Flashback continued..)
At the meridian hour, Chandragupta dismissed the course to have lunch and rest as well. Their session for the day had ended. On nearing the clearing, he was forced to stop in his tracks due to an incredible sight.
A girl, with her back to him and of nearly as same as his age, was practising moves with a wooden sword. He noticed that her long hair was tied up in a neat bun and she had dressed herself in a black salwar and a red 'angrakha' (top). Although her attire was of males but her curvy figure confirmed about her being a female. Though she was swinging the brand with confidence, her attempts of parrying approved her as an amateur in sword techniques. But the question was, who was she and why was she exercising alone, that too at this hour?
Just then as if an answer to all his unvoiced queries,the girl twirled and turned to her right while slashing the blade of the wooden dagger through air, making half of her face visible to him. And to his great astonishment, he found that she was none other than Dhurdhara, or only Dhara for him!
His eyes beheld her beauty, watching her every move in a fascinated awe, holding his breath. Some of the tendrils had escaped from the knot at the back and were strayed marginally along her temple. There were beads of perspiration glistening on her fair forehead and a flush occupied her face as a combined result of sun's heat as well as the increased blood circulation because of the drilling. Her eyes held determination and sureness, and her neither thin nor full lips were pursed.
His exploration of the exquisiteness of her features were forced to a halt when she dropped the tip of her sword stylishly on the ground, finalising her session. Her right knee was rested on the ground in line with her left foot. Exhaling his breath, he moved in her direction to have a word with her. Meanwhile, Dhurdhara stood up and plucked out the weapon from the ground and was preparing to leave when a known voice startled her.
"To tumhe talwar chalani bhi aati hai..kabse seekh rahi ho?"
She had thought he had left the jungle to have his lunch, but his presence proved her assumption false. She turned around and smiled slightly looking at him. His face clarified that he had observed her during the drill and was clearly impressed by her.
"Bas aaj hi se,"she replied to his question.
Both of them started walking towards the village. Chandragupta got confused on hearing her reply. Was she also there all the while when he had been teaching the villagers,he thought. But he hadn't noticed her presence.
"Kisne sikhaya tumhe?"
She answered amusedly,"Tumhi ne to sikhaya.."
He uncertainly asked,"Maine tumhe sikhaya..kab? Tum to waha thi hi nahi.."
She excitedly revealed,"Tumne hame nahi dekha par hum wahin the, chhup kar tumhari saari baatein sun rahe the, aur jo tum sabko bata rahe the use bhi samajh rahe the.."
"Lekin tumhe kaise pata chala ki mai yahan sabko shastra vidya sikha raha hun?"
He hadn't shared about this fact even to his mother, as per Pradhan Kaka's orders. Then,how did she got to know, he wondered?
"Kal jab Pradhan Kaka ne gaon walon ko patra ke madhyam se sandesh bhijwaya tha, to hamne bhi wo sandesh padh liya tha, aur aaj jab tum ghar se nikle to tumhare pichhe pichhe hum bhi chale aaye," she enlightened him, matter-of-factly.
"Achchha to ab tum mujh par drishti bhi rakhne lagi ho?"
She turned to him and exclaimed squarely,"Tum kya koi chor ho, jo hum tumhare upar drishti rakhenge!"
"Chori-chhupe to mera pichha tum kar rahi thi..waise bhi mujhse mile bina tumhara din kaha pura hota hai..mujhe pata hai ki kal tum ghar bhi aayi thi mujhse milne," he added and grinned on noticing the red splotches of rising anger on her cheeks.
Dhurdhara stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. Raising her eyebrows, she glared upon him and spoke,"Tumse milne athwa tumhara pichha karne se kai adhik awashyak karya hain hamare paas..aur agar tumhe aisa lagta hai ki hamara din tumse mile bina samapt nahi hota to ye bas tumhara bhram hai,"she finished off and resumed her walk with a greater pace.
Chandragupta trailed behind her hurriedly to counterbalance her speed while requesting,"Arey Dhara,suno to meri baat, mai to ye sab yun hi keh raha tha..mai to swayam tumhare ghar aane wala tha tumhe dhanyawad kehne.."
Dhurdhara regarded him with an uncertain expression,"Kis baat ke liye dhanyawad kehna chah rahe the tum?"
"Maa ki madad karne ke liye..gaon ki samasya hal karne ki dhun me mai apne ghar ki or dhyan hi nahi de paya..par tumne ye siddh kar diya ki tumhare rehte mujhe chinta karne ki awashyakta nahi hai Dhara," he enlightened.
Dhurdhara smiled at him and said,"Wo meri bhi Kaki hain Chandra, unke prati mere bhi to kuchh kartavya hain..aur waise bhi, tum jab gurukul me rehte ho to mai hi unka dhyan rakhti hun,samjhe?"
Chandragupta also returned the gesture and bespoke,"Ab ghar chale, agar mai thodi der aur yahan ruka to mere pet me chuhe tandav shuru kar denge.."
Dhurdhara chuckled at his statement and they both set off for their homes, together.
*
"Nahi..bilkul nahi, tum mere sath nahi chal rahi ho,"Chandragupta firmly announced his decision to Dhurdhara.
Since they had to avoid rising of suspicions regarding the teaching program, Chandragupta had divided the trainees into two batches. The training of first batch was scheduled before lunch, while the timing of second batch was decided after lunch. It was the time for training of the second batch. As he neared the woods, Dhurdhara joined him. They had just discussed it an hour ago on whether she will learn swordsmanship or not but it was apparently obvious that she had made up her mind.
"Par kyun nahi Chandra?"she asked, as she failed to comprehend the reasons behind his denial.
"Kyunki mai keh raha hun isliye..Dhara, meri baat samajhne ka prayas karo..ye koi gudde-gudiyon ka khel athwa rasoi me bhojan banane jaisa saral karya nahi hai,"he reasoned.
"Tumhe lagta hai ki bhojan banana bahut saral hai? Sab samajh rahe hain hum..tum hame isliye mana kar rahe ho kyunki hum stri hain..aur tumhe lagta hai ki ye sab bas purush hi kar sakte hain,"she impeached.
He rolled his eyes and shrugged,"Maine aisa to nahi kaha.."
She retorted,"Haan, tumne kaha nahi par tumhare kehne ka arth yahi tha.."
"Aisa nahi hai Dhara..mai to isliye mana kar raha hun kyunki shastra vidya seekhne ke liye bahut abhyas karna padta hai aur itna hi nahi,abhyas ke samay tumhe chot bhi lag sakti hai,"he concluded ultimately, concern for her evident in his words.
Dhurdhara was surprised on hearing him out. She dithered for a moment, then spoke solemnly,"Gurukul me jane se pehle tumhare liye bhi to ye sab naya tha na Chandra..tumne bhi to bahut abhyas kiya hoga tabhi aaj tum dusron ko sikha pa rahe ho,tumhe bhi to chot lagti hogi..par tumne to kabhi haar nahi mani na phir mujhe kyun mana kar rahe ho?"
He didn't reply and she continued,"Hamne suna hai ki Patliputra ke rajmahal me rasoighar ka karyabhaar purush hi sambhalte hain,to hum shastra chalana kyun nahi seekh sakte?"
Chandragupta was still sceptical of her determination, hence he replied,"Dekho Dhara, mai tumhari baaton me nahi aa raha..agar kaki ko pata chala to kya uttar dunga mai unhe..tum ghar jao wapas.."
Chandragupta moved forward leaving her to return. Dhurdhara knew she had no other option than retreat. Just in that instant, a brilliant idea conjured up in her brain and without wasting a second, she formulated it in her next words,"Agar tum hamari baat nahi manoge to hum Mura Kaki ko ja kar bata denge ki tumne gaon me apna gurukul khol liya hai..phir unke prashnon ke uttar dete rehna.."
He gasped as understanding dawned upon him. She was threatening him on the name of his mother. He stole a glance of her unrepentant stance. There was a wicked smirk plastered on her face. He found it unbelievable that she was the same girl he had left behind in the village years ago. When had she transformed from a bubbly pal to a manipulative buddy, he contemplated.
She again warned, batting her eyelashes theatrically for adding effect,"Hamari baaton ko kori dhamki mat samajhna Chandra..ab nirnay tumhe lena hai.."
Finally admitting defeat, he gave in,"Thik hai, tum aa sakti ho mere sath..par agar tumhare sath koi durghatna ho to mere paas mat aana, aur apna dhyan swayam rakhna..ab chalo."
Dhurdhara was so ecstatic at that moment that she didn't mind his words. As far as she was concerned, no matter whatever he declares about himself, she knew it in her heart that he will never let anything happen to her. She reached up to him and they silently resumed their walkway.
"Hathi jungli billi,"he grumbled under his breath with a sulk.
"Akdu nasamajh bandar,"she muttered with a chortle.
He raised his brows and asked,"Kuchh kaha tumne?"
She rejoined,"Nahi,hamne to kuchh nahi kaha..lagta hai tumhare kaan baj rahe hain."
He glowered at her while she coolly continued to move. She suggested,"Ab chaloge bhi, der ho rahi hai..!"
*
"Ise aise pakadte hain.."
Chandragupta showed the trainees how to hold a sword properly. This was one of the basic yet most important lessons of fencing. The grip on the sword should neither be too strong, as it would tire the fencer easily, nor it should be very loose.
After sometime when he was supervising them, he noticed something at the far end of the troop which rose the levels of bile in the pit of his stomach. Aryadutt, a guy in his late teens, was chumming up towards Dhurdhara. Since she was the sole female member in the grouping, he had strictly reded her to stay at the back, to avoid unnecessary attention. The discomfort on her lineaments were telling a story of their own. This..this was the real reason behind his refusal but it would be not less than a miracle if the wild cat would listen to him!
*
"Dekho agar tum talwar ko mooth (hilt) ke antim hisse se pakdogi to ye tumhare haathon se bahut jaldi gir jayegi, tumhe ise beech me is tarah se pakadna chahiye, phir ye giregi nahi,"Aryadutt advised her with profound wisdom as if he had been a proficient fencer.
Dhurdhara had been tolerating his unsought presence for two reasons. Firstly, she couldn't envision Chandragupta in her line of vision as the guys in the front were taller than her and consequently, she had to rely on her adjacent companion. Since Chandragupta had left her side, he had been nagging her once or twice in every 10 minutes, making an excuse every now and then. But now, he had started getting on her nerves.
She was gearing herself up to render him a cross response when he moved near her and enveloped her hand which was on the haft. She flinched due to the proximity, feeling awkward.
The pervert stilled with fear in the next second when he felt the presence of something sharp on his right shoulder. Chandragupta regraded him with a menacing ire seething in his eyes which made him recoil with a shudder. He removed his hand from Dhurdhara's as if he had touched some burnt piece of wood.
"Prateet hota hai tumne meri baatein aadhi hi suni, Aryadutt..kyunki tumhara dhyan to kahi aur hi tha! Maine kaha tha ki ladte samay drishti bhale hi saamne ho, lekin dhyan sabhi dishaon me hona chahiye..kahi aisa na ho ki dusron ko sahi tarika batate batate tum swayam duvidha me fas jao,"he spoke calmly yet the threat in his voice was unmistakably clear.
"Mai..mai aage se awashya dhyan rakhunga Chandragupta,"he complied immediately to get rid of his hawk-like stare.
Chandragupta approved,"Achchhi baat hai..waise ek salah dena chahunga tumhe,dusron ki galtiyan dekhne ke badle swayam ko sudharne ka prayatn karoge to shayad jeevan me kuchh kar pao.."
Then he turned towards Dhurdhara and accosted her,"Tum mere sath aao.."
They had moved just a couple of steps when Aryadutt addressed her,"Dhara tumhara kada reh gaya yaha.."
The wristband had dropped on the ground a while ago. She had decided to look for it later but forgot about the same eventually. Before she could move, a hand clutched around her wrist in a firm grip, arresting her to stay where she was.
Chandragupta retrieved the bracelet from Aryadutt and casted an asphyxiating look at him.
"Uska naam Dhurdhara hai,"his voice was unagitated as if suppressing a storm within,"aur..usse dur raho warna tumhare liye bahut bura ho sakta hai,"he concluded his words as an ultimatum.
Without sparing him a moment to apologize, Chandragupta fled off from there.
*
The setting sun had transferred it's crimson hue to the sky while the chirruping of birds returning to their nests, functioned as the music in the backdrop. Chandragupta and Dhurdhara were heading towards the village. A tensive silence was prevailing between the two compadres.
They had came near the line of shops, from where they had to part ways. Dhurdhara decided to break the ice but before she could utter a word, Chandragupta announced his ratiocination.
"Tum kal se waha nahi jaogi, tumhari shiksha van ke paas wali gufa me hogi..aur jab tak mai nahi aata, tab tak tum wahi abhyas karogi..samajh gayi?"
Dhurdhara nodded,"Thik hai,lekin.."
He cut her off in middle,"Maa meri pratiksha kar rahi hogi..mai nikalta hun,tum bhi jao.."
And, he left from the place leaving her with thousands of unanswered questions in her mind.
(...To be continued)
PS -Sorry for being late and the grammatical mistakes as well :)
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