Purnota: Chapter Twenty Nine

“Boro Malik is waiting for you.” Bihari’s words made Aniruddha look confused. “He has something to talk about.” Aniruddha eyed the watch on his left hand; it was past dinner time. He stepped into the house to find voices in the living room. He walked in curiously and found Trilochon speaking to a guest.

“There he is!” Before Aniruddha could answer Trilochon’s queries, his eyes fell on the guest.

Saudamini stood up, turning to him with a formal smile. She looked different with the Sindoor and Shakha Pola, a Tant saree and a gold chain around her neck. Aniruddha was a little surprised to see her, and it showed on his face, perhaps as Trilochon briefed him that Mini was here to sell off the property belonging to her father and wanted some legal advice. Aniruddha nodded, smiling back at her as he directed her to the study.

“Oh, Mini is here to sell off the house.” Bondita looked wide-eyed at Kalindi and shook her head. “Why did you not tell me that before? I will go see her now.” She was about to leave when Kalindi stopped her by holding her upper arm.

“She is not home, she is at Roy Chowdhury’s for some legal issue she wants help with.” Kalindi made her nod. She wondered if Aniruddha was fine with that, but let it slide. “She is here alone?” Kalindi shook her head. “Her younger son is here with her. He is right about the age she met you first.” Bondita smiled as she decided to meet Mini first thing in the morning.

Aniruddha tossed his watch on the desk after removing it and let her sit on the client’s chair as he took his high chair and placed his elbows on the desk.

“Tell me how I can help.” He asked. Mini took out some papers from her bag and placed them on the desk. “These are all under my father’s name. So, they need to be transferred to me for selling…” Aniruddha eyed the papers.

“It's been years, they are still not in your name?” He asked. Mini shook her head.

“I haven’t come back since he passed. I was busy with my boys’ schooling.” Aniruddha eyed her with a smile. He would have never imagined Mini having such priorities. She talked of modelling so passionately once upon a time. He cleared his throat as he went through the papers, adjusting his glasses.

“How are your boys?” He tried to recollect names in vain.

“They are good.” Mini smiled. “Gaurav is in eighth standard now. He stays in a hostel. His father insisted. Saurav just turned eleven.” Aniruddha caught her smile, enough to realise she purposefully told their names because he forgot. He looked a little awkward as she added, “Saurav is here with me. I will bring him sometime.” Aniruddha nodded.

“The papers look fine. I would need Uncle’s death certificate, and I can get to work tomorrow. First, we have to deal with taxes and then...” He removed his glasses. “I will tell you the process tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Mini stood up. “It's late, you must be tired. Jethu was saying You still work for the villages.”

“Yes, I do.” He nodded. “Now Bondita wants to go back…” Mini looked confused as he eyed her. “Jethu did not tell you that?” Mini shook her head.

“Oh, she has been back since… her graduation. She is a lawyer now.” An involuntary proud smile appeared on his lips.

“Oh!” Mini exclaimed. “I must meet her.” She gushed. “It's been such a long time. And a lawyer, huh?” She raised her brows. “You must be so proud.” Aniruddha suddenly felt flustered as he nodded.

“I… yes… we all are.” He nodded as Mini eyed him. “I have so much to catch up with her. Why didn’t Jethu tell me?” She exclaimed. Aniruddha smiled. “You haven’t talked to her since she left, right?” Mini nodded as she wondered.

“She must have changed.”

“Not so much…” Aniruddha murmured. Mini suddenly looked amused.

“The last time I talked to her, we had plans that did not happen.” Aniruddha frowned at her words inquiringly as she shook her head, amused.

“She came to me crying because you wanted her to go to boarding…” Mini shrugged. ‘She said she would never leave.” Aniruddha frowned a little at her words.

“When was that?”

“The morning you left for Delhi, I guess. She went to Dehradun that week, right?” Mini tried to remember. Aniruddha leaned in, wondering, “So she told you she doesn’t want to leave?” Mini nodded. “What changed her mind?” Mini could not tell. He asked if someone had said something, perhaps. Mini disapproved of the theory because she had been in the Roy Chowdhury house that evening, and Bondita refused to come and help with the preparations for Satya Narayan Puja, and she assumed it was because she was angry. “But she never refused to help even when she was angry with you,” Mini added. Aniruddha frowned.

“How often was she angry with me?” His confused question made Mini smile, amused. “Every time you two fought over the most trivial things.” She shook her head. “You never treated her like a child her age; she never treated you as an adult.” Aniruddha looked up at her words and cleared his throat. “I was going home that night when she came to see Jethu. They left the next afternoon, and she did not even …” Mini shook her head. “I will pull her ear for not telling me she was leaving. She did not even attend the wedding…” Aniruddha looked up at her, wondering.

“So you were the last person she talked to before she left?” Mini looked a little shocked, like she realised it just then and nodded. “I suppose so.”

“What else did you talk of?” Aniruddha asked. Mini looked confused. Then she chuckled, amused. “ I guess it's embarrassing now.” Aniruddha waited for a clearer answer as she smiled. “I told her I wanted to settle down. Baba would talk to Binoy uncle…” Aniruddha stopped breathing for a second as he stared at Mini and inhaled. “She was confused, poor girl…” Aniruddha opened his mouth but was unsure of what to say. Mini stared at the wall clock and exclaimed. “Oh dear, I took so much of your time. I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight?” Aniruddha nodded unsurely as Mini left, and he sank back into his chair, wondering. None of it seemed to make sense to him. His eyes fell on an invitation that had arrived from his senior while he was away. He opened the invite to see that his first boss in Kolkata would be hosting a cocktail party on his anniversary at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, and the RSVP mentioned a plus one and had an email ID. Aniruddha kept the invitation in the envelope, making a mental note to mention to Bondita to RSVP on his behalf. He wondered if he should ask her to come along. It would also help her contacts in the field get better offers than the ones she rejected. Aniruddha’s hand stopped at the envelope as a thought came to mind. Maybe the answers he was looking for were with him all along.

He hurried to his room, took out the box from under his bed and started looking through it. He had kept her letter in there somewhere, without opening it. Aniruddha sat down on the floor, legs crossed, as he found the letter. He opened it carefully, using a paper cutter, careful enough not to tear the paper, but it was damp and could not be unfolded without tearing apart. Aniruddha put it back in the envelope and sighed. He could not ask her, could he? He tried opening the letter again; this time, the last folds unfolded, and he could read some of the content. She talked of hostel life and how happy she was with her choices. She had said she made new friends and that he was right, boarding was indeed better for her. Aniruddha frowned at the letter. He had expected it to be full of complaints and accusations. She painted a different picture of her life away from home. He eyed the end paragraph.

Give my regards to Mini Didi. Wishing you a happy life, Yours, Bondita.

Aniruddha shook his head as he wondered if things would have been different had he opened the letter a decade ago. Maybe he would have written to her and stayed in touch. Perhaps explained that she was wrong to assume things based on Mini’s version. But then he would not have missed her presence, and he waited for her. He would not have discovered the woman he knew and admired. Things could have been different. Perhaps less messed up than they were.

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...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Six

Bondita opened her door in the usual hours of the morning and found Thamma and Jyatha Moshai on the couch in their living room, sipping tea. She had half sat on her bed, leaning against the pillow all night, imagining her plight when she faced Aniruddha in the morning. What if he did not think of it as much as she thought of his actions? What if that was his uncomfortable way of comforting her because she was upset? But what about his eyes, his gestures? Had she misread all of it? Bondita blushed to herself the moment she remembered how his eyes followed her around for the past two days. Bondita was hurrying through her daily chores, eyeing the clock, for she would be late for work and overheard Trilochon lament about things not changing since Binoy left. He thought that things were getting better at home, but as soon as Aniruddha had left for Sunderban, Binoy informed him that he had changed the attorney in charge of his case. Bondita frowned slightly as her hand stopped at wearing th...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Five

“The bride is older than the groom.” Aniruddha heard one of the older villagers speak in a judgmental tone. “No wonder the higher castes don’t attend such atrocities.” He eyed the younger man he was talking to, who smiled. Aniruddha was sitting beside them on a bench in the open courtyard of a house where the wedding rituals were taking place. Tirio and Tumdak were playing rhythmically in a corner as some women danced to the tunes surrounding the new bride and groom. The men sat on the other side of the courtyard. “Forget about the Brahmins, we don’t expect them to come.” The younger man shook his head. “As for traditions, what is wrong if the bride is older?” He smiled sheepishly at the older man. “What’s wrong? Everything. Master Moshai, you can be educated, but our ancient traditions have reasons. The groom must be older than the bride. It has some reason.” He shook his head. The teacher, in turn, educated the man that it was a perfectly normal Santhali ritual to marry older wo...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Seven

“Why will Bondita not come for Holi?” Asha asked as she inspected the colours, Abir, Pichkiri and balloons Somnath had ordered from Baro Bazaar. He shrugged. “She is scared of colours, I think.” Asha smiled, a little amused at her clueless husband. “She is not ten anymore.” He looked up at her words with a sheepish smile, “Well, I never saw her play Holi, perhaps Dadabhai knows the reason.” Asha contemplated her husband’s words. She did not share a relationship with Aniruddha frank enough for him to share things about Bondita. It would be easier for her to ask Bondita instead. “If you wish for her to come,” Som said, like he could almost read her mind, “Perhaps you can invite her. She won’t say no to you.” Asha nodded. “It will be good to have the whole family together. It's not been so since the wedding.” She smiled. Som agreed as he matched the list with the things. “Yes, and Baba will be coming too, he told me not to tell Jethu, but I was surprised by that.” “Maybe because he an...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Eight

Trilochon was so overwhelmed that Binoy came for the Pujo and Kirtan on Dol Purnima. Their neighbours, friends and acquaintances had all gathered in the Thakur Dalan, first for the pujo when the idol of Sree Radha and Sree Krishna were worshipped in the Dalan, and Horir Loot of Batasha and Naru were distributed. Unlike in the village, people here, especially children, did not fight over the Horir Loot . Bondita and Batuk took part in the ritual like they used to as kids, counting the number of Batasha each of them had, amusing the elders who reminisced about their childhood and how Batuk snatched Bondita’s share and ran as she chased after him, shouting. The Kirtan followed the pujo, the tales of Sree Krishna’s prowess, his Leela and Radha’s sacrifice were sung with the sounds of Dhol and Khanjani . It followed the devotional songs praising Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his praises to Lord Krishna. Bondita not only liked the stories of Kirtan but also how the crowd joined in the singing and...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Four

“You are cheating, he can’t play!” Bondita was attracted by the commotion downstairs as she opened the window of her room. She walked out to the balcony to inspect it. It was Sunday, and Padma had promised to make Chicken Curry, knowing Bondita had invited Tapur to join them for lunch. In the courtyard was a group of boys, probably Sidhu’s friends, with a broken pipe for a bat, a wooden plank for a wicket kept between two bricks and a rubber ball, arguing over a game of cricket. Bondita’s eyes stopped at Aniruddha, marking a line with chalk and then measuring feet using steps to mark the boundaries. Bondita looked amused at the sight. “Batuk. You went out fair and square; give me the bat.” Bondita put her hands on her waist as she commanded. Batuk refused to part with his new bat. Som frowned at his brother. “She is right; it was a clean bowl. Give her the bat!” Som commanded. “I was not ready.” Batuk shook his head. “She knew that.” “It's still out.” Bondita frowned. Aniruddha wal...

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...

The Difficulties

“The best of our characters are often reflected in our children.” Kunwar Shakta had visited the court at Udaipur after a Turk marriage offer was turned down by Rana Udai Singh for the third time for one of his Princesses. The Ranimahal at Chittorgarh buzzed with rumours of him warning his father about the consequences of enemity with the Turks and also about the impending doom of Mewar. He had apparently irked Kunwar Partap by suggesting a peace alliance with the Timurids was beneficial to Mewar. Rana Udai Singh, in his anger, had banished him from his court. Kunwar Shakta had sworn not to be associated with the royal family any further and to join allies with the Turks. Rawat Chundawat was calm enough to pacify the angry prince and offer him to shift to Bassi and give his decision a second thought. However, Kunwar Partap had refused to abandon Chittor, defying his father’s orders for a shift to the newly founded capital with his Ranimahal. He wanted to stay at Chittorgarh, which...

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 ...

Endless

Kunwar Pratap reached the Dangal. Ranima had ordered Ajabdeh to practise regularly. She was nowhere around since he woke up that morning. He had assumed she was with Ranima for the morning prayers, but then she was not in the Dangal on time, either. Ajabdeh was never late. He felt a little uneasy as he picked up the sword. A thunder made him look up at the gloomy sky as he felt the first drop of rain. A little wet, he ran through the corridors. Ajabdeh had woken up feeling unwell. He was sleeping after a tiring day, so she decided against calling him and, more, worrying him. She bathed, hoping to feel better, performed her puja and went to the gardens for some fresh air. Still feeling uneasy in the gloomy weather, she decided that playing with Parvati might make her feel better. After some talk with Bhago and playing with Parvati, she stood up from the floor and felt dizzy. Bhago caught her hand. " Are you all right?" " I just felt a little dizzy. I don't know why...

RAABTA

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