Bells

Tarabai approached Ishaan Dev with slow measured steps, following Mallal into his chambers after he summoned her. She stood at a distance watching him doing something with his back to her, her heart thumping in her chest. Tiny droplets of perspiration appeared on her forehead and her lips felt dry.

“Where is it?” Ishaan Dev glanced over his shoulder while admiring the cleaned sheath of his sword when Tarabai’s face turned pale.

“Wha… what?” Her voice stuttered as Ishaan Dev frowned, confused and turned to face her.

“You said you are going to the temple. Where are the offerings?” He asked firmly. A little relieved by his query, Tarabai smiled faintly, still unsure of what he knew. Was he testing her? She asked for his permission and proceeded to go back to her chambers and in the faint light of the lamp, her hand reached the pouch beside the offerings. She shuddered, immediately letting it go as it rolled over the cold floor while she picked up the offerings wrapped in the leaf and quickly went back to his chambers. Ishaan Dev took the offerings to his lips with a small prayer.

“Thank you.” He smiled at her. Tarabai looked taken aback at his words at first. Never before had he ever thanked her for anything. “Do leave some of it here, I will give it to the Maharani with your best wishes.” He suggested. This relieved Tarabai of her doubt of him spying on her movements.

Tarabai was about to do what she was told, placing the leaf down on the table in front of her when she stopped, as if Trishaan Dev controlled her mind. Still scared of her thoughts and intentions, she asked, “If you don’t mind My Lord, can I give this to Her Highness myself?” Ishaan Dev narrowed his eyes at her odd request as Tarabai clutched the leaf in between her palms.

“I will never have a child to call my own. The least I can do…” Her eyes shone in the light of the lamps around the room. Her sentence was cut midway as she controlled herself and Ishaan Dev suddenly felt a sense of sadness around her. Of course, she was human. Would it be far-fetched for her to have human needs and emotions? He eyed Tarabai, standing in his room, unsurely staring back at him. Ishaan Dev’s throat felt dry. Was he naive to her feelings? Of course not. He did value her, just not in a way she perhaps wanted to be valued. His upbringing taught him to draw the line fairly well. But could he not give her this much happiness?

“You may.” He nodded with a smile, “She will be happy to receive it from you.” He had watched Tarabai leave silently with a short bow. She looked as if something preoccupied her but it wasn’t his position to have a conversation with a concubine regarding her inner feelings. He never wanted any of them to have a wrong idea. He was well aware, unlike anyone else believed, of his father’s tryst with his favourite concubine which resulted in a strain on his relationship with his mother and the fact that he always felt his mother was deprived of his love. He was also aware of who Trishaan Dev was. He couldn’t make the same mistakes.

Tarabai was sleepless on what seemed to be the longest night of her life. She twisted and turned in her bed, opened the pouch several times poured its contents out in her lap and placed them back in the pouch with trembling hands again. Tarabai stared at herself in the unclean mirror of the room, thinking about what life had brought her. What it had given her. Unlike others who spend all their lives in the Kothi blaming their fate and God’s will, she had accepted it more easily the day a strange man pulled her up from her sleep and told her that her father had left her to him. She was scared, alone and even sometimes unsure but never blamed her fate or God. Some even said she was brave. Was she? If she was, she would have told Adhiraja about her encounter with Trishaan Dev. Why didn’t she? Perhaps because he wouldn’t believe a concubine over the best friend he grew up with. Or because she knew somewhere in this entire ploy, Trishaan Dev was not alone. If he was caught, she wouldn’t be spared. If he wasn’t caught she would always be his eyes and ears even if she didn’t want to be. With dawn, she had made up her mind on what she should do, for her own sake. All her life she had lived to serve others. Now was the time to be selfish. She summoned Sehri to make her bathe ready.

“Get me my best attire, I have a meeting with the Maharani.” Tarabai smiled at the girl who ran at her instructions.

Maharani Priyambada was getting ready for the courtroom in her chambers as Vrinda brushed her hair and two maids helped her with her jewellery. It was Urvi who came to her room and bowed to inform her that Tarabai was there to see her. The maids exchanged rather shocked and judgemental looks, while Vrinda gasped involuntarily. Had they ever heard a concubine enter the chambers of a Maharani? Oh, what a sin!

“Let her in,” Priyambada smiled at a confused Urvi. “I was expecting her.”

Tarabai had entered the room as the judgemental eyes hawked her every move. She looked up at the mirror, as Priyambada sat with her back to Tarabai, her face visibly glowing in the morning sunshine.

“I heard you went to the temple for me yesterday?” Maharani Priyambada smiled as she got up, placing her hand involuntarily over her stomach. Tarabai’s eyes travelled to her hand, painted and shining with jewellery. She wasn’t showing yet.

“Are you going to the courtroom Maharani?” She sounded concerned “Did I interrupt…”

“Oh no, I was expecting you. I have been quite bored around my chambers, so I just…” Priyambada stopped, for now, the maids were turning their heads at her. She was engaging in banter with her husband’s favourite concubine.

“I… got you…” Tarabai held out the offerings Priyambada smiled and took them. Urvi was about to take it from her hand but Priyambada touched it to her forehead and ate it. Tarabai’s throat went dry as she cleared it to speak “Umm… I better not keep you…” Priyambada nodded as she bowed and promptly left. Tarabai ran to her room and shut the door behind her as she wiped the perspiration off her forehead. She glanced over at the sand clock shining in the sunrays and the empty pouch that lay beside it.

The court session was a mundane one. Neelambargarh had lost its two best ministers and Ishaan Dev had decided to take up the Defense himself and handed the Finances over to one of the other ministers. A few issues were discussed, and none reached a valid conclusion. Further debates ensued. Ishaan Dev even while he was engrossed in the ministers debating their cause, eyed Priyambada, sitting on the high chair beside his, more than once still she gave him an annoyed warning glance to make him stop. After the court session rolled into the afternoon, Ishaan Dev raised his hand, dismissing the men, assuring them they would continue the next day. The last thing he wanted was for his pregnant wife to skip lunch. Urvi helped Priyambada back to her chambers. It wasn’t until after lunch when the peacocks were heard at a distance and the afternoon rolled into dusk that Priyambada suddenly felt slightly uneasy. She was perhaps tired so she laid down to rest but couldn’t sleep. Her restlessness alerted Urvi and worried Vrinda. After her repeated requests not to inform Adhiraja, Urvi suggested she would get into trouble and let Devdoot inform him. Ishaan Dev was perplexed. He was already against her attending court and thought she might have over-exerted herself. The medicine men were summoned immediately and Urvi led them down the hallway to her chambers. The palace was suddenly silenced as the sunset brought in the darkness around it.

Adhiraj Ishaan Dev was strolling across the terrace on his wing, the moonlight making the surroundings quite easily visible, murmuring a soft prayer under his breath for moments that looked like hours as he waited with bated breath for news of her well-being. The bell tower in the north suddenly rang once. Then twice and thrice. Ishaan Dev looked up, his heart skipping a beat at the third ring. He was not alien to the concept of emergency bells ringing in Suryapali’s palace. The code for these was the same across the land. Three times meant someone was probably nearing death. His throat went dry as he heard Devdoot call out to him from the threshold. The urgency in his voice made Ishaan’s heart sink. “Your Majesty! Come with me immediately!”

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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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