Writer-e-khaas,
I am very tardy with this take- was a crazy busy week at work. But, you know my inmediate reaction to this chapter. Peaks and valleys. Emotions moving up and down like the ragged image of a heart rate. That is what I felt while reading Chapter 36. The oscillation between lighthearted and tension, juxtaposed next to each other, seemed to reflect the current state of the relationship between Harka and Akbar.
And the chapter seemed to have an interesting tempo, at first fluctuating up and down quickly to keep us on our toes on what was to happen and surprising us, as much as our leads, at the frequent turns. Then for a while our spirits rose only up, up, up , taking us to a high only to come down crashing a bit. Perhaps, that is why Harka herself has grown to fear happiness as if she becomes too happy it may escape from her grasp and crash down even more.
Now, we will have to see if the next chapter and Akbar's second point takes us up or down? We are likely as curious, if not more, than Harka to find out.
My take for this chapter is a bit of a journey through the ups and downs of this chapter.
Down ... came the oppressive heat and the threat of tensions came with it.
Up ... came the happiness the lands had been saved, that too by the Mansabdar.
Down ... pounded Harka's headache, with exertion of body and likely heart as well.
Up ... came Harka's piqued interest as to why Akbar called her so urgently as well as an instinctive thought to look presentable in front of him.
Down ... yet were her spirits in his chamber, with not a proper place to sit, while a scroll betrayed her as an object under his control.
Up ... at least she brought herself up to stand as Akbar arrived with genuine concern. If only his perception and concern about her headache fell on more welcoming ears.
(Note: I really enjoyed the tiny details of him sensing her headache with the scent of eucalyptis oil and his not mentioning her sunken eyes)
Down ... caught in a whirlwind of doubt as she searched for sarcasm and betrayal in his every word of genuine concern. She braced for further hostility as her tampering with his scrolls was discovered.
Up ...yet, Harka kept her chin up and came clean with her thoughts and how she had read the scroll with her name.
(One thing I have noticed and liked in recent chapters is they do not let misunderstandings simmer and try to address them in their own way, right away).
Down ... was it a momentary down as Akbar seemed to admit the truth of the contents without a tone of apology or guilt. What a man!
Up ... a surprising uplift as Akbar read the whole content and context of his words .. and how symbolic the situation was .. how words out of context, half truths, were dangerous as was her overall understanding of Akbar.
Up ... a smile on Harka's face, that would not diminish no matter how much she tried.
Up ... a playful change of topic as a request emerged that she wanted to meet Samarth Singh.
Up ... a rare moment where Akbar is thrown off guard by her ask.
Up ... that he would oblige, despite the risks, as it is the first thing she had every asked him.
Up ... like a curious kid, Harka is left waiting to see how he transforms himself behind the shield of the curtains.
Up ... and what a transformation to Samarth Singh, that she was tongue tied in her own mother tongue.
Up ... her mind sharpening to catch him slip from his guise, but he would not slip.
Up ... as she was beginning to like this stranger more than than handsome face she knew so well.
Up ... her mischief that he looked familiar ... bringing the topic closer to home, back to the someone she knew.
Up ... Akbar played along referring to a man she married not too long ... albeit he had gained a bit of weight.
Up ... Harka's uncontrollable giggles and laughter that Akbar / Samarth Banna was upset at gaining weight
Up ... we were all delighted at the return of Harka's laughter. Had we all reached too high in happiness? Indeed.
Down ... to reality. Where had the headache gone? Gone because of the opium? It could not have gone because of him.
Down ... the betrayal! The memory of the farmaan Samarth Singh had stolen returned and they all knew the good times has snapped.
Down ... back to business, back to the known face that was less fun.
Down ... as talks of the messengers and scrolls brought back raw memories of past vengeance and a lost cause.
Down ... that she was a puppet in his hands, there was no one else by her side, and no other way but to listen to him.
Up ... pride up, she would listen to his second point on her terms, almost bringing a smile to Akbar's face
Up or down? he insisted on heading by horse, one horse ... only the next chapter and Lashy would show where they go from here, "up or down" .
Writer-e-khaas, thanks for bringing to life so beautifully the tug of war between our leads- kabhi kushi kabhi gham (sometimes happy, sometimes sad)! Thanks also for reading through an experiment of a take.
Edited by divyavm - 8 years ago
Anupamaa
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