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The scorching summer heat gave some relief to Jaivanta Bai once the sun came down on the western horizon between the cliffs of the Aravallis. From the window of the Rani Mahal of Kumbha Palace, she could see the wide walls of Kumbhalgarh, the decorated roofs of the temples, and guards with torches. She prayed from her window as the Vaid had advised her not to move around much. The last few days have been difficult. Her feet were swollen, and no amount of painkillers helped. Daima inspected her once again.
"The prince is due any time soon." She had whispered to Sajja Bai. She placed her hand on her swollen belly gently, singing lullabies to her child. Daima said he could now hear and recognise her voice. Her mother used to sing her these songs once. It seemed like a distant past now, almost like a dream. She could not wait to be a mother. Teach her son everything she wanted in a man. A man who would be chivalrous and could stand up for himself. He should be brave enough to take risks, unlike his father.
A sudden pang of pain alerted her as she called out for Sajja Bai. The maids rushed to her side and summoned Daima. The woman smiled reassuringly at her sweaty, red face. It was time.
On the month of Jyestha Sudi on the third day of Vikram Era 1597, Sunday at 47 Ghati 13 Pal past sunrise, Maharani Jaivanta Bai's labour room was filled with the happy voices of the ladies present there. The cry of a newborn rang through the air of the silent night at Kumbhalgarh. The excited maids whispered to a barely awake Jaivanta that her son was born in the same Prahar as Lord Krishna, at midnight. The smiles and congratulatory embraces were surpassed by the child's cry. Jaivanta held the newborn close to her bosom as she lay on the bed. She noticed his soft skin, fair complexion and tiny hands and feet wiggling as he cooed at her. She was coming in and out of consciousness, so the wet nurses fed him.
As soon as the news reached Rana Udai Singh in the Mardana Mahal, the conch shells were blown. Jaivanta could hear the temple bells ringing to convey the good news to Mewar. The Dhol and dancers followed. By midday, every village in Mewar rejoiced in the birth of a prince. The people received gifts from the royals. Alms were distributed to the poor. For the next few days, she had learnt how to walk again, with the help of the doctors. She learnt to hold her baby, nurse him, and dress him. Jaivanta could not help but remember how they used to play with dolls the same way. This was a blood and flesh human being, her son. A part of her. Sajja Bai occasionally visited her chambers. She was heavily pregnant herself and was not allowed into the room as per norms. Jaivanta often wondered about the rituals. Those were to protect the prince from harm. She could not help but wonder who would harm such an innocent child.
On the Ardra Nakshatra, his birth was considered not only auspicious, but the astrologers also predicted that the child would bring shining glory to the name of the clan. The moment the astrologers predicted he would be an immortal hero, Jaivanta knew that her role as a mother to this child was her purpose in life. She would give Mewar its bright future. Udai Singh visited her the day before the Namkaran ceremony as per norms. When he cradled the child in his arms in a warm yet uncomfortable way, Jaivanta knew that fathers were less affectionate than mothers. His priority was to protect his heir. She aimed to make her son a good human being. The astrologers suggested names for the newborn.
" Pratap." Udai Singh had held the baby and named him. The baby let out a cry as everyone smiled and conch shells blew. When Jaivanta held him again, she whispered his name into his ear gently. "Pratap Singh Sisodiya." The baby cooed at her, smiling as she kissed his forehead.
"Welcome to Mewar, the land you will protect."
Jaivanta spent her time doting on her newborn. She read out the Ramayana and Krishna Janam Katha to him and often watched him sleep peacefully in his golden cradle. The more she focused on the child, the less Udai Singh began to visit her. By the sixth month, Udai Singh had decided it was time he moved back to Chittorgarh and ran his administration from there. That way, he would be right under the noses of the Afghans and keep an eye on them. Since Sajja Bai was expecting her child any time soon, the queens were supposed to stay back in Kumbhalgarh. Something in his demeanour was upsetting Jaivanta. She wanted her husband around, but she knew the king had his duties. Yet, she wanted him to be present when Sajja Bai gave birth. He promised to come back and take them with him once the baby was born.
"We need to make sure that Chittor is safe for you." Udai Singh reasoned, acknowledging the fact that she was upset. "It is for the sake of the prince." He rode off with a small troop, leaving the chief of Kumbhalgarh in charge of the fort.
The Ranimahal was excited when Sajja Bai was shifted to the labour room. Pratap, who had just learnt to sit up and wave his hand at his mother, was picked up by an excited Jaivanta Bai as she visited the Shiva Temple and prayed for Sajja and the child.
"You will have a brother or sister soon." She smiled as the baby cooed, cluelessly, in her arms.
Before she could step out of the temple, a maid rushed in with good news.
"It is a boy." She smiled. Jaivanta kissed her son.
"You hear that, Pratap. You have a brother."
The first time Jaivanta placed Pratap down on the mat beside the sleeping prince, the baby was eager to see his brother. The queens smiled at each other as they watched Pratap try to reach for the baby. Sajja Bai wiped away tears of joy. Jaivanta knew she was upset that Rana Udai Singh was not present at the occasion. Jaivanta decided to write to him personally with the request to be present at the Namkaran ceremony of his second-born.
"Kunwar Shakti Singh Sisodiya." The crowd cheered as Udai Singh whispered the name into the boy's ear. Jaivanta sat on the other side of the Jharokha with Pratap on her lap as Sajja nodded at her. " You hear that, Kunwar Pratap?" She asked the child. "Your brother is Kunwar Shakti." The baby flashed her a smile as Sajja kissed his forehead.
Jaivanta was worried. She paced the length of her room, a little tense as Pratap played in his golden cradle by himself. She eyed the prince and wondered. Was her husband too busy to visit them even once since he came back? Did he not want to meet his son? Something was amiss, and Jaivanta could not tell what it was. She decided she needed to speak to her husband. Ask him some unpleasant questions about why he was neglecting his children. As soon as Jaivanta made up her mind to request an audience with the king, the guard announced.
"Rana Udai Singh is here." Jaivanta rushed to the mirror to check on her appearance. She wanted to look prim and proper now that they were meeting after a long time.
Udai Singh stepped into the room and looked around. Nothing had changed, except the addition of the cradle and a corner of toys for the prince. He walked up to the cradle. His lack of acknowledgement made Jaivanta turn and watch him. He picked up the baby. He kissed his cheeks. The baby let out a cry, alarming the king.
"He will not know you enough if you don't visit us often." Jaivanta took the crying child in her arms and cradled him as he sucked his thumb. "He needs to know his father. Shakti too..."
"You know how busy I have been lately with Chittorgarh." Udai Singh shook his head. "It is not safe yet to bring you there."
"We will wait then." Jaivanta Bai forced a smile. "Right, Kunwar Pratap?"
"I will bring you as soon as it is safe. I promise." Udai Singh nodded.
Pratap had learnt to walk. He wiggled his way through the grass on the lawn as the queens sat watching Shakti trying to chase him. He crawled faster than Pratap could walk. They stumbled together on the grass. An innocent burst of laughter followed. The queens sat in silence. They knew the air of tension that hung in the air needed to be addressed. Pratap and Shakti were growing up in a safe environment at Kumbhalgarh, away from political turmoil. But every time Jaivanta read the Ramayana to them, she wondered if it was best for the prince to be around the capital. Udai Singh had written to them regularly about talks with Afghans that failed again and again. He enquired about his children. Jaivanta read the letters out loud to Sajja. Her eyes were hopeful, unlike Jaivanta's. She searched for an affectionate note to his queens, an enquiry about their health. There were none.
"Ranisa, a letter." The maid brought a letter to Jaivanta's chamber as Sajja walked in with Shakti in her arms. She placed her son in the cradle where Pratap sat with his toys. He welcomed his baby brother with a smile. Jaivanta opened the seal of the letter.
"What does it say?" Sajja Bai asked eagerly. "Is he coming?" Jaivanta shook her head.
"He is informing us that he is going to marry a Bhattiyani princess." Sajja Bai's brows narrowed at her words. "Why?" She knew it was unroyal of her to ask. Jaivanta smiled.
"He liked her at a wedding invite he attended for one of his friends. Her name is Dheer Bai Bhattiyani. And..."
"Will she join us here?" Sajja Bai asked eagerly. If she did, it would mean Udai Singh would be coming to Kumbhalgarh with his new bride. Jaivanta smiled faintly.
"No, she will stay with him in Chittorgarh." Sajja Bai frowned at Jaivanta's words.
"But I thought it was not safe." She fumbled.
"Not safe for his sons." Jaivanta clarified. "He has suggested he will summon us there in the next few months." Sajja Bai found it hard to believe as she was teary-eyed. Jaivanta Bai was dignified enough not to let her disappointment show.
Kunwar Pratap rode a horse for the first time when he was almost three. He was eager to see Chittorgarh, where his father lived. They had been summoned to live there. He watched his mother pack their lives into trunks and boxes eagerly as he reassured a scared Shakti that Chittorgarh was better than Kumbhalgarh, which they called home.
"You will see, Bhai. There are lots of Kunds, Talab, and ponds to play in. There, we can practice with real weapons and not our wooden toys. We can run around the garden. Chase animals." Shakti did not look convinced.
"Who else is there?" He asked.
"Our Chotima." Pratap smiled at him.
Dheer Bai Bhattiyani welcomed the princes into the Rani Mahal of Kumbhalgarh. She did the Tilak and Aarti and bowed to the other queens. Sajja Bai hugged her as Jaivanta Bai observed her eagerly. She was beautiful. Her manners were captivating. Jaivanta Bai noticed how she advised Rana Udai Singh on state matters and how he listened to her. Jaivanta also observed how sweetly she talked to Pratap. But something in her demeanour was not right. Jaivanta knew it would be wrong to judge her and tell Sajja about it. So she kept quiet.
In the next few years, Dheer Bai had three children, princesses. Sajja too became the mother of Vikram Singh. But despite Udai Singh bringing home many new lesser queens to keep the Rani Mahal busy, he had distanced himself from Jaivanta. Jaivanta was devoted to raising Pratap. She wanted him to start training in Gurukul soon, but Udai Singh said it was too early. "I would wait till he is twelve."
Dheer Bai was pregnant again. The Vaid suggested it would be a boy. Pratap was nine, Shakti eight. They loved their Chotima. Especially for the treats she often gave them. Pickles, candies, and fruits of all kinds were kept in jars in her room. They would visit her for them. Pratap and Shakti were very protective of their younger sisters. They played war games, and the princesses pretended to cook for them in their tiny kitchen sets. But ever since Dheer Bai heard she was going to have a son, her demeanour changed. She no longer greeted the prince as warmly. She would often lose her temper if the Princesses were out in the sun. She kept to herself. Her change worried Jaivanta. Before long, a prince was born to Dheer Bai.
"Kunwar Jagmal." Udai Singh had named him.
Kunwar Pratap kissed the boy. The baby cried, and it alarmed him.
"Looks like he does not like you." Sajja Bai teased.
"Everyone loves Kunwar Pratap." Dheer Bai reassured him gently.
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