ZINDA HAR PYAAR RAHE

“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 fiancé 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 the Mahanal group of temples and Math at Menal for restoration work, and Pratap sat on a rock, staring at the waterfalls behind the temples absentmindedly. There was still a lot of restoration work that needed to be done, and they had five days. He looked at the phone and smiled. Roshni was so passionate about her storytelling and heritage walks across Chittor, Bijoliya and Kumbhalgarh that they barely found time to spend with each other. So when she offered for him to move in with her at Udaipur, he was more than happy to. Convincing the mothers that they wanted to wait for some time and do some meaningful work before getting married was a hard task, but both of them had always been stubborn when it came to their relationship. He heard her approach as he turned with a smile, and Roshni sulked.

“I should stop wearing these anklets. You always get to know when I'm here.” She frowned as he smiled.

“I would still know you are here, I always do.” He patted, gesturing at her to sit on the rock beside him as she did so in silence.

“The walk went well.” She spoke as he nodded.

“Doesn’t it always?”

“I hope it increases intrigue on Bijoliya.” She spoke softly as he held her hand in his.

“Well, you are doing a good job at it,” he smiled. “But have you called the therapist?”

“Yes. I informed her that I have stopped having the dreams and I sleep peacefully now.” She smiled. “And there are no more flashes and deja vu.”

“What did she say?” he asked, tightening his grip on her hand.

“That the treatment was a success then.” Roshni smiled back faintly.

“Maybe it was.” his voice faded.

“Maybe.” She kept her head on his shoulder as their fingers entwined, and she smiled.

The sun set behind the waterfalls in a beautiful red hue like that of vermillion in the hairline of a new bride as they sat in silence. The wind whispered in their ears the tales of love, hope and sacrifices it had witnessed through decades and eras. Only a few like them could decipher its words and hear it speak as their breath, heartbeats and the waterfalls made music in perfect sync.

The End

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

The Difficult Times

Rana Pratap rose to prominence as the new hope for Mewar after his coronation on Holi, 1st March, 1572. His subjects and chiefs had a lot of faith in his ability to remove the Timurid influence from Rajputana. In the year 1573, in February, June and November, Raja Man Singh, his father Bhagwan Das and Todal Mal came to persuade the Rana on alliances respectively. Although he received the fellow Rajputs cordially, their purpose remained unsolved. These frequent visits to his court from alliances of Akbar made Gogunda vulnerable as a capital. He decided to move to a small village at Girwa, about 8 miles from Haldighati. Not being able to reach him anymore, Akbar's chieftains were forced to prepare for war against the Rana. Under the leadership of Man Singh, Akbar's army reached Haldighati, the chosen battlefield on the banks of the Banas River. The brave Rajputs, having only half the army's strength, fought bravely, and an injured Rana was taken to safety by his favourite ...

Forever

" The Day Amar Singh was born, Mewar celebrated like it was Diwali. The palace was decorated, and so was Ajabde's room. Amar was lying in a golden cot when I saw him for the very first time. He looked like my Pratap used to as a kid. Today, when I look at Amar, I see a lot of Ajabde in him." Jaivanta Bai smiled at a beaming fourteen-year-old. " Ranaji too was so happy with Mewar's uttaradhikaar." Her smile faded at the memories. The differences started afterwards. " He was so happy that he founded the new capital that year only." She spoke up. " What about Daajiraj and Badi Ranima?" Kunwar Chand, nine, enquired. Solankhini and Jasobai interrupted the conversation. " Come now, all of you, Kunwar Amar, Kunwar Chand, Kunwar Bhagwandas, and Rajkumari, it's late. Time for bed." Solankhini spoke. " Please, Majhli maa. A little more. " Bhagwan Das, a five-year-old, pleaded. " Haan Majhli Maa... let Dada bh...

The Maharana and his Prodigy

We do not know exactly when Ajabde Punwar passed, but it was after the capital was shifted to Chawand, and we can assume it occurred between 1583 CE and 1597 CE. During the last few years of his reign, especially after the birth of his first grandson, Karan Singh of Mewar (Born on 1st August, 1583, according to Veer Vinod), to Aarti Bai Chauhan and Amar Singh I, Maharana Pratap decided to leave most of the administrative work to Amar, while he focused solely on rebuilding an army to regain the outpost at Chittorgarh which was under his half brothers rule who had joined the Timurids. The timeline also coincides with the time when a young Prince Salim, in one of his early expeditions, was injured in Mewar, and that prompted Akbar to remove Timurid outposts from Mewar (according to Akbarnama). However, the real reason was the constant attack on these outposts by Mewari Soldiers, and the cost of movement of these soldiers proved to be expensive for the emperor, who, after the Battle o...

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