lashy thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#1
*~**~*~

Prologue

Three Great Emperors had toiled hard to build the vast and flourishing legacy of the 'Mughal Empire', keeping relative peace by unifying its Mughals and Hindus. However; by mid 1600s, cracks began to appear in its solid foundations. Insecurities crept in through the gaps, widening the gulfs between the two religions once again.

With the old Emperor becoming too feeble to take charge and his jealous successors remaining preoccupied with expansion and power, the damage was never repaired. Not surprising then that new rebellions arose every day. Violence escalated, claiming many innocent lives.

Yet; in the midst of such turmoil and peril, there bloomed a beautiful story - much like a lone flower blossoming upon the steepest edges of a cliff - a story of love, of sacrifice and honour!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Forced to flee from her motherland, the one home she knew... forced to leave behind her people, for whom, she was their only hope...forced to grievously abandon the last rites of her loved one while the flames on the pyre were still ablaze...the orphaned heiress of 16 overcame grief and many shortcomings, as she embarked on a long dangerous path... setting out to seek help and support, for her people and her lands...

Till a chance stay with a complete stranger would change the course of those very plans forever!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Being the most shrewd, determined and unforgiving of the lot meant he was formidable... a force to be reckoned with... it also meant he could have owned it all - riches, power, women and fame... but, he fancied none of it...

As a recluse with simple tastes, the rich life held no real appeal... power didn't tempt him... women didn't interest him... his passion was work and his only family were a few loyal friends... he had decided that he wanted little else in life...

Till a chance visit from a complete stranger would change that decision forever!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*




Link to Chapter 21 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/jodha-akbar/4753392/novel-hiding-behind-a-stranger-thread-16-chapter-21-upd-23rd-nov
Edited by lashy - 8 years ago

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lashy thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#2

Teaser for Chapter 29


'What?' frowned Akbar, studying the sudden change in her behaviour. The inconsolable 16 year old she'd turned into for a short while, had been left behind, somewhere. The person now facing him was a lady - a lady who'd somehow regained most of her composure. 'Sahiba...'

'Khalil is NOTHING like you because he's loud mouthed and brash... YOU, on the other hand...' her tone was oozing sarcasm every which way 'you're an intelligence officer... cunning and sly... isn't that why everyone has heard of Khalil's army, but no one's heard of you? He is dangerous, but he is the known enemy... we are all aware of what to expect from him!' she shrugged 'But, YOU are an unknown enemy - the kinds that are always more dangerous... like the snakes that lurk in the bushes... quiet... sneaky...' her lips curved into a dry smile 'no one knows how those snakes strike... or how deadly their strikes would be... THAT's how they manage to outwit everyone! I... I... mean... princes from various kingdoms tried... influential businessman tried... many powerful men tried... Khalil's army tried... but...' she tut-tutted 'but none other than Ustaad Sahib could become the Mansabdar of Parnagarh! Isn't that what your friends outside were celebrating about?'



'Oh LORDDD!'

Since he could not scream aloud in frustration, he had to resort to exhaling hard, to let out some steam. If only he'd stopped his men in time. If only she hadn't heard all that. If only. If only. If only 'Argh!'

He now had a mountain load of explaining to do - where was he even supposed to start? 'Sahiba...' His lips tensed up, into a straight line. 'I... I...'

He paused. Her eyes had narrowed, turning her glares deadlier - deadly enough to stop a man twice her size, in his tracks.


Edited by lashy - 8 years ago
lashy thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#3

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Takht-e-Sulaiman - Solomon's seat i.e. Emperor's throne (Urdu/Persian)
Shehzade - prince (Urdu/Persian)
Shehenshah - Emperor (Urdu/Persian)
Wazir-us-Sultanat - Chief minister (Urdu/Persian)
Farmaan - official decree/document (Urdu/Persian)
Maharaj/Maharani - King/Queen
Maharaj - Chef/Cook
Kunwar - Prince (Generally used in Rajputana)
Baisa - Lady/Miss/Mrs/Madam (Marwari)
Banna - Mr/Sir (Marwari)
Sahib - Mr/Master/Sir (Urdu)
Sahiba - Ms/Mrs/Lady (Urdu)
Dams - copper coins
Vaid - Doctor/Healer
Ustad - Teacher/ Master of arts (Urdu)
Caravansarai - Caravan site
Kotwal - Town chief
Kos - old measurement system of distances, used in India
Tahar - battle axe (Urdu/Persian)
Khuda Hafiz - Farewell greeting which translates into 'May God be your protector' (Urdu/Persian)
Adab/Adaab - Words of Salute/respect (Urdu/Persian)
Taslim - A salute (Mughalian)
Hukum - Sir (Used commonly to address Rajput royalty)
Salaam - A form of greeting that translates to 'Hello/Hi' (Urdu/Persian)
Shubh Ratri - Good evening/Good night (Marwari)
Padhar jo Sa - I shall leave now (Marwari)
Zergul - Calendula flower
Chulho - Wood fire stove
Ganjifa - A card game, slightly similar to poker
Ahadi - Elite bodyguard, who've received specialist training
Muqannis - Specialist canal diggers/workers
Masaka - Mosquito. (Masaka fever - Malaria)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A laptop, a dictionary, some imagination and loads of dreams... Trying my hand at writing, once again...

Great to be back on this platform... looking forward to regularly catching-up with my lovely old friends ... looking forward to making new ones too!

Thank you all for being here... and for your support... it means a lot... 🤗

If this made for a worthwhile read, please do leave me a comment/like when you can, as it really does helps the writer in me to keep going!

I have a FB page called Lashy Writes - please 'like' it if you are more regular on FB, as I post the teasers/update links there 😊

lashy thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#4
Please join me in wishing one of our Littlest Banjaras a very happy birthday
Happy Birthday Ashu 🤗



lashy thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#5
A beautiful edit from my dear friend Payal (Sharmacatty) for the story 🤗
Thank you so much for taking this effort dear... it speaks volumes and the edit is a lovely montage of the whole story!

Edited by lashy - 8 years ago
Kalgi22 thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#6
My dear B&Bs 🤗

We did it!! Many Congratulations for our new home!! 🥳


Edited by Kalgi22 - 8 years ago
Priyaadarshini thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#7
Happy birthday ashu🥳🤗 stay blessed
Congratulations lashy di🤗 one more thread...we are competing with virat kohli, I guess😆
melovesja thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#8
Congregations B&Bs🤗 and Lashy shahiba.
melovesja thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#9
Happy Birthday Ashu.😛 stay blessed.
Sandhya.A thumbnail
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Posted: 8 years ago
#10
Woo-hoo new thread!!!!!🥳

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