SS - AAP WAALID BANNE WALE HAIN PART 8
THE MORNING SUN SEEPED INTO THE ROOM WHERE JALAL, JODHA AND SALIM WERE ALSEEP. JALAL WOKE UP AND REALIZED THAT HE WAS IN JODHA'S HOJRA. ON ONE SIDE HE SAW JODHA SLEEPING PEACEFULLY, WITH HER HEAD ON HIS CHEST, AND ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS SALIM, WITH HIS ARMS AROUND JALAL. JALAL WAS FILLED WITH PEACE. AMONG ALL THE PLACES IN THE WORLD, THEIS IS WHERE HE WOULD RATHER BE. HE SMILED AND CLOSED HIS EYES. JODHA AWOKE SOON AFTER AND SAW THAT JALAL AND SALIM WERE ALSEEP. SHE GOT UP AND SLOWLY AND TRIED TO GET OUT OF BED
" JODHA BEGUM, KAHAAN JA RAHI HAIN AAP? THODI DER AUR RUK JAAIYE HAMARE PAAS. HUM AAPKO BATA NAHI SAKTE KI AAPKE AUR SHAIKHU BABA KE SAATH HAMEIN KITNA SUKOOK MIL RAHA HAI.
" SHAHENSHAH SUBAH HO GAYI HAI. HAMEIN BAHUT SE KAAM KARNE HAIN, AUR USSE PEHLE SNAAN KARKE TAIYAAR BHI HONA HAI. HAMEIN JAANE DIJIYE.
JALAL HELD HER HAND AND PULLED HER DOWN TO THE BED. HE KISSED HER ON THE FOREHEAD SOFTLY AND GAVE HER A HUG, A NICE LINGERING HUG.
" THEEK HAI AB JAAIYE. AAPKO YUUN SEENE SE LAGA KAR ACHHA LAGA HAMEIN.
JODHA SMILED AT HIM AND KISSED HIM TOO. SALIM STARTED STIRRING AND OPENED HIS EYES.
" MAASA AAP HAMADE SAATH THODI AUR DER KE LIYE LET JAIYE NA. HUM ABHI UTHNA NAHI CHAHTE. ABBA HUZOOR, AAP YAHAN? ADAAB
JALAL KISSED SALIM AND LAY DOWN ON THE BED AGAIN
" SHAIKHU BABA. AAPKI MAASA KO TO KAAM HAI. AISA KARTE HAIN, AAJ HUM AUR AAP DER TAK SOTE HAIN AAIYE.
SALIM WAS THRILLED. HE LOVED HIS FATHER AND WAS KEEN TO GET HIS ATTENTION AND AFFECTIONS. BOTH OF THEM LAID DOWN HUGGING EACH OTHER. JALAL CLAPPED FOR AN ATTENDANT AND A MAID CAME IN
" AAJ HUM SHAIKHU BABA KE SAATH ISI HOJRE MEIN NAASTA KARENGE. THODI DER MEIN ISKA INTEZAAM KIYA JAAYE. JODHA BEGUM AAPKO TO KAAM HAI NA? AAP JAIYE, HUM DONO AAJ PEHLE DER TAK SOYENGE, PHIR NAASHTA KARENGE AUR USKE BAAD HUM SHAIKHU BABA KE SAATH GHODE KI SAWARI KARNE JAAYENGE.
" PARANTU SHAHENSHAH KYA AAPKO AAJ DIWAN E KHAS MEIN NAHI JAANA HAI?
" NAHI JODHA BEGUM, AAJ HUM APNE BACHCHE KE SAATH WAQT BITANA CHAHTE HAIN. ISSE ZYADA ZAROORI HAMARE LIYE AUR KOI KAAM NAHI HAI. AAP CHAHEIN TO AAP BHI HAMARE SAATH CHAL SAKTI HAIN
SALIM WAS OVERJOYED WITH THE PLAN. HE LOVED WHEN HE SPENT TIME WITH HIS MOTHER. BUT THE TIME THAT HE SPENT WITH HIS FATHER WAS SPECIAL, COZ MOST OF THE TIME HIS FATHER WAS BUSY WITH THE WORK OF THE SALTANAT. IT WAS RARELY THAT HE SPENT SO MCUH TIME WITH SALIM. SO BOTH FATHER AND SON TOOK A BATH TOGETHER IN THE SHAHI HAMAAM, GOT DRESSED AND ENJOYED A HEARTY BREAKFAST IN THE GARDEN OVERLOOKING THE PIGEONS AND THE TREES. AFTER THAT JALAL TOOK SALIME FOR HORSE RIDING. SALIM WAS SIX YEARS OLD AND WINCE HE WAS FOUR HE HAD BEEN TAKING TRAINING TO RIDE A HORSE. HE WAS VERY GOOD AT IT AND HE HAD A PLEASANT TIME RIDING WITH HIS FATHER. THEY RODE ALL THE WAY TO A FAR OFF LAKE. ONCE THEY REACHED THE LAKE THEY DISMOUNTED. JALAL TOOK SALIM's HAND IN HIS AND THEY WALKED FOR A WHILE, TALKING ABOUT A VARIETY OF TOPICS. SALIM SHARED WITH JALAL HIS CURRENT TIME TABLE, WHAT HE READ, WHAT THE MAULVIS TAUGHT HIM, HOW HIS MOTHER TAUGHT HIM SWORD FIGHTING, HOW MAAN SINGH AND KHAN E KHANA TAUGT HIM WAR SKILLS, TEERANDAAZI, ETC, WHAT GAMES HE PLAYED WITH HIS FRIENDS AND BROTHERS, AND HOW HE LVOED SPENDING TIME WITH HIS MOTHER AND HIS DAADIJAAN. JALAL LISTENED TO HIS SON WIT A SMILE ON HIS FACE. HE WAS TOUCHED THAT WHENEVER SALIM SPOKE ABOUT HIS DAADIJAAN AND MAASA HIS FACE LIT UP WITH HAPPINESS. HE SET UP A SILENT PRAYER FOR THE PRESENCE OF THESE TWO WOMEN IN HIS AND SALIM'S LIFE. IT WAS OBVIOUS TO HIM THAT SALIM ADORED THEM BOTH AND THAT THEY TOO TOOK GREAT CARE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH SALIM AND SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES WITH HIM.
JALAL REMEMBERED THAT DUE TO HIS FATHER'S UNTIMELY DEATH AND CIRCUMSTANCES BEFORE AND AFTER, HE HAD GROWN UP TOO SOON. HE HARDLY REMEMBERED ENJOYING HIS CHILDHOOD, BEING PAMPERED BY HIS MOTHER AND OTHER LADIES. HIS CHILDHOOD WAS MORE ABOUT BATTLES, HORSES, STRATEGIES AND SWORDS. BOTH BAIRAM KHAN AND MAHAM ANGA HAD BEEN RELENTLESS ABOUT TURNING JALAL INTO A WAR MACHINE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. THAT WAS TO NEED OF THE TIMES TOO THEN. HE WAS VERY GLAD THAT SALIM'S CHILDHOOD WAS DIFFERENT FROM HIS AND THAT SALIM WAS THOROUGHLY ENJOYING IT. EVEN THOUGH HE HAD THE ATTENTION OF SECERAL PEOPLE DOTING ON HIM LIKE JODHA, HAMIDA BANO ETC, THE CHILD WAS NOT SPOILT. HE HAD GREAT VALUES, WAS RESPECTFUL OF EVERYONE, WAS AMIABLE AND FRIENDLY AND WAS WILLING TO LEARN NEW THINGS. JALAL WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH SALIM'S UPBRINGING. EVEN THOUGH JODHA WAS PIVOTAL IN SALIM'S UPBRINGING, THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHERS LIKE HAMIDA BANO, SALIMA, MAAN SINGH, RAHIM AND OTHERS WHO WERE PLAYING THEIR PART TOO.
" ABBAHUZOOR KYA HUM IS TALAAB MEIN TAIR SAKTE HAIN? HAMEIN MAASA SE TAIRAKI SIKHAYI HAI AUD HAMEIN TAIRNA ACHHA LAGTA HAI. AUR ABBA HUZOOR HUM AAJ KA KHANA YAHIN KHAANA CHAHENGE, AAPKE SAATH
SO ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE AND JALAL AND SALIM SWAM IN THE LAKE. JALAL WAS IMPRESSED WITH SALIM'S SWIMMING SKILLS. THEY SWAM AND THEN PLAYED SPLASHING WATER ON EACH OTHER. AFTER THAT THEY BOTH WERE HUNGRY AND THEY ENJOYED A LAVISH SPREAD RIGHT NEXT TO THE LAKE. SALIM WAS FILLED WITH JOY AND JALAL LOVED THE TIME THEY SPENT TOGETHER. IT WAS DUSK BY THE TIME THEIR LITTLE PARTY WRAPPED UP AND BOTH FATHER AND SON WENT BACK TO THE PALACE. JALAL TOOK LEAVE AND IMMEDIATELY SOUGHT TODERMAL AND MAANSINGH TO DISCUSS MATTERS OF THE STATE. SALIM RAN TO JODHA AND TOLD HER ALL THAT HE DID WITH HIS DAD. JODHA WAS TOUCHED WHEN SHE HEARD ABOUT THEIR DAY AND VERY THANKFUL TO JALAL FOR DOING SO.
COMING UP PART 9
This is a small update coz I wanted to focus on Jalal and Salim, something the CVS COMPLETELY FORGOT TO GIVE US.
COMMENTS WELCOME
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