CHAPTER 3
"This experience is not new to me. I had first tasted this experience when I was merely 6 years old.
The dim blue light of Pragya's drawing room had made the whole environment mysterious. Her parents have gone to attend a marriage ceremony of some relative, and Pragya got the chance to sit with Rohan in her own house without any disturbance. It is eight o' clock; the streets are full of light and people but that effect is no way going to fall on the enigmatic aura of the room... Thanks to the weird choice of her father, the combination of blue dim light and the silver curtains have made the room perfect for a parapsychologist!
Rohan had stopped once, perhaps to arrange the clips of memory within head. Pragya's stare was fixed in his eyes... they were glittering in the blue light with a bold shine of excitement and enthusiasm. "6 years only? She repeated.
"Yes. He stated. "Though I was not matured enough to understand the gravity of this that time!
The clock stroke eight o' clock, and Rohan started sharing the story of his life.
"As you know, my father works as Engineer at Coal Mines. My childhood had spent in the quarters of coalfields around Raniganj and Asansol... It was a fine sunny morning of Summer Holidays, as far I remember, and I was playing with some of my friends at the ground in front of the quarter...
I forgot what actually had happened, but somehow I had lost my balance and had fallen down on the ground, causing a slight head-injury. I was totally blank for a full minute- there was nothing in front of my eyes except a black curtain... maybe I had lost my sense!
The first experience of those visions had started from that moment only. Slowly the black curtain from my eyes had been raised; I saw clearly that a savage war is taking place in front of me. There were lots of horses and elephants, clanging of swords, arrows, canons, guns... I was middle of all of them and my ear was piercing with the sound of canons. The first vision of my life... a horrible scene of a bloodbath war!
I was fascinated with this; it came to me as a wonderful experience of a live action movie, as like all kid I was a fan of action cartoon series that time, and I chose to tell this to none! This way it ended, I slowly started growing older... Sometimes little clips of vision used to come, but I did not pay heed much!
In my school and college life I was completely normal like other guys. I was all an average a good student; good in Maths and Science, little lazy and weak in History, loving to play cricket, going in hang out with friends... all were going on smoothly like any other human. I passed engineering and grabbed a job in a good company, and was posted in Kolkata. I got a nice girlfriend, we decided to marry... all were so smooth... before I visited Agra.
"Agra?
"Yeah! Almost 2 years back I had to visit Delhi with some of my friends in a friend's wedding ceremony. Everything was alright till the wedding. And after that one of my friends suggested to have a trip in Delhi and Agra. So we planned accordingly.
"Well, then?
"You know there is a fort in Agra? It was the main residency of the Mughals I think...
"Yes I know. It was built by Akbar as far I remember... I visited there when I was a child. It was really beautiful!
"Yeah! Rohan smiled and surprisingly his face and eyes glowed. "I still remember, I was clicking photos at the place they said as the restroom of the emperors. He continued. "The guide showed us the place where the queens which was right at the front of the restroom, and I looked there, and I saw...
"Saw what?
"As if someone was sitting there. In a gorgeous dress... like queens...
"What! Pragya had to control her chuckle to keep the decency. "You saw the queen?
"Apparently I thought it was a mistake of mine... I did not pay heed... but everything started changing after that... He looked excited. "I cannot describe you that feelings. I started feeling as if the place is very known to me... As if I have come here many times... but believe me, it was my first visit in Agra itself! Then... He recalled. "As we proceeded to the Anguri Baag, I started having illusion... I felt I have come here many a lot times, when that place was in a better condition, when there were full of grace, glow, light and colour... and in those thoughts somehow I lost myself... I was lost in the grandeur of that wonderful palace in my mind... as if I have walked through 400 years back... But I was there only, unmindfully walking with my friends...
"Then! Pragya crossed her legs in suspense.
"In that hangover we reached the place they said Harem. Everyone could only see some dark chambers once used as rooms for various queens... But I saw the magnificent, glorious royal ambience of the quarter of the proud queens... You might think I am mad! But I was literally hearing the sounds of anklets, the beautiful Gazals were floating in air... I also heard the sound of giggle and chats of the girls... I was so lost that I was not walking properly, and so I slipped in the stairs.
"Oh!
"Yes. And I had a temporary blackout. And then the first vision after reaching my adulthood came...
Pragya stared at his face as his voice was conveying mystery.
"I saw a vast room illuminated with soothing light of lamps and candles. The mystic ambience in the mixture of darkness and soothing light, the elegance and ravishing aura floating in the room, and in between all of these a beautiful woman was sitting on the bed... Wearing a dark-blue ghaghra, covering herself in a silvery choli, she was sitting in the bed like a dream of a beautiful night... I slowly came to her, sat beside her, touched her chin and picked her face up and she looked at me...
"How did she look like? It seemed Pragya too was affected with her dreamy description of the woman. She asked in a dreamy voice...
Rohan paused and gazed at her face, his eyes being mesmerized in the hangover of dream. The very simple Bengali girl in a casual Tee and specs in her eyes... and a heavenly glimpse of a divinely beautiful queenly woman... how can be both of them are so same! How can their eyes are uniquely same!
"She was like a dream... Rohan continued in his dreamy voice, again hiding the words of his heart he waved the question aside. "She had big hazel eyes... like doe... and there were tears in her eyes...
"She was crying? Pragya asked.
"Yes... and before I could know why, I got back to my senses... Rohan stopped. "Can I get a glass of water please?
"Sure!
After Pragya headed towards the kitchen, Rohan tiredly rested his head against the sofa and covered his eyes. Again the cells of his brains have become over activated and he can feel it. Again the same excitement in his nerves which is driving him mad from so many days, again the same pain in his head, just like he uses to have before those unwanted visions. He tried his level best to control his mind from that, he pressed his temple with all his strengths to have a control over himself... but alas! Again...
The dark night, the full moon, the reflection of the moon light on the nearby river seen from the window, and the sip of wine... there is something enigmatic in the air. He was alone and perhaps waiting for someone despite knowing she will not come...
"My Lord...
He turned back. The shadow of the woman came nearer. Her divinely beautiful face, her eyes, her petal-lips... again a storm inside his heart, again a flood of desire inside his blood... but he could not do anything... he stared at her...
"It is too late of night to come to you. She said in a controlled dignity in her voice. "I was unwell in the morning, so could not come to greet you...
He just stared mesmerized...
"Congratulations Majesty! For your new life with someone new...
"We marry to strengthen the base of our land, not to build the base of a new life with someone... you know that! He told in a slightly guilty voice...
"I know Majesty! She smiled. "Who knows it better than me?
An awkward silence for a while... Then she bowed. "Good night, my lord!
"Is this the only thing you wanted to tell me?
"What else I can tell you my lord!
"You can say anything! You're my wife!
"Wife! She smiled sarcastically... "Perhaps as a wife too I have only this right. To come to you at late of night and congratulate you for your victory over the kingdom and for the upcoming marriage with the princess.
"Are you angry because I...
"No Majesty! Who am I to get angry on you? Her smile strung his heart suddenly. "I am just another wife of yours, just like that princess you will marry tomorrow! I am grateful to you that you have given me respect, but that does not give me right over you!
I want you to come up and ask for your rights from me!! His heart shouted but lips prompted something entirely different. "You are right! He told with stubbornness. "I don't want anyone's opinion on my political decisions. It will be better for you if you don't ask for your wifely rights from me...
"Have I ever asked anything from you your majesty? You have always given me everything more than I wanted! She bowed again. "May I leave, Your Majesty?
"Listen... He called. "You told you were unwell in morning. Are you okay now?
"Yes Majesty! I am very fine! She sighed. "Nothing happens to me anymore... Now allow me to leave my lord...
"Begam Sahiba... Suddenly he called excitedly.
"Yes majesty?
He came in front of her. Her calmness has given birth to an uncanny rage inside his heart which has no way to get out... Helplessly he held her shoulders and shook her a little. "You are acting you're fine. Isn't it? You are trying to show that you are happy with my decision of remarriage. But actually you are not well. You're jealous... You simple do not want it! So you avoided me in morning. And now you came to me for what? What do you want actually??
"It is my duty as your lawfully wedded wife to wish for your happiness and prosperity always! I only want to fulfill my duties Majesty! She smiled.
"Only duty? Is it only duty which made you to come to me tonight???
"Yes Majesty! She sighed. "Only duty! Nothing else...
...
"Rohan... Rohan...
"Hah!! Rohan again got back to his sense. He stared at Pragya's eyes for some minutes with vacant eyes...
"What happened Rohan? Pragya handed him the water but he did not even notice. He kept on staring in vacant eyes, as if he was not in himself. As if he was lost...
"You loved me! Then why did you deny! Why! An unclear murmur came out from Rohan's throat which Pragya could not understand. "Mr. Rohan?? She shook him.
"Haahh! Yes yes! So sorry! It worked and Rohan came back in himself. He covered his eyes in embarrassment... "I am so sorry! I just... I just...
"Don't say sorry. I am here to cure you na? Pragya patted on his shoulders and handed him the glass. Rohan finished the glass in once glance. "Can I have more, please!
Pragya handed him the bottle and he finished that too. Then he covered his eyes and hung his head, sitting hopelessly. Pragya gave him time to cope up and started observing him. With swift hand she was taking down the notes.
After a while Rohan picked up his head... "So this happens to me very frequently. At first it was not a hazard for me so I ignored. I used to treat them as individual dreams. But it increased with time. I started finding a connection between those visions and me. I felt as if they are not any normal dreams, they are some clips of memories; I have lived them once... I tried to get rid of them, tried meditations and all, and situation worsened. At first I did not see them so frequently, nowadays I live more in my dreams than my real life. It started hampering my professional and personal life. Like, how it feels when while giving a presentation in your office you lose yourself in a vision where you feel you are the king and doing judgment in your court; or while going in a valentines date with your girlfriend you start acting weird and behave badly with her?
Rohan stopped and closed his eyes in extreme weary. Pragya keep her specs down. "You must have connected your dreams to build a story... What do you think, who are you in that?
"Everyone calls me emperor... lord... Majesty... Rohan shook his head. "I don't know, but I feel myself as a very cruel human, and also a dominating man of alpha personality... I can tell you about one vision, where I saw I am ordering someone to throw a man from the terrace again and again till he dies... I have seen so many bloodbaths in my dreams, and in those dream I have rejoiced those... But personally I cannot tolerate these things... These are very against of my personality. But nowadays I feel my personality is being grabbed by those visions. I don't detest these things anymore... I was very soft-spoken once, but now I don't hesitate to order someone harshly in bossy tone. But I don't want to do these things; some force from my inside compels me to change myself according to its wish! I am getting overpowered by my other entity which comes in my brain, and I feel it will grab me completely if I don't stop seeing those things! He paused, then murmured in a voice of requesting. "Help me out... please!
Pragya put her pen down and thought for a while. Then she looked at him. "I think I have diagnosed your problem. A very unique problem indeed... Rather, it is not a problem... it is a gift... She sounded excited. "O My God! I just can't believe!
"Can you please tell me clearly? Rohan sounded a bit irritated though he was decent enough to hide that.
"Listen Rohan... What you are facing comes under a mysterious part of parapsychology! I myself am doing research on this! Pragya told. "Today it is too late to describe everything. Can you get some time tomorrow morning? I want to meet you with my mentor. He is a paragon of these fields. He can help you out!
"Sure! Rohan looked relieved. "I am completely free now. I can come with you anytime.
"Okay, then get ready around 9am? I will call you.Pragya smiled.
"Okay... Thanks a lot! Thank you lot Pragya!
"Don't thank me! Pragya smiled. "I think it should be me who is ought to thank you for coming to me!
Rohan perhaps did not understand the whole thing. But he did not question anymore. Wishing a hearty good-night he left her house.
Pragya kept on staring at Rohan's path for a long time. She still cannot believe it! She cannot believe that a practical example of her research topic has just talked to her sitting on her drawing room! She cannot believe she just met a man who is a practical example of reincarnation!
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