Chapter 1
21st August 1947, Afternoon
Kotha, a village near border separating India and Pakistan
Prickly sunlight poured through the open roof, unhindered and scattering in each corner of the large Haveli, which was alive with the scuffle, laughter, and colors of its inhabitants. The old bricked building was sturdy; with cemented walls and high open windows. Its massive brown wooden door, with antique and intricate designs cut into the wood, was left open into the dingy street of a village.
"Sarpanch Ji, lunch is ready! Kudion (Girls), serve your Lalaji (Father) these missy rotis " a women of heavy built, clad in red and black cotton salvar- kameej sat beside the earthen stove, cooking and shouting orders at her crowd of young daughters. The cluster of girls ran around, giggling and chattering paying no serious attention to their mother's commands.
Getting furious at their heedlessness, their mother winged, at one passing lass, whatever was within her reach. It turned out to be a rolling pin as it hit the petite girl's elbow
"Aaa!!!!" cried the poor victim, rubbing at the hit spot. "Amma!!! What did I do?" she asked in her Punjabi accent.
"Kaminiyon!! You don't work and even won't die! I break my back and get up early in the morning just to serve your Lalaji hot food and you lazy girls care for nothing except your nonsensical chatters. You all are of marriageable age, what will your mother-in-laws say seeing your ways? Only I will be blamed!" she shouted at them, which resulted only in another round of giggles from all of them, except one
"But Amma, I am serving Lalaji. Why did you hit me? And I am NOT of marriageable age. I am just eighteen and youngest here" Khushleen Singh, her youngest daughter said proudly, still rubbing at the angry red spot.
But before their mother could answer one of her sisters spoke up "Yes Khushi, you are the most agyakari (Obedient). So you should be married off first. Or even better; since you are so bright and outstand us all, we will leave you here to deal and preach those butchers if they decide to massacre our village -"
"PAYAL!!" a loud roar rang through the entire Haveli and silence befell, immediately. Nobody dared to move or even look up, as the girls quickly straightened their dupata on their heads.
Thakur Shashi marched in with dominance and spoke in his deep authoritative voice "Don't ever let me hear you say that again Payal. I love you girls and give you a free reign over everything but that doesn't mean you will cross your lines. Think before you speak. This isn't a joke and you must never say something so horrible at least to your younger sister."
Thakur Shashi's strict reprimand had its effects and Payal nodded in apology "I am sorry Lalaji" she muttered, looking down.
Shashi looked at stiff and scared form his daughter and his eyes softened "Come here Payal"
Payal meekly walked across the open and bricked Veranda to her father, clutching her dupatta tightly. Shashi immediately took her in a warm hug and said "I don't agree with your mother on her marriageable -age concept but I expect you to behave your age. You are my most sensible daughter Payal; I don't anticipate such behavior from you"
Payal wiped her silent tears and quietly said "won't happen again Lalaji"
He smiled through his thick beard and said "That's my Puttar"
Payal walked back and stuck her tongue out at Khushi "See? I am Lalaji'sfavorite"
"You're not! " Khushi stomped her feet and walked to her father
"Lalaji is Payal Jiji your favorite daughter?" she pouted. Her father laughed loudly, as he scooped a morsel and ate it before answering her
"You are my youngest and most favorite. Now happy!?"
"And we Lalaji?" asked Lavi and Sheetal, Thakur Shashi's twin daughters as they approached in time to claim their rights
Shashi looked up in a dilemma and decided on something "My all daughters are my pride and strength. Only my four sons are Nalayak"
This declaration was met by a sassy laughter from all his girls.
"Shoo, you girls now. Let your father eat in the piece" their mother's shout made them scoot away from near her, lest something else more dangerous came flying their way.
" Garima treat them nicely. After all, they all shall be married off soon. You must strive to give them all your love" Shashi said gently to his wife as she approached him with a hand fan where he sat under the cool and shady verandah.
She deposited beside him as she rattled off, irritated "I care about them that is why. All this giggling and talking doesn't suit the values of daughters of demure houses. I am preparing them for future the manners that would help them in their sasural"
"They are good girls Garima. You just over do everything"
"Han Han, I am always the bad one here. You think I don't love them? I am their mother. I have to take care of things that are more important to a girl. Things that go beyond their comforts. Life for girls isn't simple!"
Shashi shook his head at the old school thinking of his wife and chose to remain quiet. If his beliefs were different, it didn't mean everybody else was bound to follow them. He believed in freedom of women and their empowerment. Times were hard ahead; it would be good to his make his daughters strong and not present them as some docile creatures. They should know how to fight for themselves.
"Has Arnav Putar returned back yet?" Garima asked, cutting through his thoughts.
Shashi shook his head and said "No, he isn't back. He should have fifteen days back, but the situation here has hindered most of Vilayat Parvasi's (NRI's) return. The declaration of Independence and then partition has deteriorated the condition"
"But what now? Has Amar Bhaisaab suggested something else? After all, he has been helping us a lot with shifting and moving. Plus, Arnav is his Putar (Son). He must have suggested something that we could do until his return"
"We can only wait for him, Garima. Arnav Putar (Son) has all the knowledge and only he can talk officially on our behalf. All we need is time. I have confidence in this new government and Savraaj. Pt. Nehru is touring west Punjab with Shree Liaquat Ali Khan and since our village is right on the boundary with half of it falling into the territory of a new nation and a half under Hindustan, only they can suggest some solution now. We are ready to move, but I don't want any fights and killings in my village"
Garima nodded "I understand. I pray to WaheGuru that he returns soon"
"Don't we all" Shashi solemnly sighed.
A loud "SARPANCH SAAB!! SARPANCH SAAB!!" echoed and Shashi instantly stood up, his hands automatically shot to seek his rifle.
Garima hurried inside, pulling her dupatta to cover her face, as Shashi walked out.
"What is it, Ahmed Bhai Jaan?" Shashi asked
"Run away with your family now Shashi Bhai Jaan!! Take your daughters and Bhabhi jaan, all flee away now. They are coming!!" Ahmed Khan shouted; his condition disheveled his breathing uneven as if he had come running all the way.
"What!? But how!? We didn't do anything. We were ready to cooperate" Shashi said as sweat broke all over his body.
"They don't care Bhai Jaan. They are of both our clans, but I can safely take you to the boundary and come back till they detect we are on the move. Just hurry up Bhai Jaan. I don't want Bhabhi jaan and my daughters in any danger" he urged Shashi.
"What about others here? Our village falls Half under the new nation and half under older, so both Hindus and Muslims are in equal danger. Will you be able to manage and get them all out?"
"Bhai Jaan, the Pakistan side of the boundary is closer so my clan. I will have plenty of time to return to a safer place till those butchers reach us. I can drop you to the boundary and come back to the safer area. We have lived like brothers all our life irrespective of what religion we follow. They are all like my family; I will die to save as many brothers as I can" Ahmed said determinedly.
Shashi's eyes watered as he hugged his friend and said "Thank you Bhai Jaan. Thank you so much!"
Ahmed wiped his own eyes and said "Now hurry Bhai Jaan. I am here to get you. Amir, Aseem, and Sikandar are taking another group out of the village and will only return after dropping them to the Hindustan side of the boundary. And Ranbeer, Raghubeer and Sodhi are taking Muslims to Pakistan side of boundary"
Shashi nodded and they both walked in to break the news to others.
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The looting, murdering and burning continued.
Blood, corpses and cries filled the entire hinterland, as people rushed around hammering into each other. Independence had been declared in India and with this declaration, was announced the formation of India and Pakistan. The slaughter of a nation had happened. Families at one time were now thirsty for each other's blood.
Loud cries of "Maro, Maro, Maro!" were heard echoing through the entire Mohalla, and within few hours, the entire population of that that area had been wiped clean. Houses were set ablaze and then the misanthropist spread around, hunting for anyone alive.
But, Thakur Shashi Singh Grewal had managed to save his family by the help of his few Muslim brothers. They were huddled in a nearby church, his wife Garima, his sons and his young daughters. His heart bled for the loss of his other brothers, but he was helpless. He and Ahmed had done everything, but nothing could have saved them from those butchers. His eyes moved to the scared girls, as they all sat on one of the benches with a hysterically crying Khushi bowing her head in Payal's lap. His wife sat beside them, as if in a daze, staring unseeingly ahead.
Their village had remained peaceful; he being the Sarpanch had ensured that everything in his area, at least, was protected. The communal riots had been occurring in various cities of Punjab since the partition. But when the boundary commission awarded the district their village fell under to the parted nation, riots broke here too. The situation in the village began to worsen rapidly. Without valid grounds, a curfew broke in their area and military landed to dissipate and bring the situation under control. But as soon as they left, a massive atrocity broke, creating a pandemonium. The human wipeout was neat. Nobody had survived, except a few including them.
His eyes closed as pictures after pictures streamed through his mind, of the slaughtered corpses of his Hindu and Muslim brothers, children, and sisters. The women... The rampage they had suffered at the hands of those men was atrocious. They were stripped and raped in front of their families, their father, and their brothers. In the fight against dominance and for power - women have always faced bigotry at the hands of men. They were always condemned the weakest and the most vulnerable. Thinking of them, his eyes moved to his daughters. How will he protect them? He had planned and arranged for all of them to move to Ganganagar, a city which was safe and where his relatives lived. But the move was dangerous. Any moment they could be caught and if that happened, his daughters would face the same fate as those other women. His eyes closed at the thought and his heart thudded. No, he wouldn't let that happen. He would instead kill them by his own hands. At least like this, they'd die a death of dignity.
Determined, he raised his head and called their names "Payal, Khushi, Lavi, Sheetal"
Instantly he saw their heads snap and they their hands move their dupata. He could see the rips in their clothes. Yes, he should kill them before someone else lays their hands on them.
The sacred girls moved towards their father and stood looking so vulnerable that his heart squeezed. His hands shook as he brought out his rifle and commanded them "Stand in line all of you"
He saw Garima's eyes move in his direction. Their eyes connected for a second and he saw realization dawn in her eyes.
"No!!" Garima cried, as she rushed and fell on his feet "Please don't! They are our daughters. You cannot do this to them"
He saw all his children look at them in confusion, but he addressed his wife "You think it is easy for me Garima? You think it isn't killing me to do this? Can't you see my hands shaking?"
Garima cried desperately and pleaded through her tears "Then don't please. Let them live, please. I beg you!" she bowed her head at his feet, clutching them in desperation
The streamed through water Shashi's eyes as he spoke further "It is better if I kill them Garima. If they touch them, it will be worse than death"
Garima shook her head still at his feet and then he heard his daughter's startled cries "Lalaji No!! We want to live please" Payal's cries reached him
"It is better this way Bitiya," he said, as he kept his hand on her head.
"We won't let you do this Lalaji" his elder son spoke
Before he could answer, church's gate opened and Ahmed walked in "What are you doing Bhai Jaan? Hadn't I promised you all your safety? They are my daughters too. I won't let anyone harm their dignity"
Shashi broke down and Ahmed held his shoulder. The girls scooted closer to their mother, as Garima collected them in her arms together, kissing each of their foreheads as she cried at their fate.
"Arnav Bituwa is here Bhai Jaan. He is coming now and I have also arranged for a vehicle that'll take you to Amritsar, where your other relatives live. You must leave in fifteen minutes" Ahmed informed.
Shashi nodded at him and took his hands in his own "How will I repay your debts Bhai Jaan?"
"Bhai Jaan Bhi Kehte ho aur ehsaan bhi mante ho?"
Both men hugged each other for the last time as they knew it was time to part. Age long era of friendship, of brotherhood and of good days was coming to end.
Everything happened very fast then. There was loud roar outside, shrieks reached them, and Shashi and Ahmed moved to stand protectively in front of the women as the four young sons of Shashi walked to guard the doors. Just then Sikandar ran in and shouted "They are here!! They found us!"
Nobody had time to recover because then walked in seven men clad in black, brandishing bloody swords at them "Maro, Maro, Maro" they shouted.
Khushi's whole form trembled as she stood huddled near her mother, clutching at her arm tightly. She heard Ahmed Chacha speaking "Don't harm them, please. They belong to us "
One of the men laughed and said "Then you too must die Ahmed" and she watched in horror as the man chopped Ahmed chacha's neck in one swift move.
Cries of dread and agony rang around and she saw, frozen in spot, as her four brothers met the same fate, their blood splashing everywhere in the room, including her dress and face. She heard her mother's cries as she fought with the men who stripped her sisters naked. They only laughed looking at them lustfully and then mercilessly sliced off their breasts before cutting them into two halves. She saw her mother, her Amma standing in front of her father as they tried to approach him shouting "Kill me before him. Let me die Suhagan. Please, please". Khushi stared numbly at the man who smirked, let out an animalistic laugh and grant her Amma her last wish. She saw her father standing drenched in the red blood of her mother.
She did not know how she was left out, how they missed her but before any of them could notice, she felt a warm hand enclose over her wrist in a tight grip. She did not have time to turn and look at who had caught her because just them her father turned and looked in her eyes
And she knew it was a last goodbye as she heard his last cry "Take her away Arnav Putar. Don't let them have her. Save my daughter. Save my Khushleen "
And then, her father's chest was punctured with the sword impaled with the blood of his whole family, save Khushi.
She was saved from seeing further because her face was then hidden in a warm chest before she rose her head to look into the chocolate brown eyes of Arnav Singh Raizada.
I shall soon follow up with 2nd chapter. Happy reading. Please do leave your thoughts. Trust me they matter a lot😊
Cricket
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