Here is the next chapter. I have attempted at writing Marwari. If it is wrong somewhere please tell me so that I can correct it. Now enjoy!😊
CHAPTER 5: A New Friend
Agra
Jalal was in his chamber waiting for Atgah Sahab's report on the progress of the investigation. He had ordered for it just the day before but he was anxious to know who had tried to create a drift between him and his Jodha. He looked out at the afternoon sky and let out a heavy sigh. His Jodha? Did he even have the right to call her his' after what he had done? Irrespective of whether it was a plot to separate them, how did he become so blind as to not see that Jodha could be anything but treacherous?
"Shehenshah ka iqbal buland ho! Shehenshah, aapke hukm he mutabik Atgah Sahab aa gaye hai. ("May the success of the Shehenshah reach great heights! Shehenshah, according to your order Atgah Sahab is here to meet you.) Jalal was brought out of his reverie by the announcement by his chamber guards. Jalal nodded and ordered to send him inside.
Atgah Sahab entered and did a respectful adab. Jalal returned it and motioned Atgah Sahab to speak.
"Shehenshah, muamle ki tehkikat shuru kar di gayi hai. Harem mein khwajaserah bharti karne ki zimmedari jis bhi mulazim ki hai uss se puchtach ki ja rahi hai. Ab tak kisi ke baare mein koi pukhta khabar nahi mili hai magar koshishein jaari hai. ("Shehenshah, the investigation of the case had begun. Each and every officer related to admitting khwajaserah's in the harem is being questioned. No evidence has been found against anyone yet but we are trying our best.)
"Atgah Sahab hum chahte hai ki kisi ko bhi chhoda na jaye. Sab ki puchtach kijiye. Badi Ammi ki bhi. Shayad unhe kisi par shak ho. Koi na koi surag zaroor milega. Har gunehgaar koi na koi sabut peeche chhod hi deta hai chahe vo kitni bhi koshishein kyun na karle. ("Atgah Sahab no one should be spared. Everyone should be interrogated. Question Badi Ammi too. She might suspect someone. We will get some clue. Every criminal leaves some or the other clue behind them even if they try their best.)
"Hukm ki taamil hogi huzoor! Shehenshah aapse ek aur baat par maslat karni thi. ("Your order will be followed my Lord! Shehenshah I had to talk to you about one more important topic.) Jalal motioned for him to continue. "Shehenshah khazaane ke hisaabon mein bahut hera pheri hai. Sube se lagaan kuch aur vasoola jaata hai aur khazaane mein kuch aur hi pahunchta hai. Aur hume shak hai ki lagaan bhi theek se vasoola nahi ja raha hai. Shehenshah ye baat sirf shahi khazaane ko hote hue nuksaan ki nahi hai. Aavam ke khoon paseene ki rakam koi naamkool hadap raha hai. Sultanat ke saath dagaabaazi ho rahi hai! ("Shehenshah there are in a lot of discrepancies in the accounting of the treasure. The taxes collected from the states are different from what is deposited in the treasury. And I have a doubt about the collection of revenue too. Shehenshah the point isn't only about the losses that the royal treasury is suffering. Some disreputable person is taking away the hard earned money of your people. Treason is being committed against the Sultanate.) It was clear that Atgah Khan was very disturbed by his observations. He was a loyal and honest man. Of course he would be disturbed when faced with dishonesty and treason against the empire.
Even Jalal was worried about the corruption in his Sultanate. Suddenly an idea and the name of a man struck his mind. "Atgah Sahab hum khazaane ko hote hue nuksaan se vakif hai. Hum kisi ko jaante hai jinhe khazaane ko acche se sambhalna aata hai. Hum chahte ki aap unhein humari or se Agra aane ka paigham bheje. Voh hi iss masle ko suljha sakenge. ("Atgah Sahab, I am aware of the losses to the treasury. I know a person who knows how to deal with money matters. I want you to write him a letter on my behalf inviting him to Agra. Only he will be able to solve this problem.) The smirk morphed into a smile as he looked towards his trustworthy minister and guardian. "Aur agar unhone humari ye baat man li toh aapke kandhon par ek boojh kam ho jayega. Chahe humne aapko di hui har zimmedari aapko kitni bhi pyari kyun na ho magar ab aapki umar ho rahi hai. Aapneapni zindagi ke kai saal Mughal Saltanat ki khitbat mein bita diye hai. Ab waqt hai ki aap apne aapko aur apne khaandaan ko waqt de. Jiji Anga shikayat na karti ho magar ab unhein aapke saath ki zaroorat hai. ("And if he accepts my offer, you will have one less burden on your shoulders. As much as you like the responsibilities that I bestow upon you, you are becoming old. You have sacrificed a lot of years of your life for the sake of the Mughal Sultanate. It is time that you take out some time for yourself and your family. Jiji Anga might not complain but she needs you.)
Atgah Khan was curious to know the name of the person whose skills in handling finance had impressed the emperor. "Shehenshah magar vo hai kaun? ("But Shehenshah who is he?) Jalal smirked and replied, "Todar Mal.
*****
A few hours later
Following Jalal's orders Atgah Sahab had immediately got into action. A letter to summon Todar Mal to Agra had been dispatched and Atgah Sahab had returned to the investigation. Jalal then proceeded towards his mother's chambers. He had expected his mother to scold him after his revelation in the court, but she hadn't even come to his chamber neither had she called him to hers. He knew that his mother adored Jodha a lot and treated her like her own daughter. Everyone adored Jodha. It was impossible not to like her. She had a heart of gold. She was kind, sweet, intelligent, and beautiful. Jodha was perfect, like a diamond. And he had behaved like an idiot who didn't recognize its worth.
He entered his mother's chambers after he was announced and saw her glaring at him. He wanted his mother to shout at him, tell him how stupid he was. But nothing. Except that glare, his mother didn't react to his presence. He realised that his mother too, like Jodha, was going to give him a cold shoulder. He now understood how she must have felt when he kept on giving her the cold shoulder for so many years without any fault of hers. Jalal sat near her feet and placed his head in her lap. Hamida was shocked. It had been a long time since Jalal had done this. So long so that she didn't even remember the last time he had rested his head on her lap. But still she didn't react. How could he simply order Jodha to leave the palace without allowing her to explain? Why didn't he stop her? She felt that he hadn't tried his best. He could have stopped her if he had.
Hamida did not place her palm on his head. That hurt Jalal. But he knew that he deserved it. He very quietly raised his head from her lap, stood up and walked out of the room. He returned to his chamber dejected and alone. Before he had married Jodha, he did not have real conversations with his mother. Somehow Jodha had played as a catalyst and in these months, his relation with his mother had improved. She had mended his broken relations and had made him feel things which he had never felt before. And he had given her pain and heartbreak in return.
He missed her so much that everything seemed lifeless without her. She was the one who was holding him together and without her he was breaking down. He had hardly eaten anything since she had left because he couldn't even push food down his throat. Jalal spent the rest of his night staring at Jodha's portrait. He barely slept for a couple of hours. Without Jodha even his sleep had ditched him.
****************************
Two days later, Amer
Jodha had just reached Amer after a four day journey and had handed over the scroll, given to her by Shehenshah, to her parents, Raja Bharmal and Rani Mainavati.
"Jodha, laado iss patra ki kya avashyakta thi? Tumhe hum sab ki yaad aa rahi thi toh tumhara adhikar hai yahan aane ka. Vyarth mein hi jamaisa se ye patra kyun likvaya? ("Jodha, my child, what was the need of this letter? If you were missing all of us then it is your right to come here. Why did you have to get this letter from son-in-law?). Rani Mainavati chided her for meaninglessly disturbing the Shehenshah to get the letter.
"Tumhari Maasa theek keh rahi hai Jodha beta. Agar tumhe humari yaad aati hai toh tum bina kisi jhijhak ke Amer aa sakti ho. ("Your mother is right Jodha. If you miss us you can come to Amer without any hesitation.) Raja Bharmal joined the 'chiding brigade'.
"Maasa aapko smaran hoga ki jab humne pichhli baar Amer aane ki icchha vyakt ki thi toh aapne hume kya kaha tha, hai na? Hum maante hai ki ek stri ke liye vivah ke pashchyat sasural hi uska ghar ban jata hai. Parantu kya isaka arth ye hai ki vo apne maike valo ke liye parayi ho gayi? ('Mother you must be remembering what you told me the last time I wanted to come to Amer, don't you? I accept that after marriage the in laws' place becomes the home for a woman but does that mean that she becomes a stranger to her parents?) Jodha replied in a cold voice. Neither had her mother forgotten what she had said and nor was Jodha ever going to forget it. It was one of the moments where her own parents had betrayed her. She couldn't ever forget it even if she wanted to.
Rani Mainavati flinched but she was successful in maintaining her smile. "Laado, tum abhi bhi humse uss baat par rushtha ho? Vo samay alag tha aur abhi alag hai. Hume samjhane ka prayas karo. Uss samaj tum sadaiv ke liye apna sasural chhod kar Amer aane ka hat kar rahi thi. Hum tumhe aise kaise apne ghar ko chhod kar aane ki anumati de sakte the? ("My child, are you still upset with me about that? That time was different and now the time is different. Try to understand me. That time you wanted to leave your in-laws place and come here. How could I allow you to leave your house so easily?).
Before the situation escalated, the Rajmata and grandmother of Jodha, Rani Bhagwati Ji Sahiba, intervened. "Ye sab chhodo. Abhi abhi mhari laado itni lambi yatra karke aayi se. Pehle usne thoda aaram karne dyo. Phir hum sab milkar khub baatein karenge. ("Leave all this. My child has just come after a long journey. Let her rest first. After that we will talk.) she came near Jodha and holding her face in her palms, placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead. Before going to her room Jodha took the letter back. She wanted to see what had Shehenshah written in the letter such that her parents allowed her to live with them as long as she liked without any questions or qualms. Jodha's grandmother then led her to her previous chambers in which she had spent 20 years of her life. Not one thing was out of place. The chamber was as she had left it. The last time she was here was when she had come for Sukanya's marriage. At that time Shehenshah was with her but today she will be living in her chamber all alone. Just like the old times. Jodha turned and hugged her grandmother. Everything has been emotionally exhausting. Jodha couldn't stop her tears as they flowed from her eyes while she was wrapped in the protective arms of her grandmother remembering everything that had happened in the past few days.
Bhagwati Sahiba tried to console Jodha and to stop her tears. Jodha had always been her favourite grandchild. Whenever Jodha had had a tough day, she would take Jodha in her hug as if to protect her from all the problems. Whenever Jodha was in any trouble, she could sense it. She sensed that today too, her laado was facing some problem. She had no idea what it was but it wasn't about Jodha missing them. She felt it was far greater. Something that had wounded her grand-daughter's heart deeply. "Laado, mhanne bata sanchi baat ke hai? Thari peedi ka kaaran ke hai? Aisa ke hua thare ko ki itni toot gayi se tu? ("My child, tell me the truth, what has happened? What is the reason of your pain? What has happened that you are so broken?) While she had maintained a calm exterior all throughout her journey and even till some moments ago, Jodha could not longer keep her emotions bottled up. Her grandmother's questions were the only push that was required. Jodha told everything to her. She couldn't stop her tears while she narrated the incidents.
Bhagwati calmly heard her granddaughter out. She could clearly see how hurt Jodha was. She didn't blame any of the three people involved in this fiasco. Jodha was protecting her brother who was trying to keep his word and protect her husband. And according to what Jodha told her she felt that in this ordeal the Shehenshah was hurting too. Somehow everything didn't seem right. She could smell a scheme brewing but she couldn't go to Agra and find out who was actually behind all this. She knew that her stubborn granddaughter wouldn't go back until the Shehenshah himself would come to take her. She could only try to heal Jodha's broken heart till the arrival of her husband.
After Jodha had somehow calmed down and her grandmother had left, only after ordering her to take some rest, she opened the scroll and read the letter out. The letter stated that Jodha was missing her family a lot and wanted to meet them. Granting her this wish the Shehenshah had allowed her to go to Amer for as long as she liked and meet up with her family members. Reading the letter Jodha became furious. "Ye asatya kehne ki kya avashyakta thi? Sach kehne se bhay lag raha tha unhein? Hume apne parivar ki yaad aa rahi hai! Is liye hum Amer aaye hai! Unhone humari Amer aaneki icchha ko purn kiya! Satya nahi keh sakte the ki unke aadesh ka paalan karte hue hum Agra chhod kar aaye hai? Kya siddha karna chahate hai vo? ( "What was the need of lying? Was he afraid of speaking the truth? I am missing my family! That is why I have come to Amer! He granted my wish to come to Amer! Couldn't he tell the truth that I am following his orders and have left Agra? What does he want to prove?) No one answered her back because she was the only one in the chamber. Jodha's broken heart even prevented her rational mind from understanding that he had not lied for his benefit but hers so that her parents would not force her to return to Agra. He lied so that she could get enough time to calm down, understand him and forgive him. He wanted to give her the space and time she required without any pressure from her parents.
Jodha wanted to tell the truth to her parents but she didn't. Even if she was upset with them, she couldn't hurt them. They would be deeply hurt if they came to know that her arrival had nothing to do with her missing them but that she had left Agra because of Shehenshah doubting her. Unconsciously she also knew that her parents would try to convince her to return to Agra because her husband had asked for forgiveness from her, the Shehenshah of Hindustan had asked for her forgiveness. She sighed and laid down on the bed . The moment her head touched the pillow she was asleep. Indeed she was in dire need of some rest as not only her body but her heart and mind too were exhausted.
The next morning Jodha decided to visit the Kali Maa temple to get some peace of mind. She had finished her prayer and had just stepped out when she saw some people trying to control a horse. The horse was trying it's best to be freed from their grasp. Just then she saw a young girl of about 16 years old approaching the horse with calculated steps. Jodha was scared for her. Was she trying to get herself killed? Jodha handed the thali to Moti and was about to go and stop her when she noticed something and was amazed. The girl had very bravely, not only managed to get close to the horse, she had also successfully calmed him down! She then proceeded to check his hooves and had discovered a thorn that had managed to lodge itself between the two toes of it's fore limbs due to which it was experiencing pain and discomfort. After a bit of effort and another few consolations to the animal the thorn was successfully pulled out and the animal was back to it's pleasant mood.
After this entire mishap, Jodha went to talk to the girl while she washed her hands. "Bahut bahadur ho tum. ("You are very brave.)
The girl looked towards her and observed Jodha's entourage. She concluded from her clothes and jewellery that the woman standing before her was someone of a high status. She politely joined her hands and answered. "Dhanyavad! Kshama chahati hu, humne aapko pehchana nahi. ("Thank you! I am sorry I dont recognise you.)
"Ye Mughal Sultanat ki Begum Jodha hai. ("She is the Begum of the Mughal Sultanate, Jodha.) Before Jodha could reply Moti answered and smiled looking at her friend. Realisation dawned on the girl's face face. "Tumhara Naam kya hai aur kaun ho tum? Lakshano se tum acche ghar ki lagti ho. ("What is your name and who are you? You look like you belong to a well off family.) The girl proceeded to introduce herself. "Humara Naam Kritika hai. Hum abhi abhi Ajmer se aaye hai. Vahan ek ashram mein pashu vaid ki shiksha prapt kar rahe the. Socha Amer mein aakar kuch kam mil jayega. ("my naam is Kritika. I have just returned from Ajmer. I was training to be come a veterinarian there. I thought that I will get some job in Amer now.)
"Ab hume samajh aaya ki tumne uss ghode ko itni saralta se kaise shant kiya. Tum humare saath mehel kyun nahi chalti? Vahan hum tumhe kaam dilwa denge. Mehal mein pashuon ke vaidya hai jo bahut samay se humare liye kaam kar rahe hai aur unhein samay samay par sahayata ki aavashyakta hoti hai. Unki sahayata bhi ho jayegi aur tumhe sahi marg darshan bhi mil jayega. ("Now I understood how you were able to calm down the horse so easily. Why dont you accompany us to the palace? I will help you to get a job there. There is a veterinarian in the palace who has been serving is for many years and requires help from time to time. He will get the required help and you can get some guidance.) Jodha offered. Kritika eagerly accepted it and they began the journey towards the palace.
Edited by JodhaAkbarRox - 7 years ago
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