Ik baat sataati hai
Jab teri yaad aati hai
Kyun mujhse rooth gaya
Jaane kyun door gaya
Yeh pehli baar hua
Ye kyun ehsaas hua
Jaane anjaane kyun
Mujhe tumse pyaar hua -Judaai, Falak Shabbir
Like a bride, the Amer fort gleamed. Everyone was in a hurry. The biggest wedding that was to go down in history was to happen in Amer.
However, unlike the common populace, the royal family members were not happy. The fear and tension caused by the wedding was creeping onto them like darkness. Wedding means happiness, wedding means celebration of love, wedding means a connection of two souls. However, the wedding spelt doom for them. It was a political alliance not a celebration.
King Bharmal clutched his head in distress. Wrought with worry, he started cursing himself for putting forward the proposal. How could he do this to his own daughter? Nevertheless, being a king, he had only two choices, either his daughter or the life of his people. He had to put his daughter on stake.
Damn the throne! What will happen to my precious daughter? It is like throwing her in front of a hungry tiger.' Bharmal was at his wit's end and could not do anything to save his daughter's life.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Rani Mainawati entered the room.
"Right now I need anyone and anything that can distract me from my guilt and me."
"I told you so..." Mainawati started.
Bharmal raised his hand and stopped her, "Please don't start on that again. I am tired."
Oblivious to all this, Jodha was blissfully unaware of the cruel fate that awaited her. All she knew that it was her wedding and she was going to marry a brave Rajput who would fulfill her desire to behead Shenshah Jalal-ud-din Muhammad. Her fists clutched in a tight fist and the feeling of intense hatred arose in her even at the thought of his name.
"What happened, Jodha?"
"Nothing Moti,I think I will show this to baapusa and maasa."
Jodha looked proudly at the glass bowl she had just painted with the colors made by her.
"I think that it is a good idea."
Moti smiled her. Jodha grinned back in delight and ran out, clutching the bowl.
Lost in her thoughts, Jodha was just about to enter her parent's room when she heard the mention of her name.
"How can I tell her Mainavati that she is going to marry the same very Jalal that she hates so much? Hum apni beti ke saath ye anyay kaise kare?"
"Ye baat aap Jodha se jyaada vakt tak chupa nahi sakte. She will find out eventually. It is better we tell her before her marriage."
"Lekin hum ek raja bhi hai. Humare liye humari praja pehle ati hai."
Before Mainavati could speak, the bowl dropped from Jodha's hands. Without caring for the broken glass, Jodha stepped forward and the shards of the glass pierced into her soles.
"Jodha!" her mother called out to her, flinching from the pain that her daughter was experiencing both mentally and physically.
"Nahi maasa. Today I will talk to baapusa only. I just have one question for you, baapusa. Why me? Why?"
"Jodha I..."
Words failed Bharmal as he tried to justify the injustice done to Jodha.
"Aapke paas jawab nahi hai na baapusa? Let it be. I am ready at stake for the kingdom. Because it is my dhaarm as a Rajvaanshi princess. I will bear this torture done to me. But remember this forever, I will live only for my Amer but there in Agra, I know that I am going to die every day, slowly but surely."
"Nahi meri laado-"Mainavati again interjected but was cut short by Jodha. Bharmal, overwhelmed by shame and guilt, just hung his head low.
"Baapusa aapne humara vivaah nahi humara sauda kiya hai!"
Saying this Jodha ran out, leaving behind her footprints full of blood.
Seeing the footprints, Mainavati tearfully said, "We have lost our daughter. We have killed her alive."
The night hacked by Mainavati's scream of anguish and Bharmal guilt ridden silence, left the royal family waiting dreadfully for the impending doom.
~
Months later
Jodha could feel time repeat itself. The agony, torment and pain she had felt that that time was creeping onto her. It was unbearable. It was almost tangible like physical pain. However, she could not cry out in the ache that gripped her. She had to suffer in silence; the biggest and most excruciating punishment she had ever received.
Jodha's tears desiccated out. After crying for so long, she had run dry of tears. The pain she had suffered had made her numb to any kind of feeling. Her mind empty and strangely at peace, no longer held the guarantee that she would remain sane. She just wanted to sit listlessly. There was nothing left in her life.
Jalal, her own husband, had accused her of such a horrendous crime. She still could not believe it.
A woman's greatest gift is that she can give birth to another being, a new life. A woman is the creator of humankind and she is the one who gives the world a beautiful bequest in form of a human being.
Her own husband had accused her, a woman, of killing the child in his other wife's womb. No other accusation could be so horrid.
She had screamed and protested so much to defend herself and her family but he was beyond listening. He was truly a jallad. He did not even spare her family. He had accused each of her kin. Nevertheless, fortunately their innocence came out in the open. Therefore, he shifted the blame on her.
She wanted freedom. She wanted to step out of this misery.
Suddenly a thought struck up. She remembered the phial full of poison that her mother had given her. It was for jauhar. She could still hear her mother saying that a woman's modesty is her life. Consequently, if the fort ever fell into enemy hands, they were bound to capture the women in the harem too.
"But you shouldn't let this happen. You must die instead of getting tainted," her mother warned her.
Jodha stood up with all her strength and walked towards her trunk that the soldiers had dumped here along with her.
Using every ounce of strength she had, Jodha frantically searched for the small phial hidden away in her clothes. Here the biggest danger was the Shenshah himself.
Just then, the announcement of Jalal's arrival took place. She could hear his footsteps. She dug furiously into the trunk and finally her hand found the phial.
She quickly uncorked it and was just about to consume it when Jalal stood right before her eyes.
Just a look at her, Jalal could understand what was going on.
"No wait, Jodha begum!" he shouted and ran forward.
However, until then Jodha consumed half of the poison.
"I said wait!"
Jalal reached her before she could empty the phial and knocked the bottle out of her hand.
She sprawled onto the ground unconsciously, her lips turning dangerously blue.
"Nahi, Jodha begum!"
Jalal dropped down beside her in pain. Meanwhile all the people outside rushed in.
"Jaldi se Khwaja Shera aur Bade Hakim Shahib ko bulao,"
"What did you do, Jodha? Why do you want to trouble me more?" Jalal whispered in her ear just as he carried her to the bed to let the others tend to her.
He looked at her pale face once and walked out.
~
In the Diwaan-e-Khaas, Jalal looked on languidly at the court proceedings. He had no interest. His mind was stuck on Jodha.
Suddenly Maham Anga rushed in.
"I have found the culprit, Shenshah."
Jalal was once more alert.
"Who is it badi ammi? Tell me quickly."
"Call her in!" Maham Anga ordered.
An exact duplicate of Maham Anga came in stumbling.
"Shenshah-"the woman began.
"How dare you! Just because of you everybody doubted my ammi." Jalal thundered and got up from his throne.
"Shenshah, please listen to her." Maham Anga pleaded, secretly relieved that her plan of a decoy worked.
"I don't want to hear a word from this woman. Take her away to the gallows."
"Shenshah, you have to listen to her. That's the law." Atga Khan interrupted.
"Speak," Jalal sat back.
"I...I did this...because...because...I wanted to exact revenge on Maham Anga. Two years ago, she got my son killed just because of a petty theft. She destroyed my life. She-"
"Not a word!" Shenshah roared.
"I remember your son. He had wrecked havoc in the kingdom. He not only committed robberies but also murdered people. I was away from Agra at that time so I told badi ammi to carry out my orders. You too deserve death for killing my son, the heir of this Sultanate and for falsely implicating and using my ammi's face. Take her away and hang her!"
Maham Anga had already ordered the death of the woman along with her son at that time due to a personal feud. She played another tactic by producing her lookalike in the court to clear her name. However, Jalal enveloped in his badi ammi's fake love was oblivious to this.
Jalal was relieved and feeling equally guilty, that Jodha was not the culprit. He felt wretched that because of him Jodha took the drastic step. How could he now apologize to her and win her trust? She would never forgive him.
Just then, a daasi entered and told Jalal that Jodha was very weak but was recovering now.
Jalal heaved a sigh of relief and offered his thanks to Allah. He then ordered her that he would like to talk to Jodha alone and tell others not to disturb them.
He ended the court session and walked towards Jodha's room.
Nervous for the first time in his life, he slowly entered the room.
Jodha lay on the bed with an ashen face. She looked as if all the life had been drained out of her.
Jalal's voice choked and he was not able to say anything. Tears sprung to his eyes but he blinked them back.
"How are you, Jodha begum?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Her eyes opened at his voice.
"Is it you Shenshah?"
"Yes,"
"You have come to apply balm on my wounds after giving them to me?"
"Nahi Jodha-"
Shenshah started but Jodha weakly raised a hand.
"I have no vigor to argue with you Shenshah. You have destroyed my life."
Jalal flinched.
Jodha tried to get up. Jalal rushed forward to help her but Jodha stopped him before he could get any closer to her.
"Humare samip aakar aap hume aur daand na de, hum aapse ye prarthana karte hai. Aap ne humara jeevan nark bana diya hai. Isn't this enough?"
"Jodha begum, please forgive me. Being a Shenshah I have to examine every angle and person. There was proof against you. I acted on that. I didn't frame you without any reason."
"You did what you should have done as Shenshah. However, you did not listen to me. You acted hurriedly in anger. Hum aapse ghrina karte hai Shenshah lekin hum iss ghrina mein kisi aur ka bura nahi chahenge. Ek honewali maa ka kabhi nahi. You have shattered my dignity and respect. Even my own blood have been shamed and been driven away from me because of you. "
"Jodha I am sorry-"
"A sorry does not work if you are saying it just as word. I will never ever trust you in my life. Hum iss duniya ko muh dikhane ke layak nahi rahe hai. I beg you that you please leave me alone. Go away."
Jodha folded her hands as a single tear slipped down Jalal's cheek.
"Hum aapka vishwas jeet kaar rahenge Jodha. Hum iss baat ke liye aapse maafi mang kar rahenge. Hume thoda vakt djiye."
"Vo vakt hi baatyega ki hum kabhi aap par vishwas kar sakenge ya nahi. But for now, leave me alone."
Later in night, two persons cried and two souls shed tears in pain for each other.
Disclaimer- This is piece of fiction writing. Jodha Akbar rightfully belongs to Ekta Kapoor. All the events, names, places in this are purely fictional.
P.S I am ready for chappals and whatnot. Tomatoes are too bloody expensive, so I'm a little safe 😛 I'll be inactive for few days. Studies 🥱.
Please comment and like if you liked the story. I want to hear your comments on this 😊
Health and Fitness
