Meera smiled at Pratap, putting on his neatly ironed lavender shirt over a pair of black pants and combing his hair. She glanced at the watch and asked, turning her beads between her fingers, “Where are you off to?” “Umm... Rajkuwarisa has called. For some... work?” He frowned at his own words. “Was that a question, Pratap?” Meera seemed amused. “No. No. It is about Chetak.” He shook his head and reached for his watch. “I am sure it is,” Meera murmured and went back to her chanting. Pratap’s hand stopped at the watch, and he smiled slightly. He didn’t know why the princess’s sad eyes were so haunting. It was like he felt an instant sympathetic connection to her. He had heard the villagers speak of her. Of how she was never part of her family rituals and celebrations, and how, even though she was the heiress, all her duties were carried out by her sister. Somewhere, she was alone and wanted to be appreciated. He felt that longing in her words and eyes. Pratap wanted to help h...
“Bhaiya Bhaiya!” Pratap frowned at the familiar voice outside his gate at midday when he found a panting Patta standing there “Come quick!” “What happened, Patta?” Suddenly, Pratap’s heart skipped a beat. Like all other days, in the past three weeks, he had returned home, happy that Chetak was running without limping, and he promised the Princess her first ride. Now, what was wrong? “The estate workers have come to the gates of the palace, and there is a whole lot of confusion.” “What workers?” Pratap had by now taken the key to his bike and walked out, offering the back seat to the boy who jumped on the ride. “There is a handloom factory in the estate.” Patta filled him in on their way to the palace, “One of the workers got hurt this morning in a machine. They are demanding to stop work.” “What is Ma’am saying?” Pratap asked, frowning, “And Chundawat?” “Ma’am had no idea about the factory. Chundawat tried to make the workers go back to work in vain. Then, Ma’am told me she...
Chetak ran in circles on the meadow as Pratap held his reins, instructing him to go fast and slow, start and stop. He followed every instruction, making both Patta and Ajabdeh smile at each other and at them. “Bhaiya and Chetak look like they are soulmates.” Patta smiled at them in admiration. “Soul mates?” Ajabdeh let out a soft laugh. “I even believe they were husband and wife.” She appeared to be thinking, staring at Pratap's smile, patting Chetak, “I wonder who was what.” “Bhaiya has to be the wife.” Patta shrugged in a serious tone that made Ajabdeh stare at him for a moment as the two broke into a fit of laughter. The laughter did grab Pratap’s attention as he frowned at the two figures sitting on a haystack in the distance, staring at him and laughing. “He will kill me, Baisa Hukum.” Patta stopped at his stare. “I will save you,” Ajabdeh reassured. “You are my favourite, Patta!” “He is ready to be your ride in the next two to three days.” Pratap declared, bringin...
Pratap was surprised to find that instead of the stable, Patta was at the gates waiting for him. He was about to ask when the boy grinned at him, saying, “Baisa Hukum told us to wait here. We are going on a tour of the NGO with her.” “We?” Pratap frowned at Patta’s words as the boy nodded and jumped on the back of his bike. “She is getting ready. The driver and Chundawat will go with her in that big car.” He pointed at a maroon-coloured Rolls-Royce vintage edition with Surajgarh’s emblem on it. Pratap shook his head. As much as he was eager to see her accept her duties, he was not ready to neglect Chetak for it. “But she was supposed to start riding and...” “I gave Chetak his balm and fodder.” Patta spoke, “And Baisa said one day’s rest won’t harm him.” Pratap shook his head slightly and stared at the porch where Chundawat appeared, waving his hand at the driver, cleaning the car, to bring it up on the porch. Another figure appeared behind Chundawat, as Pratap’s ey...
6AMs were now a daily routine for Ajabdeh. She dressed up and waited to be at the stable. She had learnt to make a balm and even tried to apply it to Chetak. He neighed every time she called his name, making her love him even more. She had never had pets in her life, and suddenly Chetak seemed dearer to her than anyone else in her entire life. She could not imagine how she would leave Surajgarh with this attachment. It would be a lie to say Chetak was her only attachment here. She had slowly started liking the place. In a week, she had attended one of Meera Ma’s gatherings, offered prayers with the villagers at a temple, roamed the whole palace, and got quite used to having Chundawat, Patta and Pratap around at her beck and call. After a week, Chetak’s wound showed slow signs of improvement. Pratap smiled like he had been successful in a mission. “Only if we knew what caused his wound,, she had heard him murmur, "He would perhaps heal better.” All she saw from behind th...
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Last updated: February 4, 2026.
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