Ajabdeh?” Hansa looked around the cellar. “Jija!” Ratan exclaimed. “She was on the roof last time I saw her.” “Ajabdeh.” Hansa Bai opened the cellar door and stepped out, followed by Ratan, who was equally worried. “Stay back!” Sajja Bai called in vain as Jaivanta Bai too walked out and up the stairs to the corridors of the Rani Mahal in search of Ajabdeh. Surtan’s troop had entered the palace, and he made his way to the Rani Mahal. He was having different thoughts now. Killing Jaivanta Bai won't yield him anything… Maybe capturing a few young maidens… Ratan froze in the corridor, seeing the man approach. Behind...

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...

Wedding Bells

Udai Singh was adjusting his turban when a smiling Sajja Bai entered to take something from the room. He smiled back at her, asking, “ So Solankini Ji, are you happy now?” “ Ji Ranaji. This all still seems like a dream." “Yes, seems like yesterday Kunwar Pratap and Kunwar Shakti used to run about the palace.” “ And fight!” She added. “ They used to fight all day but could never stay away from each other.” “ Remember that time Shakti got hurt?” “ Kunwar Pratap cried more than him!” Jaivanta Bai smiled as she heard the conversation. “ These two are like each other’s shadows. Remember when five-year-old Pratap asked me what marriage was?” They all laughed at the memories. “ Yes, and Jija told him that some girl will come and be his friend forever and in exchange, you have to share everything with her.” “ And Kunwar Pratap!” Udai Singh Laughed. “ Pratap was wailing that he never shares anything with anyone except Bhai Shakti.” “ And Kunwar Shakti was t...

Alliance and Love

Ajabdeh sat quietly on the palace balcony, her baby sound asleep on the Jhula . Unlike traditional Princesses, she did not let her firstborn be taken care of by Dai Ma . After all, she was the future Maharani and had to make sure the heir to the throne was safe. After all, she was one of the few to know how manipulative her stepmother-in-law was. The Bhatiyani Queen hated her husband. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and grew alarmed. "Baiji Sa..." She was relieved to see her Daasi . " Yes, what is it?" She asked, eagerly. " Maharani Sa sent you a message to be ready. Kunwar sa and Rana ji will be arriving back in Chittor any time soon, and it's been twenty-one days, so Maharani Sa wants you to welcome Kunwarsa yourself." As the Daasi left, she picked up her newborn, kissed his forehead and whispered, " Kunwar Sa will see you for the first time." Her eyes twinkled with joy. He had written to her continuously these last few months when he cou...

RAABTA

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