CoS-8-STRANGERS IDENTIFIED

I woke up quite early coz I had to visit my historical dreamland before my mehendi. I could really imagine how I would be looking after my mehendi, all tired drained out and sitting and chatting with everyone. A day past, I did not meet him but was missing him. This lifetime love- not for one generation for generation after generation was wonderful. I opened the book and landed up in my dreamland.

Chakrapani cooked up stories and escaped to meet his lady love in Bijolia. Pratap this side was very disturbed with his thoughts, did not know what that strange feeling was which he was developing for that stranger. For him this was new. He was in a dilemma. He rushed to the palace so that he could practice and distract himself from all this. He took the forest way. He reached a lake nearby to have a bath.

He went into the lake and did his daily duties. He was under the water when she came into the scene with no one all alone. She was wearing a simple lehenga and she went near the lake. He was not that deep in the lake, was just near the mouth. She came and was about to enter and then suddenly Pratap came out. She got scared and that was more than enough for her to slip and fall on him.

Both fell into the water. He fell and she fell on top. Two strangers were on top of each other. They did not know what the fate had planned for them. He could not see her face nor did she see. She knew somewhere that it was him, her first love. As soon as she heard some hoots sound of horses she stood up and came back to standing position. She ran away from there tough he was continuously staring at her.

He could not waste any time there so he changed and boarded his horse and left for Bijolia. She had already reached. He reached; he was going via the forest so his shoes were dirty. Before going to the main entrance, he jumped into the palace and reached the cow shed.

Some girl was standing, thought her to be a maid he was about to call but she was busy and did not notice him and threw a bucket of water on his shoes. He was happy and thanked her. He left from there. She was a bit scared and started to talk to her cow.

 Lakshmi, see he is my love.

And do you know he called me a maid but what is his fault, I look so simple and not like a princess.

Lakshmi, he should not get to know about it that I love him.

She left Lakshmi alone and went inside the palace. Soon another announcement was made that Kunwar Pratap has arrived. She had been informed that he was going to come and she should be ready for his welcome. She reached the place with a plate of flowers and stood near the gate whereas everyone was standing in the threshold of the palace. He came running and I did not see and he bumped into me and the plate rose up and flowers fell on us. Both of us were surprised. He left that place and went to the main entrance. He was welcomed by Hansa Bai. He called her mother mousi as told by his mother. She was shocked but had to accept the fact.

She was told to take him to his room. She accepted. Both walked down the corridor.

Dasi aap jaa sakti hai hum swyam chale jiyenge.

Ji

Humne kaha hum swyam apne kaksh dund lenge

Suddenly Ratan comes there.

Arey arey jija aap yaha kya kar rahe hai

Hum toh Kunwar sa ko unke kaksh mein le ja rahe the

Aap dono behen hai, Arthath aap bhi ek dasi hai

Hum koi dasi nahi hai.

Kya matlab

Hum toh rao mamrakh ke putri aur Bijolia ki choti rajkumari hai

Kya Arthath yeh koi dasi nahi Bijolia ki rajkumari hai

Ji sahi kaha apne

Accha hum chalte hai

Ratan ruqiye

By then she was not even seen. Pratap was amused, how come, he had only heard that princesses were very moody and wanted to be decked up with jewels but what he is seeing is completely opposite.

Kunwar sa apka kaksh aa gaya hai.

Ji

Apka kaksh aa gaya hai.

Ji dhanyawad.

Both of them go in and she starts unpacking his clothes.

Aap kya kar rahi hai

Hum apna karthavya nibha rahe hai

Arthath ??

Aap humare atithi hai aur hume hamesha atithi yo ka sathkar karna chahiye

Acha lekin hum chahte hai ki aap humara karya na kare

Ji

Apko humare karya karne ki koi avashyakata hai

Ji lekin

Lekin kuch nahi

Thik hai Kunwarsa

She goes away from there. Pratap wonders why a princess is like this. She is also in confusion why a prince was behaving like that. Both were in confusion. He was invited to the dinner hall. All the men were served food by Ajabde. One by one she served everyone.

Arey Hansa mousi ji yeh bojan toh bahut hi swadishth hai

Ji woh toh hum jante hai

Mousi ji kya aap hume batha sakthi hai ki yeh bojan kisne banaya hai

Arey Kunwar Pratap yeh bojan toh Ajabde ne swayam apne hatho is banaya hai

Ajabde yeh bojan toh athyanth swadishth hai.

He did not know that the person who he had seen in the market was none other than her, he saw it through the bangle and the face was covered so it was not clear. After dinner it was just the time to sleep. He went to bed.

The book took me back to reality. By then everyone woke up and were ready. I quickly had my shower and got ready with my green lehenga and not much jewellery. All these were one time memory and had to be perfect. I was really waiting to meet him. I was missing him badly. For a day or so I did not meet him nor did I talk to him. But now my heart was longing to meet him.  Ma sa came in, I did not notice her

Arey Ajabde what are you doing?

Huh

What are you doing?

Woh ma sa I was thinking about

What were you thinking about?

About Pr…my mehendi

It was a narrow escape. I was literally going to be caught.  Ma sa told me to come down for mehendi. I wore my veil and Phool came and took me. I was made to sit on the chair and all the ladies came and sat around me. Ma sa told the mehendi artist to start applying mehendi. Ma told to even write Pratap’s name on my hand.

She wrote the name and showed me where it was. Ma told all the ladies to have their mehendi put. The artist did that one by one. Till then Maan had informed the artist to write the names of husband in their palm. Ma sa told me to come to the pooja room. All had gathered there. Even the men had gathered there. We all did the pooja and went back. This time men also accompanied us.

It was time for some fun announced Maan. All of us were like what? She then explained that all the men had to find their names in their wife’s name. That was not it she concluded. She told that we will have more entertainment after this.

Chand also added that they would be timed and who ever find the name first will be declared to love their wife more than anything. All the men were a little happy and a little sad. I was happy.

To just have fun I, Phool and Bhago had a bet. We accepted that who so even wins the bet will meet their husband today night at 12 and other two will help her.

Pratap, Chakri and Shakti also planned the same. For our sake Chakri and Bhago and Phool and Shakti had decided not to meet each other. But now this bet was going to fulfil the desperate need for this meet.

A letter was passed between us and the boys about the bet. They read it and sent a letter back to us. I was very sure that Pratap would win. I was least bothered but Bhago and Phool were waiting for the moment when their husbands will find their name.

We had to wait until the mehendi dries so Maan told everyone to have lunch but I, Bhago and Phool had kept a fast for the well-being of their husbands. We were in the room, three of us playing Truth and Dare. we were in the same school and college also. We always used to do that.

We started and like always if someone chooses Truth then all of them has to answer. First, question came to me and answer to Phool. She chose truth. Because I also had to answer I just asker her simple question. Then Bhago had to ask. It was a truth so all of us had to ask. She asked Phool how they meet their first love.

Phool told that she always used to love Shakti but he did not know that. Sometime after her studies a proposal came when she was in London for further studies. Her parents accepted and she was only told when she came back. She wanted to meet him before marring him. She was shown a photo. She started jumping here and there she concluded.

Now it was Bhago’s turn. She told that she first met him in her office. He was a very jolly person. It was love at first sight for both of them she told. Then the family got to know about this and we were married.

Now it was my turn and I told them that I first met Pratap in Bhago’s wedding only. I fell in love with him and then we again met him in Taj Mahal where I had been for an assignment after college. Then we became friends and he proposed me after dating for six months or so. Later on we got to know that our families were friends already and had planned our marriage. We got married and were living together I finished.

Ma came and called us down for the game. We became serious, now it was time for winning. We removed the remains and went down. It was time to know who will be able to meet her husband. It was a very simple yet complicated game. We came down and already the men had been waiting see our face but no they could not see. We had covered our face with veil.