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, and they needed to be respected. Apart from that, the fate of the sister and niece whom 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 he; 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 Chowdhury did not hesitate to show it to anyone if he didn't like them. Bondita's uncle was one of those people. Trilochan Babu was shocked by what he heard from Bouma's mouth about how they treated her, and then even more surprised at seeing Bouma's affection towards them. But they were family. What could be done if someone arrived at his doorstep with sweets? It is not in the landlord's taste to disrespect a guest. Bondita took her uncle’s blessing and asked about her mother. How was she doing? Was she worried about Bondita, and what Mama should tell her? Trilochanbabu knew that Bouma had not seen her mother for a long time.
"Then, Bouma, go with your Mama, come back in a few days." Trilochan's words make Bondita's eyes sparkle.
"Really, can I go?" Bondita asked in disbelief. Trilochan nodded his head. "If he doesn’t object..."
"No, no, why will I..." Bondita’s uncle smiled sheepishly, "If she wants to come..."
"Wait, Mama, I'll be right back." Bondita ran inside. While tying the bundle, her hand stopped once. Should she tell Barristra Babu? Should she ask his permission? Her ego got the better of her. He didn't want her to stay, didn't trust her, and Jyatha Shoshur Moshai told her to go. Why bother asking him again? She would go to stay with her mother. He would be fine, perhaps better off without her. He would not find his things, that would be good. He wouldn’t have to see her face, not stay out of the house angry with her, and he could sleep in his bed. He would be fine.

Absent-mindedly packing her things Bondita did not realise when Aniruddha came and stood behind her. For a long time, he watched her pack a bundle, a frown on his face, fear in his heart. After that day, they didn't talk about anything but things unavoidable. He tried many times but couldn’t understand what to say to Bondita.

"Where are you taking these things?" Bondita was startled by his words. The comb fell out of her hand. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Aniruddha picking up the comb from the floor, a look of displeasure on his face.

“You? Why are you up?” Bondita suddenly asked, "So early?"

"Bihari said, Mama... what are these?"

"I will go home with Mama."

"Why?" Aniruddha tried hard not to sound agitated as Bondita jolted back.

"I mean, Jyathamoshai said I can go to see Mother..."

"You're not going anywhere." Aniruddha suddenly started taking out things from her bundle. "You don't need to go with uncle, I said I will take you to meet her." Bondita got angry at his demeanour. She forgot her vow to be grateful to him and stopped him. After so many years of a habit of arguing with her Barristra Babu got the better of her.

"Why won’t I go?" Aniruddha stopped and looked at her, suddenly relieved by the tone in Bondita’s voice. It had a hint of right towards him, "Why won't I go to my mother with my uncle?" Bondita tried to snatch the bundle from his hand in vain.

"I said I will take you," Aniruddha said, lifting the bundle on his head, beyond her reach.

"Yes, you are taking today and tomorrow too. Give me back my things. Jetha's Shoshur Moshai told me to go." Bondita taunted.

"I said you are not going."

"So, are you preventing me from meeting my mother?"

“No. You know very well why I am stopping you.” His stare made her look away.

"No, I don't know." Protests erupted more strongly in Bondita’s voice. "You're acting like a madman."

"What?" Even Bondita was shocked at the words that came out of her mouth as Aniruddha looked flabbergasted. She was afraid that she had successfully angered him more.

"You called me crazy for your stubbornness?" Aniruddha's voice sounded bitter. "Bondita, you know well why you are insisting and why I don't accept that insistence."

"What's going on?" Seeing Trilochanbabu outside the threshold, Bondita pulled her Ghomta on her head quickly, realising it had fallen off in the middle of the argument. Aniruddha dropped the bundle, and a look of awkwardness was reflected on both of their faces. Trilochan Roy Chowdhury cleared his throat. He knew that the ghost of stubbornness often danced on these two, leading them to meaningless arguments he could never make sense of, but arguing like this, especially when there was a guest at home, what was wrong with them?

"Look, he won't let me go to my mother." Bondita startled Aniruddha with a complaint.

"No... I mean" Aniruddha looked a little lost for words in front of his uncle. “I say, why bother, Mama, I will take her.”

"When?" Bondita snapped. ”How many times have you said this in the past year? Did you take me there once?"

"Bouma is right, let her go with her uncle. You have been busy. And he is her Mama, it won’t bother him. You go and pick her up in a day or two, what's the harm?”

"He doesn’t have to go."Bondita protested. "He's so busy he can't bring me home, so you must send Bihari."

"I can. I can bring you home.” Aniruddha protested firmly, and Bondita eyed him.

"Then what is the problem? Get her the day after tomorrow. Bouma, come quickly, your uncle says the train will leave if you don’t go now.” Trilochan Babu still did not understand why his son was protesting like this. But he never tried to understand all that he did or said, what's the point? "And Aniruddha, you should make Bouma a lawyer." He jokingly added, "She can argue better than you."

Before Aniruddha could understand, Bondita snatched the bundle of clothes from his hand and packed the rest of the things in a hurry. Standing with folded hands for a while, Anirudha watched her. Then she took out a saree to change into, took the key from the lock, and said, "I will put it in this drawer, you will need it." She went to the washroom to change her saree. Aniruddha tied some loose change in a handkerchief, "You may find it useful." He said, offering it to Bondita, raising his eyes and observing his wife’s pale face.

"Believe me, I will go there myself. I will bring you back." Bondita lifted her eyes at him briefly. "Everything you think is not true. I... ” Suddenly afraid of what Aniruddha wanted to talk about the subject Bondita stepped back.

"It's getting late, I need to go." Suddenly she took his blessing interrupting him mid-thought and left the room. Aniruddha sighed and stood there for a while. "Dugga Dugga." He said to himself.

Comments

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

Purnota: Chapter Three

“Did you ask for me, Dadu?” Bondita asked as the old man smiled at her. She looked fresh, with her hair neatly braided and a cotton pleated skirt, Thamma sewn with a faded top of one of her cousins, as she stood before the old man sitting on the porch. “Yes indeed, Didibhai, you didn’t come for chess yesterday.” The man smiled. “Oh, Pradhan Jyatha wanted me to look out for the …” She stopped as she saw Aniruddha walking towards them down the corridor. She eyed him as the old man followed her gaze. “Oh Aniruddha Babu, come here. This is Bondita Das.” Aniruddha smiled at the child as she looked away. “She is the only girl in the village who has appeared for her final examinations this year. She is very intelligent and…” Aniruddha nodded “She helped me a lot yesterday.” He made her look up, with a cold stare at him as he smiled politely. “Yes, I have called her here to show you around the village. He wants to see the affected areas of the Adivasis, Bondita.” The old man made her nod. “But...

She Left...

The war was over and so were the hopes of regaining Chittor. The Battle at Haldighati had robbed the Rana of all his wealth, and brave men, and bruised him for life. Trying to match up to Akbar or rather Raja Man Singh's army with one-third its strength had cost his bravery dearly. He had lost his friend and companion. He had brushed past death. The only good thing that this war ensured was that Akbar accepted that he cannot have Mewar. His army retreated and left the country in peace after almost two decades and seventeen wars. This war gave something else too. Kunwar Shakti came to help his brother in his time of need. He lived up to his brother's expectations of being loyal to his family. A heavy-hearted Rana Pratap Singh was overseeing the construction work on his lost friend's memorial right where he died, trying to save his master. The Bronze statue of the life-like Chetak stood tall but was no match for the void Chetak has left behind. He was lost in his thoughts as ...

You Deserve More

Ajabdeh woke up with the song of birds as she felt something warm on her hand. Her eyes went wide. Her hand was on the pillow in between them, between his hands, clasped as he slept. She thought of removing it slowly, but he was holding on to it so tightly. Ajabdeh's heart beat faster and faster. What do I do now? How do I not wake him? What if... why is my hand in his? She was utterly confused. " Am I...In love?" Pratap was staring at the sleeping figure on the bed as he stared back at the rain. Then he frowned as he noticed that she shivered. He closed the windows of the room to make it cosy, then sat on his side of the bed. A lamp flickered on her side like always, and he stared at her sleeping figure as he put his blanket over her as well. She shifted a little in her sleep to make herself cosy again. Her payals and bangles made a rhythmic sound, breaking the silence of the room. Her hand was out of her blanket and on the pillow in between. He tried to slowly put it ...

Purnota: Chapter Four

The group of youth provided by the Pradhan proved efficient for Aniruddha’s liking as they helped him survey the villages, create a set of data and provide a rough idea of how much fund was needed to rebuild the roofs and fallen walls. “What if we make them permanent? That way, the next cyclone will cause less damage. Pakka houses may also get other facilities like toilets and…” Aniruddha suggested as his eyes shone in the flickering light of the dimly lit kerosene lamp in the living room of Pradhan’s house. Drops of perspiration had formed on his forehead in the load-shedding, and the mosquitoes buzzed around them. For the first two nights, Aniruddha could barely sleep in the unfamiliar surroundings with buzzing insects, sounds of the unknown, and eerie animals here and there at a distance. Stories of snakes climbing up to the second floor through windows despite the mosquito net protecting his four-poster bed kept him alarmed. By the third day, after a day’s survey through the villag...

Purnota: Chapter Six

Kalindi waited outside the hut, on the torn mat they usually slept on, using the hand fan to drive away mosquitoes as she stared at the empty path leading out of the house, the path Bondita had taken some time back. It was almost an hour. Did the foolish girl escape or land in trouble? To her relief, she could hear her nephew snoring away indoors, reassuring her that they were at least not caught by the villagers till now. She was sure Bondita would return empty-handed and hurt, and that she would have no other way than to accept the proposal from the Pradhan. That morning, her Kaka would accompany Sarkar Moshai to the adjacent village to talk to a family friend of the Sarkars. They were looking for a bride for their sixteen-year-old eldest son, who worked as a labourer in Sealdah. Kalindi had tears in her eyes. Not much had changed in these years; not much of women’s fate was different, wasn't it? Kalindi was about ten years old when her father took her to the Roy Chowdhury house ...

A Heart at War

Legend has it that Pratap had to struggle for his father Rana Udai Singh's approval on his wedding with the daughter of Bijoliya's chieftain's daughter, Ajbante Kanwar Punwar. It is so because he was the crown prince and his first queen was supposed to be the next queen of Mewar. Hence his father expected his first bride to be a powerful princess who would aid his political needs. But stubborn as he always was, Kunwar Pratap had other plans. The water of the Bhimlat was still. The sound of the waterfall could be heard in the silent afternoon in the dense forest. A pebble caused ripples in the water and alerted the horse gazing nearby. He looked up at the source of the stone. Then began grazing peacefully once again. The source of the stone however was far from being peaceful. His face wore a frown as he stared around restlessly for the umpteenth time. He sat unmindful on the large rock on the bank of the water body watching the ripples closely, lost in thoughts. The soun...

Purnota: Chapter Five

Aniruddha finished reading the book he had carried with him in the dim light of the bulb in his room and decided to pack it away. He was leaving in a few days and wanted to make sure he left nothing behind. The construction work on the school had started, and the Panchayat wanted to give him a thankful farewell he humbly refused. The spotlight should be on Trilochon to help with his next election campaign. Aniruddha did not want to associate himself with the party or the job. He contemplated going back home and telling his father that he had decided to pursue a career in India instead of his initial plan of going back to London. He had been giving it a thought for quite some time, and the day he said it out loud to Bondita, he knew in his subconscious mind he had already decided on it. The more he saw the village, the more sure he was that he was needed by his countrymen. Dadu put faith in him that he could be part of something bigger than himself and his career, and he intended to kee...

Life and You

" Maharanisa! Maharanisa!" The maid-in-waiting ran through the quiet Rani Mahal as Jaivanta Bai, who was sitting in front of the Lord in her room ever since she was back, rushed out of her room, followed by Sajjabai and Veerbai. " What happened?" She asked, her voice calm, but her heart thumping. " Kunwarsa is here... with Kunwarani... She... She...." The maid sobbed as Jaivanta Bai rushed to the room. She stood at the door as her eyes could not believe what she saw. Kunwar Pratap was soaked in her blood as he laid her down on the bed, shouting, " Quick. Rajvaidya..." His eyes stopped at the door as Jaivanta Bai rushed to be beside the unconscious Ajabdeh. The Daasis and Sevaks were running about soon enough. Sajja Bai gasped at the scene. So much blood. Kunwar Pratap had not noticed anything except her calm, unconscious face. Now that he noticed his blood-soaked hands, red, he stared at them as though in a trance. "Kunwar Pratap! Tell me w...

Dreams and Wishes

At dawn, the Bhil women took the girls to the Kalika Mata Temple and the Jal Kund. Dressed in white a nervous Heer followed everything Ajabde knew and did, trying to explain the significance of the rituals to her. They prayed to Lord Ganesh. Kunwar Shakti and Kunwar Pratap were staying at Punja Ji's place as they were not supposed to see the brides before the wedding. Ajabde was dressed in her mother's lehenga, a mang tika Jaivanta Bai gave her as a family heirloom and the simple nosering Pratap had gifted. They made their hair into a simple bun with wildflowers before putting on her dupatta. Heer was dressed in traditional Bhil jewellery of silver and beads that the women had gifted her. They made her wear a red and white saree draped as a lehenga and a red chunri with it. She looked like a pretty colourful Bhil bride. Kunwar Shakti was a nervous groom dressed in a traditional bhil dhoti, kurta and cap. The bhil shawl hung from a side, making the white attire colourful. K...

RAABTA

Search This Blog