"Wo shehenshah, humne aapki nranaal me
se baarood nikal di thi."
Jalal looks at his wife with mounting rage.
Did this girl have no sense of self preservation at all? How dare she handle
the gun? And on top of that she had the audacity to remove the gunpowder. What
the hell had she been thinking? Oh yes, she didn't want him to hunt innocent
animals. Innocent my foot - hunting was a favourite past time of the Princes
and Kings and there was no way in seven hell he would believe that the Rajputs
did not indulge in this sport. Then why was she hell bent on stopping him of
all people?
And to top it all, she was now trying to
scare away the tiger with a burning torch. As if such a huge beast would mind
such a small and insignificant source of fire. Besides, the light breeze had
picked up speed and it wouldn't take much time for the fire to go out. Either
this woman had peanuts for brain or else she was just not bothered by the
consequences of her action.
True to his prediction, the torch went off
and Jalal threw away his brand new gun in frustration. The weapon was useless
now. Taking out the small ornamental dagger he always kept on his person,
tucked in between the belt of his dress, he pushed his wife out of the way and
faced the huge beast. He could feel the sharp claws as they scratched his face
while he managed to hurt the animal with his dagger. The burning sensation was
excruciating, and he had no hopes of coming out of this ordeal unscathed but
the least he could do was to protect his foolish wife. Besides, it wasn't in
his nature to accept defeat. He was always used to winning and he wouldn't let
this beast get the better of him. The august Emperor of India was not scared of
anything.
The tiger leapt at him and unfortunately he
had yet to regain his balance. Before he could react, he saw his wife rush in
with a knife clasped in her hand. Oh Heavens! Did this woman always keep a
weapon with her? Was it the specialty of the Rajput Princesses or was it
specific only to his wife. Her timely intervention had given him the much
needed time to regroup his waning energy. Gathering up his strength, he stood
up and pushed her out of the way. The protest on her lips died down at one look
from him. Whether it was the command in his eyes or the sight of his ruined
face, he didn't know. But he was grateful for her silence.
The man and the beast struggled for some time
before Jalal felt the blood loss because of the wounds. The adrenaline still
running through his veins he lunged at the huge animal for the last blow. Anticipating
his moves, the tiger too had leapt in the sky. The two warring animals collided
in mid air and as Jalal felt the sharp claws digging into his chest he plunged
the knife deep into the abdomen of the animal successfully killing it.
He felt the dagger fall out of his loosened
grips and he crashed on the forest floor.
"Shehenshaah". Her screamed pierced the
silence of the forest and in spite of his condition he could hear her heart
stopping tone. She came running towards him and had knelt down besides her. Her
veil had been blown away by the wind, her hair askew, the ornaments out of
place but she looked so very beautiful with the worry clouding her eyes. She
held her tears at bay through sheer force of her will and Jalal was grateful
for that small reprieve. He could handle her concern, but not her tears. She
looked so heart stoppingly beautiful in that instant that Jalal couldn't stop
gazing at her.
She seemed to anticipate his discomfort even
before he could feel it. She sat down next to him and wiped the blood and the
mud stains from his face with the end of her pallu. The pain however was too
much and he couldn't fight with it anymore. He plunged headlong into the dark
dark pit of unconsciousness.
**********
The weather in this part of the country was
unpredictable. It was proved when the skies suddenly parted and it started
pouring as if the heavens were mourning this condition of the Emperor. Now that
Jalal had become unconscious, Jodha let her tears flow ceaselessly as she
dragged the heavy body of her husband towards a safer place. True, no part of
the forest was safe, not with Jalal hurt this badly but some sort of covering
would be still better than lying on the open ground in the middle of the forest
defenseless. Her right arm was stinging badly, the tiger had managed to claw
her in the short time she had faced it. But she paid no attention to her own
injury. If a mere scratch could pain her like this, how would the Emperor be
feeling being injured the way he was? Soon she had dragged him under the
shade of a huge tree and made him sit propped against a huge boulder. His head
lolled on to his shoulders and Jodha knew that he needed to regain his
consciousness fast. The poison in the animal's claws would start affecting any
minute and she had to reach Agra with him before any untoward thing happened.
Collecting the rain water in the cup of her
hands, she carefully washed his face. It took her a few tries before he opened
his eyes and a few more minutes passed before he regained any sort of coherency.
"Hume maaf kar dijiye Shehenshaah. Hume laga
aap nirdosh pashuon ka vadh kar denge, isliye humne aapki nallar se baarood
nikal diya tha."
"Shikaar sirf humara shauk hi nahi, humari
zindagi ki asliyat bhi hai Jodha Begum. Agar hume zinda rehna hai to hume
dusron ko khatm karna hi hoga. Jaise pani me rehne wali badi machli dusre
chhote machhlion ko kha jati hai, thik waise hi."
"Par ye niyam van ka hai, sabhya samajh ka
nhi."
"Baadshahat ki bhi yahi sachhai hai Jodha.
Baadshaah ko humesha akela hi chal;na padta hai. Aur apni dekhbhaal bhi khud hi
karni padti hai."
"Wo kaisa baadshah hoga jo itna akela ho...?"
He tried to answer her question but she
silenced him by putting a finger on his lips. "Bas.. ab aap kuch mat kahiye.
Khun bahut beh gaya hai. Aapko jald se jald Agra pahunchna hoga."
**************
The feel of cool water on his face
awakened him from his unconsciousness. He could feel soft hands on his face
wiping away the sticky blood,careful of his injuries. The hands were replaced
by a soft cloth and Jalal mourned the loss of human touch. Even in the state of
semi-consciousness, he knew the identity of the person nursing him. Slowly he
opened his eyes to look at the beautiful face hovering over him.
He could make out the tear tracts on her face. Even the rain had not been able
to wash away the signs of her grief. She was completely drenched, soaked to the
skin but was completely unconcerned about her condition. All her attention was
focused on him as she tended to his wounds with a single minded devotion he had
so rarely found in a person. He had never been at the receiving end of so
gentle a care from anyone, least of all his wives. Not even Ruqqaiya attended
to his needs like this. She could understand his silence, true but even she
couldn't anticipate his needs before him. Trust the Princess of Amer to succeed
where everyone else had failed.
Her grief was palpable and her guilt overwhelming. He couldn't even fathom why a
person who hated him as much as she did would even bother about his condition.
But then the concern was probably because she didn't want to be blamed for his
death. As it was, she was responsible
for his injuries.
She noticed his consciousness and opened her mouth to speak. But her words were
not what he had expected to hear, ever from her. That the proud and headstrong
Princess of Amer could ask for his forgiveness was a concept which was alien to
him. He tried to explain the rule of
the Sultanate and equated it with the rule prevalent in animal kingdom but she
did not accept it. Her belief in the inherent goodness of people frustrated him
sometimes. That she believed that every person has some good qualities in him
or her except perhaps her husband
sometimes angered him. He opened his mouth to argue his point but she silenced him asking him to conserve his energy.
Even in the midst of such a terrible situation, the Begum of Agra had not lost
hope. She was scared, that much was evident but the way she kept her fears
under control was something he appreciated a lot. But he didn't think there was
anything she could do. His time was limited,
he could feel his energy dissipating, the blood loss making itself felt.
His head lolled to one side and he would have slid down on to the forest floor,
but quick as a flash of lightning she held him by his shoulders effectively
breaking his fall mid slide and pulled him to her chest.
To say that he was surprised would have been an understatement.
Even in the middle of the forest,
faced with the surety of death, he was struck with the irony of the situation.
The woman who had rejected him before the marriage, had made it a point to
continuously curb him at every point of their married life, who had never
willingly shared a
room with him, forget about room she had never been willing to share the same space
with him was today holding him to her heart and was caring for him. Even if it
was guilt consciousnes she couldn't help but give in to the sensations.
She seemed unaware of the havoc she had
caused in the mind of the man she was holding. But that was his Princess of
Amer as he knew her - a walking contradiction. She would never willingly touch
him but would rush forward to nurse him if he was injured. She never shared a
second's worth of laughter with him but she had the capacity of bringing a
smile on his face with her pout and even her anger.So lost was he in his
thoughts that he didn't notice that he was almost sprawled on her lap. What
brought his attention back to focus was the way long, thin fingers carded
through his hair, untangling and smoothening down the unruly locks. She was not
even aware of what she was doing, her eyes were fixed in to the dark night
looking for some - any signs of people looking for the Emperor. But her hold on
his back was possessive as she tried to soothe away the worst of pain by
rubbing circles on his back. Jalal knew without a
shred of doubt that she would fight with the whole world - hell, she would
fight with Death himself to save her Emperor. Inspite of himself, a smile
stretched on his lips and he burrowed deeper into that warm embrace.
*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
It had been quite sometime that he had
been unconscious and Jodha felt her heart thudding at the
implication of this event. Purposefully, she had tried not to think of what
could happen to the Emperor, but now as she tried to awaken him and failed, her
fears came to the fore. She didn't know how she would inform the people back at
Agra about Jalal's condition.
And truth be told, she didn't want to
think about it. She hated this man, her so called husband with every fiber of
her being but she didn't wish him dead. Mother of ironies - but it was true.
And as she held him in her arms, she could feel him seeking comfort and
care like a starved child. She didn't know much about his past, but had felt
rather than known with the astuteness which was inherent in a woman that very
few people cared for this man on a personal level.
He commanded obedience and respect
because of who he was but hardly anyone knew the Jalal-the person except a few
people - Ammijaan, Ruqqaiya and Salima Begum. And it was for these people she
wanted Jalal to live.The rain had stopped falling some time back and Jodha
eased her burden a little on to the forest floor as she slowly stretched her
cramped legs. She had to take him to the camp and from there to Agra -as soon
as possible.She saw the stallion some distant away where it was standing under
a tree. Slowly she got up without disturbing her burden much and walked upto
the animal trying not to scare it much.
*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*
Jalal felt the loss of the comforting
warmth almost immediately. He could feel the pain wrecking his body as she
moved away. Her very presence had caused the pains to subside, how strange. But
where the hell did she go? The forest was dangerous at this point of night and
God knew his wife had no sense of self preservation.Worried, he forced his eyes
to open which was a feat in itself and looked around as much was possible
without moving his head. She was nowhere in sight. He tried to sit up, look for
her but his body protested even the smallest bit of movement
and he without meaning to, a groan escaped his lips.He heard her running... Or
rather the sound of her anklets before her face came in the range of his
vision.
"Shehenshaah...!!! Kya kar rahe
hain aap?"
Ignoring her question for what it was
worth, he ground out with some difficulty and no small amount of anger.
"Kahan thi aap??? Aapko ehesaas
bhi hai ki aadhi raat ke waqt ye jungle kitna khatarnaak
hai?"
She stared at him in surprise before
she finally found the words which had eluded her for so long.
"Hum yahin the... Kahin nhi gaye
the. Bas aapke ghode ko lane gaye the."
He made a movement in anger and almost
winced in pain. Within seconds she was by his side, as she slipped an arm under
his head and with infinite care pulled him to her chest. Her other arm had
found its way around his body and was nowresting on his back, rubbing slow
circles which was soothing him.
"Hum kahin nahi gaye the Shehenshaah. Par
ab hume chalna chahiye. Aapko samay rehte Agra pahunchna hoga."
"Hum waqt rehte Agra nahi pahunch
payenge Jodha Begum."
"Aisa mat kahihe Shehenshaah. Hum
aapko kuch nahi hone denge."
She couldn't stop her tears from
falling and Jalal had an insane desire to wipe away her tears. But he did no
such thing. Instead, he continued doggedly.
"Hume apni maut ka afsos nhi hai
Jodha Begum. Bas afsos iss baat ka hai ki hum ek sipahi ki maut nahi mar sake.
Jung -e-maidan ke bajaye hum jungle me ek baagh ke waron se jakhmi hokar marr
rahe hain."
"Kuch nahi hoga aapko, suna aapne.
Humare rehte aapko kuch nahi hoga."
"Hum Agra me.."
"Bas. Ek shabd aur nahi. Shant ho
jaiye aap. Hum aapko kuch nahi hone denge."
The strong voice forced him to look up
at the lovely face which belonged to his wife.
As he tried to change his position, his face brushed up and settled in the
crook of her shoulder. She was extremely accommodating, allowing him anything
and everything at that moment. He looked up at her face set in taut lines of
tension but when she looked down and met his eyes
her expression immediately shifted to that of infinite tenderness. In that
instant, he knew in a flash what his mother, Rahim and Salima Begum had seen in
his Jodha.. Something which he had so conveniently missed. Or was it that he
had chosen not to see it???
Very softly, she wiped away the beads
of perspiration which had gathered on his forehead. He couldn't stop himself
from reacting to that concern which was meant only for him. He felt as if her
heart was being scrapped raw. Without meaning to a strangled cry escapee his
lips.
"JODHAAA"
Alarmed, she quickly gave him a quick
once over. He didn't like the fear on her face. His left hand fisted in her lap
and clutched at one end of her pallu while he gave her a tremulous smile.
"Hum kuch der sona chahte hain,
Jodha."
She couldn't stop her tears from
flowing at that. She nodded helplessly and clutched to him like he was her last
support. With a smile, Jalal gave in to the demanding blackness dancing on the
edges of his vision.
Jodha
watched helplessly as the Emperor lost his conciousness for perharps
the sixth time. At least he was alive. She had no time to lose.
Relinquishing her burden, she tried to get up but found that she could
hardly move. An end of her pallu was caught in his left fist making it
impossible to move far away from him. She tried to release her saree
from his fist, but it was a death grip and there was no way she could
escape without tearing her dress. Briefly, she considered doing just
that but one look at his face and she dismissed the thought. He looked
so
peaceful in her arms that she simply didn't have the heart to robe him of that simple pleasure.
Helplessly,
she looked around and spotted a creeper just a couple of feet away from
her. Slowly, she inched towards the plant and pulled at it. It didn't
come off, it was too strong. She scooted towards the plant and began to
cut pieces of it with the knife she possessed. Soon she had enough
pieces to make a long. Deftly, she began tying the various pieces in
tight knots and soon enough she had a long rope ready for use. She
nudged her husband lightly and was gratified to hear a small murmur of
protest.
Carefully
she hauled him to his feet and directed him towards the horse. Taking
those few steps with the dead weight of Jalal was sheer torture but
Jodha was nothing if not determined.Carefully she hauled him on top of
the horse and climbed in front of him. Her dupatta had come off during
the process as Jalal was not ready to lose his hold on it. Quickly she
rearranged her dress and looped the rope around both of them and tied it
in a strong grip. His head fell on her back and he murmured something.
"Sahas rakhiye Shehenshah. Hum shighr hi Agra pahunch jayenge."
He didn't reply, just held onto her tighter. Without wasting time any further Jodha galloped away towards their camp.
*#*#*#*#*#*#*
"Adka Sahab. Adka Sahab.Ye kya... Yahan to koi bhi nhi hai.. Ab hum kya karen?"
Arriving
at the camp site, Jodha was greeted with absolute silence. Not even a
single soldier was present there. Stumped, she could only stare around
for a few seconds before her brain kicked back into place. She was so
worried with the condition of Jalal that she had not considered that the
Minister would also be worried about the disappearance of the Emperor.
He was definitely in the forest, looking for them. There was not a
second to lose. She couldn't wait for them to return. She had to move
on, journey towards Agra even though she was alone. If the God willed
then she would probably meet the others en route. With that thought in
mind she turned the stallion towards Agra.
*#*#*#*#*#
He
felt the cool breeze of the night brush across his face. His eyelids
felt very heavy, he could hardly open them. Thankfully, his mental
faculties were still working and the events of the past few hours came
rushing back to him. He gave up trying to open his eyes and instead
concentrated on the sounds he could hear and the sensations that he
could feel.
The
first thing he realized was that he was on the back of a horse, a
galloping stallion to be precise and he was tied to someone. A tickling
sensation on his nose made him move his head a little. Immediately, a
soft palm came on his head to stall his movement. He could hear the
sound of gold bangles clinking with one another. There was no doubt
about the identity of his captor... It was Jodha.
With
that realization, a few more things became sharper. He could make out
the sounds of another horse galloping side by side and the sounds of
running feet. So he was not alone, his minister and the small unit of
army was with him. His wife had managed to find them. A small smile
played on his lips. He need have no worries now.Clutching the end of
pallu tightly in his fist, he gave in to the oppressive darkness which
was beckoning him with a vengeance.
*#*#*#*#*#*
"Agra aur kitni dur hai Adka Ji..?"
She
was worried and had every reason to be so. In spite of her best efforts
the Emperor's condition was deteriorating. She could feel the
occasional tremors coursing through him. The last time she had checked,
he was running a fever and that was just five minutes back. And they had
still not reached Agra.
"Bas thodi hi dur hai Begum Sahiba. Kya hum thodi der ke liye Shehenshah ko sambhale?? Aap thak gayin hongi."
"Nahi Adka Ji. Hum theek hain. Jaldi chaliye. Adhik vilamb Shehenshah ke liye uchit nahi hoga."
Knowing
the truth in her statement, the minister hurried forward trying to keep
pace with the Begum who at this point was fairly flying through the
air.
*#*#*#*#*#*
AGRA
EARLY MORNING
The
great doors of the fort opened without preamble as soon as they saw who
the rider was. And before the soldiers stationed at the door could
react, Begum Jodha and Shamsuddin Adka ji had started shouting commands.
While Begum Jodha yelled at a sentinal to get the hakim and the vaidyas
immediately, Adka ji immediately ordered the huge gates to be closed.
Between the two of them, Jodha Begum and Adka ji managed to get
Shehenshah down from the horse.
The
arrival of the Emperor, injured so badly spread like wild fire. As
Maham Anga and Hamida Banu Begum came running, they were greeted by a
strange sight. Jalal was lying on the floor in the lap of his most hated
Begum while the Hakim was busy trying to stem the flow of blood. With a
loud, guttural cry, Maham Anga launched herself at Jalal.
"Kya hua hai humare bete ko? Kaise hua ye?? Koi batata kyun nahi??"
While
Adka ji filled in with his limited knowledge, Jodha's eyes were fixed
on her Mother in Law. The poor woman looked ready to faint, yet the
Empress held on to her restraint with a tight rein and assessed the
situation. For the first time since her stay in Agra, Jodha saw the
Empress for who she was - the mother of the Emperor of the Moghul
Sultanate, the consort of the Late King Humayun. The quiet but the
decisive way in which she took charge spoke volumes about her character.
As she directed the Hakim to take Jalal to his bedchamber, Jodha felt a
surge of relief coursing through her. At last, at last the Emperor was
in safe hands.
The
exertions and the mindless tension of the past 24 hours were catching
up with her. The adrenaline she was operating under was almost leaving
her system. Though she was anxious to know about her husband's well
being, she was ready to pass out from the pressure she was under.
However a tug at her aanchal pulled her away from her thoughts.Looking
down, she saw the Emperor still clutching the end of her aanchal.
Weariness seeped into her bones, but she knew from experience that it
was useless to try to escape from her unconcious husband. If he made up
his mind to have someone, he made sure that the person in question had
no way to escape. She felt Maham Anga trying to uncurl his fist and had
an urge to laugh. But she was too tired for even that.Tiredly, she
ground out.
"Hume ek chhuri dijiye."
It was the Dowager Empress who came to her rescue. "Uski koi jarurat nhi hai. Jodha, aap Jalal ke sath uske hojre me jaiye."
She
had no other option but to comply with the wishes of the Empress. She
quickly hurried behind the still form of her husband, all the while
thinking about how to go about the confession.
*%*%*%*%^*%%*%*%*
The
next few hours were a blur of activities. She found herself besides her
injured husband, watching the hakims struggling to contain the flow of
blood and the spread of infection. With every passing second, the
situation turned darker. To compound the problem, the special hakim
summoned from Gwalior had yet to arrive. And in the midst of all the
excitement, she had not been able to talk to the Empress.
She
heard from Chanda about how the Empress had directed Maham Anga to
address the people, how she had broken the news to Begum Ruqqaiya and
had saved others from the furious temper of Mallika - e - khaas, how she
had directed Salima Begum to handle the workings of the Harem. As the
quiet but the resolute woman took charge of the Harem, all the
squabblings and infightings ceased. Jodha's estimation of Salima Begum
went up a notch. Ruqqaiya was sitting next to Jalal, holding his hand,
weeping inconsolably and shooting death glares at Jodha.
The
Princess of Amer gave two hoots to the so called temper of the special
queen of the Emperor. She was more worried about the deteriorating
condition of her husband.Casting her mind back, she remembered the time
when her Bhai Sa Sujamal had been injured by a Cheetah. Sardar Chugtai
Khan had sent a hakim for him and Jodha had learnt tha art of making
that special ointment from the venerable Hakim. If that medicine had
worked on Sujamal bhai sa then surely it would work on the Emperor.
Without
waiting for anybody's permission and mindful of her constraint, she
quickly called Moti Bai to her side. Ordering her friend to bring the
requisite herbs, she settled down to prepare the mix. Ignoring the
incredulous looks of Maham Anga, Ruqqaiya and the other women of haram,
she went on with her business of grinding the herbs in the required
consistency and mixing them as was the requirement of the medicine.
Half
an hour later, the ointment was ready for application and Jodha was
numb with the relief of a task finally accomplished. Without wasting any
time, she turned towards her Mother in Law who had been a constant and
silent support by her side all throughout this time.
"Ammijaan, ye lep Shehenshaah ke ghav bhar dega."
She
had to give her mother in law credit. Without asking for any
explanation, the elderly lady directed the Hakim to apply the medicine
ignoring the protects voiced by both Maham Anga and Ruqqaiya. In that
very instant, it was as clear as a crystal as to which of the three
women held the reins of the Empire. On the one side was
the lady who had cared for the Emperor as her own son, and on the other
side was the one who had sacrificed everything to save the heir of the
throne. Hamida Bano Begum was not in a mood to be trifled with.
#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#
The
next few hours were tense to the extreme. Every nerve in the room was
pulled taut with tension, every person was praying for the life of their
Emperor. The dulcet tones of Arati mingled flawlessly with the soulful
renditions of Azaan and flowed together in tandem permeating the very
stones of the palace and the minds and the hearts of its inmates leaving
behind its indelible mark in this hour of crisis and an example for the
generations to come when both the Hindus and the Muslims had united
without any feeling of mine and thine for offering prayers
for the well being of their ruler. Perhaps for the first time in the
history of Agra's palace there was no distinction between the rich and
the poor, the maulvis and the priests, the Rulers and the Ruled, the
Commanders and the servants. They were united in their grief.
Jodha
was highly conscious of the charged atmosphere. It gave her goosebumps
to realize the way the people had united spiritually. As she took in the
subtle changes in the atmosphere, she wondered whether she was the only
one who had felt the change. Her eyes left the face of her husband who
was reeling under the attack of fever and roamed around the room,
feeling the energy seeping from the very walls of the bedchamber and her
gaze collided with that of her Mother in Law. One look at the serene
face of the elderly lady was enough to confirm the truthfulness of the
situation. She was not the only one to feel the change. The Empress had
also felt the shifting of energies, felt it and welcomed it.
A
sense of peace settled over her, and along with it came the strong
conviction that everything would be all right now. Her tiredness
vanished in an instant and she felt the calmness envelop her in
its folds.All throughout the evening, she had been waging a lone war
against the high and mighty of the harem. The application of the
ointment had staunched the flow of blood completely but the Emperor's
fever has escalated resulting in the blame being put squarely on her shoulders.
She had stuck to her ground explaining fruitlessly that it was a
necessary impact of the ointment, a good sign which proclaimed that that
the medicine was working , but nobody believed her. No surprises there
as everybody in the palace knew that she hated Jalal. She sure did, but
she certainly didn't wish her husband dead. Ruqqaiya and Maham Anga went
on disparaging her and were even willing to throw her out of the
bedchamber, but it was the terse command of the Dowager Empress which
stopped them in their tracks. Her mother in law's voice echoed of the
walls and silenced the entire populace of Harem as she reprimanded
Ruqqaiya.
"Begum
Jodha bhi Jalal ki biwi hain Begum Ruqqaiya. Aur iss naate yahan Jalal
ke paas rehne ka unka bhi utna hi haq hai jitna ki tumhara. Unka haq aap
unse chhine ye hume manzur nahi."
That
had certainly silenced Ruqqaiya, and what was capable of silencing
Ruqqaiya was more than enough for the others. Though there had been no
dearth of hostile glares, at least she didn't have to face any
more disparaging and insulting comments.In the midst of all this
hullabaloo, Jodha had held steadfastly on to her Kanha
and continued her vigil. She could discern a fine sheen on sweat on
Jalal's forehead. Unconsciously, she wiped it away with her saree not
minding the surprising gasps of a few people and the acidic glares of
some others. It was another good sign. She wished the Hakim from Gwalior
would hurry up
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