Posted:
I am so disgusted by the idiocy of the ongoing track. I had to write this piece to remind myself of what Rana Indravadhan is capable of, even if his mother and wife seem to have forgotten!
ABDICATION
"Sulakshana ko singhasan milega aur Gayathri ko hum. Kal subah Amerkot ke Raja Rana Indravadhan Singh Deo aur unki patni Gayathri Devi Rajmahal chhod ke humesha ke liye chale jayenge..!"
A shiver coursed through Gayathri yet again as she recalled his words and their impact.
How magnificent had he looked? Every inch the King even as he declared that he was relinquishing his kingship for all practical purposes!
She had never imagined that this was how it would come to be. Not even in her wildest dreams!
The agony of the last few weeks had been such that there had been no dreams to light up her nights. Merely dark nights spent in isolation and seeking refuge in the comfort of tears.
It was as if a thousand daggers pierced her heart every time she saw them together. She was not petty enough to grudge him the memories of a past love. But to see that love come back to life and take its rightful place by his side? The pain had been far more than she could bear!
He had promised he would set it all right! Strangely she had never doubted him. Even when he had told her that the memories of his first love were far too powerful for him to overcome yet. His seeming procrastination and inability to take a decision had irritated her. Although, she would have been at a loss if someone had asked her how he should exercise his choice! She had even tried to leave him twice, when the pain had gotten unbearable. But the sight of his pain had made her forget her own. She had realized that he needed her, he needed her the most! And so she had stayed!
She had endured Sulakshana's insults because she did not want to add to his pain. She had been willing to subject herself to humiliation and pain if it would spare him the same!
And yet, never had she imagined that he would do what he had just done!
"Gayathri, get your bags packed!"
His voice broke through her reverie and she looked up at him with through limpid eyes.
"Why?"
"Because we are taking the train to Darjeeling tomorrow morning!"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? You were right there when I said we were leaving!"
"Why?"
Indravadhan looked deep into her eyes.
"Because I want to belong to you and you alone. And that is not possible while in this palace?"
"You would leave all this for me?"
"What is all?"
"The palace, the kingdom, the crown?"
"You wanted the King too?"
He offered her a half smile as if to take the sting away from his words. And yet, she could not suppress the ready tears that sprung to her eyes.
"Is that what you think?"
"Is that what you think?"
She could not restrain herself any longer. She laid her hand on his cheek and caressed it with all the love that she contained.
"I matter more to you than all that you will be leaving behind?"
"Gayatri, you know the story of Rukmini and the Tulsi leaf right? All Rukmini had to do was place a tulsi leaf to equate the weight of Lord Krishna! Love outweighs all the riches in the world, Gayatri. Your love is that Tulsi leaf to me!"
The tears started trickling down her cheeks.
"I love you...I love you more than anything in the world...I have nothing else to offer you but that love...and if you think that love is worth more to you than all else in the world, then I consider myself blessed...I love you...not the King of Amerkot...but you, my husband...you, my love...you, my...!"
Her words faltered to a close as she found herself unable to continue.
" I, your Indravdhan!"
" Are you...?"
She had to ask him.
"What?"
"Mine...mine at last?"
Indravadhan took a deep breath.
"Gayatri, we sometimes underestimate ourselves, the strength of our emotions...we allow guilt to cloud our vision...the burden of past memories weighs down so hard on us ...in all of this, we forget that life is like a stream of running water...it never stagnates but continues to flow...I have learnt what I did not know just a few days ago...I am not anymore the man she left behind six years ago...nor is she anymore the woman I lost...we are strangers to each other...!"
"So you are not doing this just for me?"
"Not at all...you can't imagine how liberated I feel right now...so light in the heart...so much at peace...I am doing it for myself, I am doing it for us!"
He stepped forward to take her into his arms. But Rajmata's words stopped him.
"How could you think to abandon Amerkot thus, Rana ji? How can Ram abandon his Ayodhya?"
Indravadhan turned back to face her with a smile.
"Don't place the mantle of a godly status on me, Rajmata...Ram was an avatar...and he had his own dharma to uphold...I am but a mere mortal...not long ago, I had to abide rajdharam and bind myself to Gayathri!"
He could feel Gayatri stiffen beside him and he took her hand in his before continuing.
" Now I choose to hold her hand in abidance of patidharam, Rajmata...I want to be her husband and hers alone..I cannot be that in this palace, in Amerkot...and so I choose to leave...!"
"What about Amerkot?"
"I leave Amerkot in your safe hands, Rajmata...but I know it is not for long...the winds of democracy have already started blowing...very soon, this land will be free from the shackles of monarchy, free to choose a leader because of his or her inherent qualities and not because of an accident of birth...I am confident that you will help Amerkot negotiate that change...!"
Rajmata wore a resigned expression as she nodded.
"Let Amerkot march ahead towards a glorious future where it will enjoy the freedom of choice, Rajmata! A part of my heart will remain here with you to rejoice in Amerkot's glory!"
He took a deep breath as he pulled Gayatri to his side.
"Bless us, Rajmata...!"
"Rana ji..."
"Not anymore, Rajmata...I remain Indravadhan...I remain your son...I remain Gayatri's husband..but Rana ji I am no more!
ABDICATION
"Sulakshana ko singhasan milega aur Gayathri ko hum. Kal subah Amerkot ke Raja Rana Indravadhan Singh Deo aur unki patni Gayathri Devi Rajmahal chhod ke humesha ke liye chale jayenge..!"
A shiver coursed through Gayathri yet again as she recalled his words and their impact.
How magnificent had he looked? Every inch the King even as he declared that he was relinquishing his kingship for all practical purposes!
She had never imagined that this was how it would come to be. Not even in her wildest dreams!
The agony of the last few weeks had been such that there had been no dreams to light up her nights. Merely dark nights spent in isolation and seeking refuge in the comfort of tears.
It was as if a thousand daggers pierced her heart every time she saw them together. She was not petty enough to grudge him the memories of a past love. But to see that love come back to life and take its rightful place by his side? The pain had been far more than she could bear!
He had promised he would set it all right! Strangely she had never doubted him. Even when he had told her that the memories of his first love were far too powerful for him to overcome yet. His seeming procrastination and inability to take a decision had irritated her. Although, she would have been at a loss if someone had asked her how he should exercise his choice! She had even tried to leave him twice, when the pain had gotten unbearable. But the sight of his pain had made her forget her own. She had realized that he needed her, he needed her the most! And so she had stayed!
She had endured Sulakshana's insults because she did not want to add to his pain. She had been willing to subject herself to humiliation and pain if it would spare him the same!
And yet, never had she imagined that he would do what he had just done!
"Gayathri, get your bags packed!"
His voice broke through her reverie and she looked up at him with through limpid eyes.
"Why?"
"Because we are taking the train to Darjeeling tomorrow morning!"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? You were right there when I said we were leaving!"
"Why?"
Indravadhan looked deep into her eyes.
"Because I want to belong to you and you alone. And that is not possible while in this palace?"
"You would leave all this for me?"
"What is all?"
"The palace, the kingdom, the crown?"
"You wanted the King too?"
He offered her a half smile as if to take the sting away from his words. And yet, she could not suppress the ready tears that sprung to her eyes.
"Is that what you think?"
"Is that what you think?"
She could not restrain herself any longer. She laid her hand on his cheek and caressed it with all the love that she contained.
"I matter more to you than all that you will be leaving behind?"
"Gayatri, you know the story of Rukmini and the Tulsi leaf right? All Rukmini had to do was place a tulsi leaf to equate the weight of Lord Krishna! Love outweighs all the riches in the world, Gayatri. Your love is that Tulsi leaf to me!"
The tears started trickling down her cheeks.
"I love you...I love you more than anything in the world...I have nothing else to offer you but that love...and if you think that love is worth more to you than all else in the world, then I consider myself blessed...I love you...not the King of Amerkot...but you, my husband...you, my love...you, my...!"
Her words faltered to a close as she found herself unable to continue.
" I, your Indravdhan!"
" Are you...?"
She had to ask him.
"What?"
"Mine...mine at last?"
Indravadhan took a deep breath.
"Gayatri, we sometimes underestimate ourselves, the strength of our emotions...we allow guilt to cloud our vision...the burden of past memories weighs down so hard on us ...in all of this, we forget that life is like a stream of running water...it never stagnates but continues to flow...I have learnt what I did not know just a few days ago...I am not anymore the man she left behind six years ago...nor is she anymore the woman I lost...we are strangers to each other...!"
"So you are not doing this just for me?"
"Not at all...you can't imagine how liberated I feel right now...so light in the heart...so much at peace...I am doing it for myself, I am doing it for us!"
He stepped forward to take her into his arms. But Rajmata's words stopped him.
"How could you think to abandon Amerkot thus, Rana ji? How can Ram abandon his Ayodhya?"
Indravadhan turned back to face her with a smile.
"Don't place the mantle of a godly status on me, Rajmata...Ram was an avatar...and he had his own dharma to uphold...I am but a mere mortal...not long ago, I had to abide rajdharam and bind myself to Gayathri!"
He could feel Gayatri stiffen beside him and he took her hand in his before continuing.
" Now I choose to hold her hand in abidance of patidharam, Rajmata...I want to be her husband and hers alone..I cannot be that in this palace, in Amerkot...and so I choose to leave...!"
"What about Amerkot?"
"I leave Amerkot in your safe hands, Rajmata...but I know it is not for long...the winds of democracy have already started blowing...very soon, this land will be free from the shackles of monarchy, free to choose a leader because of his or her inherent qualities and not because of an accident of birth...I am confident that you will help Amerkot negotiate that change...!"
Rajmata wore a resigned expression as she nodded.
"Let Amerkot march ahead towards a glorious future where it will enjoy the freedom of choice, Rajmata! A part of my heart will remain here with you to rejoice in Amerkot's glory!"
He took a deep breath as he pulled Gayatri to his side.
"Bless us, Rajmata...!"
"Rana ji..."
"Not anymore, Rajmata...I remain Indravadhan...I remain your son...I remain Gayatri's husband..but Rana ji I am no more!
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Arjun
Cricket
