AkDha SS: Yeh Laal Ishq /Last Chapter 12b page 45/ - Page 9

In the same village where one side mahashivratri celebrations were going in full swing on the other jalal was exhausted after searching for jodha. The whole day came as a disappointment for him..he was sitting inside his hut and thinking about his love his begum *Hum kahan dhunde aapko jodha begum..kitne din beet gaye par aapka koi pata nahi hai...khuda kasam ek baar aap humse rubaroo ho jaaye phir hum aapko kabhi khudse dur nahi hone denge* he was engrossed in his thoughts when all the soldiers came back to his hut after the search mission. He stood up and with anticipation scanned their faces and asked "Jodha begum ka kuch pata chala??" but everybody lowered their head in response to his question and jalal understood that he has lost again. He went outside to hide his broken soul...he wished to go somewhere and cry his heart out...
"Huzoor!" a soldier came running out of the hut. Jalal turned around and asked in a subtle tone "Kya hua.." "Huzoor aaj ek bachche ne humei yeh paigaam diya" he handed over the letter to jalal. He opened it but as he was illiterate he didn't got a word what was written in it. It was a folded white paper on which few lines were written..jalal's mind got stuck on the handwriting..he had seen this type of writing in the past but was unable to gauge it...some words were not properly written in it, their ink was spreading onto another. Jalal *Yeh paigaam humei kaun bhej sakta hai...aur ye likhawat toh dekhi si lag rahi hai..*
He immediately called a soldier who knew how to read and said "Suno! Idhar aao aur ye humei padhke sunao! Abhi!"
The soldier obliged and started reading it to him.

**Flashback**

Jodha sat on the floor with a inked feather in her hand and started writing the letter. With a deep sigh she wrote:
"Pranaam shenshah.

Hum aapki manodasha samajh sakte hai, aap yehi soch rahe honge ki hum kaise hai aur kis haal mein hai...yehi bataane ke liye humne aapko ye patra likha hai ki hum bilkul theek hai aur aap hamari chinta karna chodh de...agra ki janta ko aapki aavashyakta hai, aap waha jaaye. Hamari aapse vinti hai ki agar aapne kabhi bhi humei apna maana hai toh aap wapas laut jaaye. Hum yaha khush hai aur koi samasya mein nahi hai. Aapka aur hamara saath shayad agra ke uss mahal tak hi seemit tha...sabke liye behtar yahi hoga ki aap humko dhundne ka prayaas na kare aur apne mahal laut jaaye.

Jodha

Tears were continuously dripping out of her eyes after writing this letter. She did exactly opposite to what her heart was saying her to do. Her sobs were getting heavier and she closed her eyes to soak them in...but it didn't work. Her inner soul was not permitting her to send such letter to shenshah who has been searching for her like clouds search for light...but it did make some sense to her after thinking about all odds and evens.

*Shenshah yeh satya hai ki aapne humko dhundne mei koi kasar nahi chodhi hai..parantu hum aapke saath kaise chal le...Woh kaali raat humse bhuli nahi jaati aur hum mei wapas se apmaan sehne ki koi shamta nahi bachi hai..thak gaye hai hum khudko ek aadarsh patni saabit karte karte...thak gaye hai aapke vishvaas ko paate paate..humne jabse aapko uss haalat mein dekha hai...hamara hridya ashru baha raha hai..hamare liye sab kuch chodhke aap iss gaav mei aa gaye..kyu par...hum aapke liye kya maanyata rakhte hai shenshah...ek taraf aap humse kehte hai ki aapko humse mohabbat ho gyi thi aur dusri taraf aapne humei agra se nikal jaane ko keh diya...ab yehi sahi rahega ki aap aur hum...ab alag ho jaaye...*

Jalal was shocked. His ears couldn't believe what they had heard...he quickly took the letter from the soldier and looked at with tears in his eyes...he caressesed the words and he could definitely sense the pain behind writing them. Those words gave him reflection of jodha...who is somewhere right now in this village and who is waiting for him to come and take her away from all these pains.
"Hamara jaane ki tayyari kijiye...humei turant jodha begum ke paas jaana hai..jaldi!" jalal roared and in a flick of second all his soldiers gathered around him and soon they all were ready to go.
Jalal sat on the horse like a true warrior and set off blowing mud in the air. His head was pondering over so many questions he needed to ask jodha but he focussed on finding her first. The horses were thundering onto different places where jalal enquired about jodha but nobody seemed to know her there also. Jalal was very quick in his actions..he knew maybe every single moment he is coming closer to her..maybe she is in the next village..he was all determined as after hearing to that letter he had dismissed all his negative thoughts, only one word Jodha was revolving in his mind.
He was passing by a village when he heard a very loud sound of a conch (shankh used in puja) he abruptly stopped his horse and looked towards the place where this sound came from..he swiftly got off from his horse and went closer to the area. Large number of people were collected over there and jalal was all cluleless, he saw a big murti of shivji placed in the middle and lots of people surrounding it...he still didn't got exactly the reason behind such big collection of the crowd so he asked one person. Jalal--"Suniye..jee aap humko bata sakte hai yeh kya ho raha hai?" person""Aaj mahashivratri hai.. *jalal was still not satisfied with his answer and was looking with wide eyes...* umm jee aaj wo saari auratein shivji ki aaradhna karti hai jo vivaahit hoti hai ya jinko ache var ki upeksha hoti hai" and the man quickly got inot the crowd after clearing jalal's doubts. Jalal was satisfied after hearing what's the occasion and he turned to go from there but wait! His mind rewinded the talks what he just had with that person and boom his face showed a smile and a ray of hope! Jodha begum yaha ho sakti hai he whispered to himself. What he wanted was not easy to achieve as he saw a massive crowd before him and he didn't even knew what jodha was wearing or was even there or not but his heart was advocating her presence and soon jalal felt himself lost in the crowd...he looked here and there and started searching for jodha...he crashed himself into the people forgetting that he is the mughal king or shenshah-e-hind...he searched many faces and kept on looking at the people but didn't succeeded in finding her.

Jodha was feeling very dizzy since the evening. It was a very eventful day for her as she ran away from jalal's place and then wrote the letter and gave it to the soldier and now this fast was making her go famished all the way. She also borrowed some clothes to wear in the puja but the grace on her face was missing. Dressed in a red lehanga and a golden chunari she took fragile steps towards the celebration area, everybody was looking at her on the way as she was looking like an ethereal beauty. She was truly justifying the title of rajputi princess and begum and was making her way out in the crowd when she felt her throat getting dry and her head paining...she even stopped in the middle of the place but due to the swarm of so many people it just exaggerated her weakness...she kept her hand on her head and tried to walk but her vision got blurred. The sounds of the conch and people chanting "Har Har Mahadev" was levelling higher and higher around her and she could just not move any step further. The rush of the crowd and the ringing bells was making her body giddy and she fainted there and the sound of the last conch blowed in her ears.

Jalal was keenly watching everyone and was making sure that he doesn't miss anybody when he plunged into a man. Jalal "Muaaf kijiyega woh hum...jalal was talking to the man but he was not bothered by his apology! He wasn't even looking at him. Jalal looked at the direction in which the man was looking and his eyes got stuck right there! His heart ceased to beat in that instant and his mind refused to exist at that very moment. The voice of the shankha and flocks of people vanished in the atmosphere and it was just one thing he was affected of in that time. There she was! His sharik-e-hayyat, jodha walking down the path infront of him! He started walking towards her...spellbound by her presence he kept following her...his eyes got moist as he couldn't believe he had finally found her. She went into the crowd and he followed her...her beauty was matchless and her aura was incomparable. He thanked both allah and kanha that they finally answered his prayers and made him meet jodha. He wanted to go and engulf her in his arms and never let go off ever again! But he was scared! Yes mughal sultanat's badshah was scared as he didn't wanted to lose her again through his foolishness.
Suddenly he saw her getting paused in the middle of that area...he turned suspicious and took small steps towards her...she kept her hand on her head and he sensed something weird in her actions...she tried walking but again stopped in her tracks and within few seconds she passed out and jalal caught her perfectly as she closed her eyes.
"Jodha begum! Jodha begum aankhein kholiye!" he yelled nervously. Her petite frame easily descended in his arms and her body lost its remaining strength. He tapped her cheeks but she didn't responded. Without wasting any time he picked her up and with the help of some commoners he reached a house and placed her on the wooden khaat bed. He took some water in his hand and sprinkled on her face which bothered her eyes and she blinked her eyes in discomfort. Jalal "Uthiye jodha begum! Dekhiye hum aa gaye hai ab...aapko kuch nahi hone denge.." he protested against her will. Soon a lady came with a glass of water in her hand and said""Lagta hai upvaas ke kaaran yeh behosh ho gayi hai...aap inke pati hai na...yeh lijiye inko pila dijiye" she offered him the glass. Jalal was massaging jodha's hands and got confused on hearing her "Upvaas?" he took the glass and the lady replied""Haan aaj saari vivaahit striyo ne upvaas rakha hai apni pati ki lambi aayu ke liye...toh saral si baat hai inhone bhi rakha hoga jiski wajah se ab inki yeh dasha ho gayi"
Jalal was shocked. He looked at jodha surprisingly and came near her...he thought how can a woman be so beautiful from inside? She kept upvaas for him when he is the only reason due to which she is right now laying here looking so pale and lifeless. He stroked her forehead lovingly and planted a kiss there...wishing to god that may all her pains and sadness evaporate soon... a lone tear rolled down from his eye and landed on her cheek. She felt something on her face...something warm on her forehead, her heart was giving her a reason to live again. She tried to speak something which jalal noticed...he looked at her and brought his ears to her mouth..jodha was saying""Pp..paani..paani..." jalal swiftly made her drink the water by supporting her back and raising her body little bit upwards...jodha was so thirsty that she started drinking it quickly like a baby. Jalal was watching her with a smile on his face...he was happy that she is fine but at the same time he was feeling guilty watching her in this state. Unaware of jalal's presence around her jodha fell asleep on the bed after drinking the water.
Jalal covered her with a blanket and blowed off the lantern so that she sleeps peacefully. He ordered his soldiers to put up a khema for themselves as now they would have to wait until jodha gets perfectly fine.

It was midnight when jalal woke up from his sleep. He didn't know when sleep took over him. Winds were blowing making thunder sounds and the moon was gazing out from the sky. He moved his gaze towards the bed to see jodha but found it to be empty! He rubbed his eyes and quickly stood up from the chair but she was not there in the room. He shouted her name "Jodha begum! Jodha begum!" but no trace of her could be seen. He ran out of the house in search of her...it was so dark that no one would dare to step out from their house...jalal was scared...he ran and ran yelling for her when he saw a figure walking down the gloomy path. He shouted "Jodha begum!!" and the figure turned around revealing its features. He for once trembled in his path after seeing the appearance of that person...his eyes couldn't believe what they were actually seeing. "Abul Maali??" as soon as these words escaped his mouth a devilish laugh came from the other side. "Haan jalal! Abul maali!" and he again laughed watching at the cloudy sky making the clouds thunder under his tone. Jalal's expression turned from confused to furious one "Tum yaha kya kar rahe ho!!" Abul maali "Offo jalal...tumne badi der kardi...humne tumse tumhari sabse azeez cheez toh cheen li! Ab toh tumhare paas kuch bacha hi nahi!" he smirked at him. Jalal was about to say something when he noticed a payal in his hand. His eyes bursted out and he again saw maali's face..."Kaun...kaunsi cheez ki baat kar rahe ho tum! Hum tumhara sar kalam kar denge!" he took out his sword but was stopped by him "Thehro jalal..itna bhi kya gussa...ab tumhaare sabse azeez kaun hai...yeh sochne mei itna waqt toh nahi lagna chahiye na.." and he again laughed! Jalal got curious and he stopped dead in his track when he solved the puzzle behind his saying..."Jodha...begum..." he whispered to himself but it was loud enough for abul maali to hear. "Bilkul sahi jawaab jalal! Haan humne tumse tumhari jodha begum cheen li hai..woh bhi hamesha ke liye! Ab tumhare paas khone ko kuch nahi bacha jalal...kyunki agra ko toh hum ab apna karke hi chodenge!"
As soon as jalal heard this his senses got paralyzed...the same fear returned infront of him of loosing jodha. His body went numb and with all the power he shouted "Jodha begum!"

***

Hope you all liked the update! I am sorry for making you guys wait this time. This update i dedicate to jahnavi di (hemakeerti) love you for supporting me everytime 🤗
This is a long update for you all my beautiful readers 😃 Comment and feedback please 😳