RAABTA

 READ ALL CHAPTERS “So here is where Maharana Pratap met his wife Maharani Ajabdeh Baisa and years later her brothers would fight alongside him in Haldighati.” Roshni stopped as the group applauded.  “We never knew such a small place was so significant.” One of the elderly people in the group spoke. “And he also has such a wonderful love story.” One of the younger ones gushed. Roshni smiled.  “Thank you for being a part of my heritage walk. Do give your reviews and sign up online if you want a tour of Kumbhalgarh and Haldighati for the same.” She greeted them. Excusing herself as her phone buzzed she checked her message and smiled. Turning to the guide she spoke in Mewari, “Take the guests back to the hotel and drop me off at Menal.” “But isn’t your next walk at Chittorgarh?” The man asked. “Yes.” She nodded “But my fiancee is working there so I have to go see him.” she smiled. “I will go there afterwards with him and return to Udaipur together.” The ASI had cordoned off ...

  Jivanta glanced over to the hospital bench opposite hers, where Pratap sat, his eyes fixed on the corridor where they had wheeled Roshni to the ICU. She couldn’t understand anything. She had asked Roshni and she had repeated there was no… what irked Jivanta was how she was genuinely concerned about a man she barely knew who caused her so much humiliation. She didn’t give herself credit for being so kind or weak. She found a woman around her age approach, Pratap, as he got up at her sight, and hugged her tight.  “It will be fine.” The woman whispered as Pratap let out what Jivanta thought was a sob. Did he love Roshni that much? Jivanta sighed trying to look away from them as Pratap brought the woman over to her. “This is my mother.” He spoke, his voice still hoarse. Jivanta looked up at the woman who smiled faintly. “Roshni is a strong child, she will be fine.” Hansa sat down beside Jivanta as Pratap went to get them some tea, while they talked. “Did you… meet her?” Jivanta ...

  Pratap was outside the gates of Meera Girls College in Udaipur by the next afternoon, unsure of whether to go in and ask for her. He spotted a few girls walking out and one of them kept staring at him suspiciously before approaching him. He stood in his spot still awkward as she asked, “Aren’t you that ASI guy who Roshni met?” “I… what?” Pratap narrowed his eyes “I am sorry, I don’t remember you.” “I am Mahek.” The girl waved her hand and smiled “I was with her at Chawand.” “Oh, I see.” Pratap sighed. “I found some information that might help her …err… project.” He stopped at Mahek’s suspicious frown. “So I thought…” “You came all the way here to give her some information about her project?” Pratap cursed himself inwardly. Indeed that sounded lame when she repeated it. “Why didn’t you call her?” “I…” He cleared his throat “I lost her number so… I was hoping that she would be interested in an on-field internship…” “Oh, wait, I will give you her number. But she isn’t here and I don...

For two days Roshni watched her mother happily humming a tune going about her chores and telling every person who called or met that she had agreed to meet a groom. The more she saw her mother’s happiness, the more Roshni was sure of her decision. But when she called Vamshika, she immediately showed her concerns.  “A marriage proposal?” Her gasp was quite evident over the phone “You went there to get married?” Mahek snatched the phone and spoke, “But what about your degree?” “I will finish college first.” Roshni wanted to sound convincing “Besides it is just the first meeting. I am halfway through my project. I will be back next week or so.” “Don’t bother,” Mahek replied. “The Fest has been announced and the next week’s classes are off for us to work on that.” She sounded disappointed.  “Oh, okay I will be back when the classes resume then, are you upset with me?” Before Roshni could even finish her sentence the phone was disconnected. She sighed. Even if this went through she...

Roshni came home a little sceptical of her mother’s reaction. Usually, Jivanta would see right through her and coming home in the middle of the college session was very unusual for her daughter. Roshni knew sooner or later her mother would ask questions about her plans. She spent most of the morning helping her mother with chores, and when she left for work, Roshni would sit with books and start working on her project. She had decided to start with the family tree Hansa was kind enough to give her, of the Maharani of Mewar’s lineage and then draw an outline of her character from the folklores she had heard. Midway through the character sketch she tore the page into a ball and threw it away. It didn’t seem right. She tried again. By the time Jivanta returned home, for the third day in a row she was welcomed by a cold lunch that was untouched way into the evening, heaps of discarded paper and books and pens lying around the floor of the bigger of the two rooms. Frustrated, she kept her p...