Seven Lives Together-The Mughal Warrior, Page 2

Chapter 1

  Puru, the Unsung Hero of Agra

  Purujit Singh had a small palace on the outskirts of Agra named Chandra (moon) Mahal. It was like a small fort with nearly twenty feet high solid wall around the palace. The palace was on an area of nearly two hundred acres. A couple of large steel gates were protecting the entrance of the palace. The gates were so heavy that at least two guards were required to put their might to either open or close them. There were about fifty large rooms in the palace. In fact, I never remember of counting the rooms. The palace had three floors with just two rooms on the top floor, one being occupied by me. A part of the palace was being used as Arms Reserve. There was also a long tunnel in the palace to be used as an emergency exit in case of any attack, but that was hardly used as there was no ruler in India at that time to attack the heart of Mughal Empire. In short, he was living the luxurious life of a king creating envy to other Mughal lieutenants and even powerful ministers. He was extremely close to the Emperor after his success in several wars where he had either fought alone or alongside other generals.

  One side of the palace was Yamuna River. The other side was inhabited by thousands of Rajput and Muslim soldiers, most of whom were serving the platoon of Purujit Singh. There were different types of military units. One was Sowar which was actually horse cavalry. The second type of unit was Zamburak. It was a specialised form of camel cavalry. In this unit, the soldier was sitting on a camel with a mounted swivel gun. The camel was being made to sit on its knees so that the cannon can be fired. The mobility of the camels, flexibility and heavy fire power of the cannons, made this unit a dreaded one among the enemies. War elephants were being used by generals and senior officers. Mughal troops had several thousand war elephants, out of which Purujit commanded over few hundred at least. Each war elephant was being assisted by few horse archers. Purujit was being surrounded by at least a dozen horse archers. Initially Suraj was accompanying his father Purujit in the war field on another elephant. After successfully showing his valour in one war, he was promoted to head the secondary unit. His unit was first attacking the enemy. At the same time, Purujit’s unit was waiting to launch the second and decisive attack. Suraj had never gotten the opportunity to lead an independent army though he was capable of being a successful leader.

  There was a small river navy called Dhows which transported soldiers and weapons in rivers especially Yamuna.

  Soldiers and commanders were either engaged in wars or practising war for the most part of the year.

  A small cantonment based economy had grown around Purujit’s palace. Among them were weapons manufacturing units making bows, arrows, cannons, gun powders and many other military supplies. There were traders who were bringing the finest quality horses, camels and elephants for the cantonment. Even the farmers and artisans, who were practically not interested in any of the wars, were benefitting in getting a ready market for their farm products.

  ‘You mean there were manufacturing factories in the sixteenth century?’ Susan was surprised.

  ‘I think she is right. I know a little bit about the history. That period was actually the golden age of India economically.’ Nisha said.

  Sophie did not comment but continued the story.

  There was a Kala Bhavan (Art Wing) inside Purujit’s palace, which was being used primarily for entertainment. The hall could accommodate hundred plus people. It was decorated with five chandeliers, where oil and wicks were used to create the best of ambience. The high walls were designed for placement of massive oil lamps at regular intervals. The floor was covered with expensive and beautiful Persian carpet purchased from Arab merchants. Purujit’s favourite was Persian carpets. He possessed a significant number of large sized carpets made to order, so that if you see a carpet on one occasion, you will not find the same carpet on the next. There were some exclusive costly carpets reserved to be used when senior officials from the Emperor were visiting the palace.

  There was a stage on one end of the hall, which served the dual purpose. Whenever meetings were held, Purujit along with senior officials were sitting on the stage when junior people were being seated in the hall, which was like a gallery.

  Most of the time, the hall was being used as a venue for entertainment. Beautiful dancers and singers from Lucknow and Delhi were coming to perform. Purujit was particularly fond of songs and dances. He was spending vast fortunes for inviting singers and dancers. The audience consisted of his immediate family, relatives and families of his senior and trusted officers. Amongst them was the family of Ashfaq Khan, his sons Ayaaz and Kareem, his wife Naureen. Ashfaq was the immediate deputy of Purujit and also most trusted one. Sometimes Ashfaq’s close friends were advising him to use religion card to overthrow Purujit. He knew well Emperor Akbar was so neutral in such matters that he would never replace a loyal person like Purujit. So it was in the interest of both, he continued as the trusted aide of Purujit.

  Another attraction of the cultural program was delicious foods. Purujit was hiring expert cooks from Lucknow with experience of cooking for Nawabs of Lucknow. Liquor was hardly served as most of the audience were women. Traditionally in those days women were always keeping a safe distance from alcohol.

  Still there were occasions when alcohol (called sharab locally) was flowing freely. The audience was exclusively male, and female dancers were doing erotic dance on the stage.

  At this point, Nisha intervened, ‘Yes, it was called Mujra, is that correct?’

  ‘Yes, Mujra was being performed, and I was terribly much fond of the same.

  Purujit, at the bottom of his heart, probably wanted to become a king. Yet, he was realistic enough to understand his position and what he wanted. The Moghul army under Emperor Akbar was so vast and powerful that even powerful Rajput king like Rana of Chittor was struggling to protect his kingdom. He had to flee to the jungle and stay there for years while fighting a guerrilla war against Mughals. There was a time when Rana Pratap was living in hutment in hilly wilderness of the Aravalli Mountains with his wife and children and sleeping on the straw mat on the floor. He had spent months eating bread made of grass seeds. Once his teenage son was eating the bread made from grass seeds prepared by the queen, a stray dog snatched his breads from him. He cried as there was nothing else to eat.

  Purujit was well aware of the sacrifice required to enjoy the status of a sovereign king. Being an excellent warrior doesn’t mean one is an outstanding leader also. He just wanted only one side of being a king, leading a luxurious life. The emperor extremely well knew his weakness. The Emperor Akbar was also keen to keep many Rajput warriors in his side so that he could establish his rule on the most part of medieval India. He was generous to give him the small township he was living along with nearly fifty adjacent villages. He was entitled to collect tax and keep everything with him for maintaining his palace and lifestyle. This was the main reason he was the envy of many of his Muslim and Hindu contemporaries.

  There was a long tunnel from the middle of the palace which was leading to river Yamuna. Though Yamuna was situated on one side of the palace, the tunnel did not open outside the palace. It went few hundred meters to a large house near Yamuna, where there was an extension of the river to the large compound of the house. There was a private jetty in the compound with a large houseboat called ‘Nagin of Yamuna’ parked there. The hundred meters wide canal like extension was almost half kilometre long from the river to the compound encircling the compound. Entire length was hidden by nearly twenty feet high large stone walls from the river to the house. Again the whole boundary walls both surrounding the house as well as the extension of the river was literally covered with hedge like tall trees. Outside the hedge, there was almost half kilometre artificial dense jungle to all sides of the house where at least a dozen of fierce looking well fed dogs were roaming freely so that no one dares to explore the area.

  The tunnel was divided by five heavy steel shutters like gates with locking facilities. One was in the palace at the
start of the tunnel, and the other was at the end. Besides, there were three gates at various intervals so that they could be locked to prevent the attackers follow the escapees, and the victim could easily escape to the river in the house boat which was always stocked with provisions enough for at least a month.

  The house was a small luxurious palace which was actually a miniature version of Chandra Mahal. Besides few trusted servants, there were always few armed guards stationed in the house. They always came to and went from the house by relatively small but covered boats as there was no land access to the house. The joint of the canal and Yamuna was secured by a submerged sluice gate, opened when the house boat or the boats use by the armed guards or the servants came to the house. The canal was inhabited by a small family of crocodiles, regularly fed by Purujit’s servants and ready to eat anyone who tries to cross the water for unauthorised access to the house.

  There was an underground large store room containing weapons including swivel guns and even cannons. Nagin of Yamuna, the large house boat, was also well equipped with cannons on all sides. There were two layers of rooms, the bottom one was mostly for women. There were rooms with luxurious fittings for the family members of Purujit. There were also large rooms with berths for the sailors, soldiers and servants. There was a fully equipped kitchen capable to cook for few hundred people.

  Whatever way it might have been equipped, this fort like arrangement was never enough to stand against a well equipped army of even of a medium size kingdom of those days. The vast Mughal army was able to eliminate this in few minutes. Purujit knew this. After all, he was an essential part of the Mughal army. He never dreamt to carve a kingdom out of the Mughal Empire and rule over that as a sovereign king.

  Purujit was aware of a bitter truth about the Muslim rulers. When a king or emperor died, there was no established tradition that the eldest son would get access to the throne, and the younger princes would become loyal to him. Sometimes there were bitter fights among the princes who aspired to be the next ruler. A person in position like Purujit has to take sides willingly or unwillingly. A stable rule of the Emperor Akbar was no guarantee that instability would not come after his death. The hidden fortress was the result of his tremendous foresight to plan for his family in an unforeseen future.

  Even though he was serving a Muslim ruler, personally he was a devoted Hindu. He owned a house at Haridwar, the holy city in Northern India near river Ganges (called Ganga locally). He often visited Haridwar at least two to three times in a year with his family.

  Suraj was a young man in his early twenties. He was educated enough as per the standard of that time to take on the reign from his father when time comes. He was also terribly fond of horse riding, swimming, and sword fighting and shooting. Though bow and arrow was one of weapons of those days, he was interested and was trained as a sharp shooter. He was proficient in using the camel mounted swivel guns; modern days’ pistols. Revolvers were not invented in those times.

  It was extremely rare in those days for girls or young women to receive weapons training such as horse riding and sword fighting. Some Rajput women learnt them as an extracurricular activity. The motive was mostly for pleasure though some were learning the skill to use as self-protection in case of unwanted events. No woman was expected to engage in a war. Emperor Akbar’s Rajput Hindu wife Jodha Bai was also an expert in sword fighting. She even tried to keep that training for some time after her marriage but without success. Aditi, younger sister of Suraj was one such Rajput girl. She was barely eighteen at that time. She was learning horse riding and sword fighting from her brother Suraj in the privacy of their palace. She was also adept in swimming which she was doing in river Yamuna.

  Suraj’s swimming practice was a bit unusual. He would go to the middle of the Yamuna River during the rainy season in a boat when the river overflowed with flood water and jump from the boat to the water with the sword still hanging from his waist. Then he would swim across to another boat few hundred meters away. Gradually he increased the distance between the boats up to few kilometres. He was easily swimming from one side of the river to the other side when river almost overflowed during monsoon. Purujit, Suraj’s father was also a fantastic swimmer, but not like his son.

  A regular partner in Suraj’s game was Ayaaz, son of Ashfaq Khan. Ashfaq Khan was the closest subordinate of Purujit. His family was living in Bharatpur (also known as Lohagarh) of Rajasthan which was around 55 kilometres from Agra. Ashfaq also owned a house in Agra. He was residing there to perform his duty and to attend the cultural programs at Purujit’s Kala Bhavan.

  Ayaaz liked the hospitality of Purujit’s family. He was actually a frequent visitor to Purujit’s palace. Aditi was extremely close with Ayaaz and treated him as her own brother. Kareem, the other son of Ashfaq also came sometimes with his older brother Ayaaz. Kareem was remarkably different from Ayaaz. An introvert by nature and he sometimes behaved like a philosopher.

  It was the time when Purujit and Ashfaq both led an army to fight Akbar’s own revolutionary son Saleem in Lahore. Saleem commanded over a relatively small army which also consisted of some Mughal commanders and soldiers loyal to him. Purujit didn’t consider it worthwhile to involve too many top fighters in the war. He knew extremely well the soldiers led by Saleem and his modus Operandi as Saleem himself was trained by Purujit. Besides, it was also an emotional war between a father and a son. Purujit Singh was the best to manage both the wars at the same time. He was entrusted not only to win over Saleem’s small army but also to win over the prince himself and to bring him back to his father’s folds.

  Suraj and Aditi were invited by Ayaaz to their mountain top house just on the outskirts of Ghana forest. There were few villages on the way to the hill top. Then for around half kilometre, there were only trees. The hill was not unusually high. A curvy road was leading the way to the bungalow of Ashfaq Khan, which, his family was using occasionally as a holiday home. A horse would take about an hour to take you from the foot of the hill to his bungalow. The house was not exactly on the hill top. The road was finished on reaching the bungalow. After that there were steps leading to a small temple, which was almost half an hour’s walk. Few priests and monks were living near the temple in large natural caves. Artificial stone partitions were dividing the long caves to convert them into several rooms. One side was occupied by two priests who were living with their families. There was a small front yard where they were growing vegetables. They used to cook food in the temple for offering to the goddess of the temple and eventually consumed by the families of the priests. Sometimes they offered food to the monks who were also living in caves almost hundred feet away.

  Villagers living on the foot of the hill were frequent visitors to the temple and primary source of income for the temple priests. Without the temple, Ashfaq Khan’s holiday home would have been practically in no man’s land. When he built the house and came to enjoy a week’s holiday there, he was thrilled to be in the solitude. Initially he expected to enjoy the calmness of the place. Then there was heavy rainfall for few days, so there was no visitor to the temple. Even the priests of the temple and the monks stayed inside and avoided going to the markets situated in the villages at the bottom of the hill. Everyone in Ashfaq’s family realised that solitude was actually not such a pleasant thing as described by poets. They earnestly desired the road from the villages till the temple to be lively, which was possible only if devotees from the villages visit the temple. He arranged some royal grant for widening and cleaning of the pavement to the temple. During the reign of Akbar the Great, Mughals were particularly sympathetic towards Hindus. Therefore, it was not difficult to get sanction of the royal grant for widening of the pathway as well as renovation of the hundreds of years old small temple.

  Ashfaq’s plan not only helped him to get the blessings of the temple priests and monks, the traffic to the temple also increased significantly. Sometimes, he was also sponsoring free food for devotees at the temple. Thus he could
develop considerable rapport among the villagers who in turn gave him the respect of a small king. It was not possible for the villagers to approach the Emperor. No ruler or their representative ever cared to any development work for the villagers. It was the first time some development work was done by the royal fund courtesy Ashfaq Khan and villagers were immensely grateful to his family. The villagers hardly ever visited more than ten kilometres from their home. The sight of rich people and spacious houses were totally new to them. For them, the bungalow of Ashfaq was not less than a royal palace. Anybody who got a chance to work in his bungalow or the garden surrounding it was considering himself lucky. Stories about luxuries of his little palace were favourite evening gossip for the villagers.

  Ashfaq’s action resulted in making the surrounding of his holiday home lively, but only till sunset. No one dared to walk on the road once darkness descended as there was often the threat of leopard or even cheetah, which occasionally visited the locality from their abode in the dense forest. Even people living in his house never tried to cross the high and secure boundary fort like walls of the bungalow.

  There was no concept of weekend or long weekend in those days. Poor people were getting weeks off when there was no work and rich people were choosing their weekends at their convenience any time during the week. After enjoying the hospitality of the palace of Purujit, it was Ayaaz’s turn to offer hospitality to his family.

  It was like a grand welcome to a prince and princess (Suraj and Aditi) in a Nawab’s vacation home. Both brother and sister arrived in their luxury horse carriage with bodyguards and servants following them in few other carriages. Ayaaz, his brother Kareem and their sister Saira were waiting to receive them. Saira was the only daughter of Ashfaq Khan.

  Saira, the youngest child of Ashfaq Khan, was a masterpiece. She was tall and fair. She was wearing a dark salwar suit. Her long hairs were hanging till her waist. She was wearing diamond studded necklace with matching earrings, but there was no bangles. Her beauty was killing. Yet no man worth his blood would dare to look at her straight. Who would dare to stare at the lioness at the lion’s den and be their food?

  Aditi was treating Ayaaz with the same respect and affection as her own older brother Suraj. To the surprise of Saira, she greeted Ayaaz as if he was her own brother.

  Ayaaz introduced both to his younger sister, Saira, ‘This is janab (respectful way to address someone usually in Muslim culture) Suraj,’ then he put his hands lovingly on Aditi’s shoulder and told, ‘This is my second sister Aditi.’

  Then he looked at Aditi, ‘Aditi, this is my sister Saira.’

  Aditi hugged Saira as Suraj responded to her salutation with a nod and his own admiring eyes. He saw her for the first time as Ashfaq never brought his daughter to Purujit’s palace. It was difficult for Suraj to direct his eyes away from her, but he was aware of the environment and was extremely courteous in his behaviour.

  ‘How come Ashfaq uncle has never brought Saira to our house?’ Suraj was careful about his talk about her in her brothers’ presence.

  ‘She lives with her mother and maternal uncle,’ Kareem said.

  ‘Her mother?’ Aditi was surprised. Suraj didn’t express his surprise.

  ‘Her mother was Abbazan’s (father) second wife. They are separated now. She visits our house sometimes.’ Kareem clarified.

  Saira looked down when Kareem was explaining her background. Suraj remained silent and showed no reaction as if he knew the situation.

  Ayaaz tried to bring normalcy to the conversation, ‘Distance has not reduced our affection to our only dearest sister,’ and looked at Saira admiringly.

  Saira responded through her body language.

  Suraj now got a chance to praise Saira, ‘Sisters are always affectionate.’

  It was a beautiful spring afternoon, probably late February as per English calendar. Sky was clear with occasional white clouds passing by sometimes. Dusk was coming fast, though there was still some daylight because of the height of the hill. The villages at the base of the hill were already partially in the grip of the pre-Full moon night evening. There was hardly anybody on the road, which came to a dead end few meters after the bungalow.

  Suraj’s armed body guards were tying the horses in stables along with horses of Ashfaq. The servants were preparing for putting tents outside the boundaries of the bungalow in an open field as the mini fort was not capable of providing accommodation to so many people. Some other servants and cooks were offloading temporary beds and cooking utensils from the carriages.

  As the dusk gave way to the evening, the small group of armed body guards and servants in the tents outside the mini fort became lively. They were not lucky enough to enjoy the warm interior of the bungalow, but their place of living was not less warm as few fireplaces were quickly prepared to fight the cold evening. Tents were set up in a circle facing inside to create a round open space inside and a fort like structure outside. Inside was warm with few fire places out of which two were used for cooking the dinner. There were few fireplaces around the tents to warn the predators as well as to give warmth to the armed guards guarding the tents against wild animals.

  The atmosphere in the tents was slowly picking up mood as the aroma of food was blending with the beautiful full moon clear sky and sharab (liquor). Gradually they forgot the exhaustion of the trip and started gossiping.

  At the same time, the atmosphere inside the bungalow was in a mixed mood. When brothers and sisters of both the families were getting together for enjoying holidays, their fathers were at war in Lahore on behalf of Emperor Akbar with another faction of Mughal army led by the crown prince Saleem.

  Ayaaz kept his plans ready for the holidays for both the families; horse race, sword fight game and hunting in the jungle.

  Aditi complained, ‘Our brothers are working with the sword at least three hundred days out of three hundred sixty five in a year; either in the battle field or in training sessions. What is new and exciting in that?’

  Ayaaz responded, ‘This is not about sword fight between us Aditi. It is between you and Saira.’

  ‘Saira!’ Aditi was surprised and looked at her. Suraj also looked at Saira with a mixed expression, both delight and surprise.

  Saira’s face looked glowing as she blushed. She looked down with a twinkle in her face.

  Aditi tried to encourage Saira, ‘Beware Saira, I am a Rajput girl. It is not easy to defeat me. On occasions, I have even defeated my brothers; Suraj and Ayaaz.’

  Kareem defended, ‘We are also Rajput; Rajput Muslims. We have the same blood in our veins.’

  Everyone laughed.

  ‘OK, first we will have competition between Aditi and Saira,’ recommended Suraj as he tried to have some conversation with Saira, ‘then both sisters on one side and Ayaaz and I on the other. Kareem will become referee.’

  Kareem nodded in agreement.

  Saira looked at him with a smile on her face, ‘What is next?’

  ‘You suggest,’ Aditi said.

  ‘I think next we will go for hunting.’ Saira Suggested.

  Those were the days when hunting were a favourite game among the rich and famous. Providing protection to wildlife is only a recent development.

  ‘What about Horse Race next?’ Ayaaz tried to supersede Saira’s suggestion.

  ‘I think Saira is correct. You don’t know how much time hunting game will take. After that if there is any time left, we can do horse race.’ Suraj suggested.

  ‘Do we have any time constraint?’ Aditi asked.

  ‘Usually there should not be any time constraint. But this time we are not sure.’ Ayaaz confirmed, ‘I suggest we make two teams and go in a different direction. The team which comes back first with proof of hunting wins.’

  Kareem interfered, ‘Let Suraj and Saira be in group one. Aditi and Ayaaz will be in group two.’

  Aditi objected, ‘Boys will take all the credit irrespective of whichever team wins the game. Let
Saira and I stay in one team, and all the boys be in the other team.’

  Saira looked at Ayaaz, then at Suraj and nodded in agreement.

  Kareem suggested, ‘I will not be part of any team. After all, we need a judge to determine the winner.’

  Ayaaz agreed to this and suggested, ‘We will leave you girls to be on your own, but you must agree to be accompanied by few armed guards. They will not help you in the game but will help in case of emergency.’

  Both Aditi and Saira agreed.

  Saira looked at Ayaaz and then Suraj, ‘You were talking of time constraint, what is that?’

  She was not living in the family of Ashfaq Khan. She and her mother were living with the family of her maternal uncle Iqbal Hussain in Allahabad, which was far away from the political discourse which happened in the family of Purujit Singh and Ashfaq Khan.

  ‘We may be called for joining the war between father and son.’ Ayaaz replied.

  ‘There is war between father and son?’ Saira was surprised.

  ‘Yes, it is between the Emperor Akbar and the crown prince Saleem.’ Suraj said.

  ‘Is the crown prince fighting to snatch the empire from his own father?’ Saira asked.

  ‘The fight is not over the empire, it is over a girl whom prince wants to marry,’ Aditi said.

  Saira looked confused. Everyone other than her knew so much about what was going on. Those were the days only well-connected were getting the news. Ordinary people were getting the same after months.

  ‘What is the problem in marrying a girl,’ Saira asked.

  ‘Prince Saleem wants to marry a slave girl Anarkali (pomegranate blossom). How will the emperor allow a slave girl to become a princess? She is from such a low class that even a poor man of the empire should not seek to marry her.’ Aditi commented.

  Saira was curious, ‘How come a slave girl has got the name Anarkali (pomegranate blossom)?’

  Kareem started narrating the story.

  ‘Her real name is Nadeera. She is from Lahore of Punjab. She is a dancer by profession. Her ancestors were slaves, which are the reason some people call her a slave girl. The Emperor named her Anarkali (pomegranate blossom) because of her extraordinary beauty.’

  ‘How did prince Saleem find her?’ Aditi asked.

  Kareem continued, ‘Prince Saleem did not discover her. Saleem, born to Rajput queen Jodha Bai (Mariam-uz-Zamani) was a spoiled and rude boy. The Emperor wanted him to learn the discipline of military so that he would be capable to run the empire. So, he sent him to serve the army for about fourteen years. Finally, last year he allowed him to come back to his main palace in Lahore. The naughty and rude boy was transformed to a handsome and talented young man.

  The Emperor wanted to celebrate his homecoming, and it was decided to hold an extraordinary mujra (dance performance) by Nadeera. Her dance performance was so astounding that it became popular among the nobles of Lahore. Her name was also changed by the Emperor to Anarkali (pomegranate blossom) after this mujra.

  However, the satisfaction of the emperor for the change in crown prince Saleem was short lived. The beauty, dance and song of Anarkali engulfed him altogether. He started to see her regularly. This was not unexpected for rich and famous to visit kothis (buildings where dances were performed) to watch mujra. The visits became frequent. For a long time, it was not known to many that Saleem and Anarkali were in deep love. Everyone close to Saleem kept quiet so that the Emperor can’t know about the affair.

  One day Saleem himself informed to his father Akbar that he wanted to marry Anarkali and make her the future empress. His calculations were all wrong. The Emperor was not at all happy with this union as Anarkali, though utmost beautiful, was a dancer and a maid girl. Akbar is extremely conscious of the noble blood as his own mother Hamida Banu Begum was a commoner. He refused to accept this relationship and advised Saleem not to see Anarkali.’

  ‘This must have ended everything. The Emperor is so powerful that he can do or undo anything,’ Saira commented.

  ‘No, my sister,’ Kareem said, ‘Kings and emperors rule over land, not over the hearts. Winning over a country is comparatively simple if you have the resources; i.e. soldiers, arms etc. It is not so easy to win over hearts. The Emperor could not win over his own son’s heart, nor could the crown prince win his father’s. The situation became serious when Akbar ordered the arrest of Anarkali and lodged her in a jail in Lahore.’

  ‘So it was normal for Saleem to fight back as the son of a true Rajput mother,’ Suraj seemed to be excited.

  Ayaaz looked at Suraj, ‘Calm down my friend. Don’t forget we are all loyal soldiers of the Emperor Akbar. We are not supposed to revolt against him even in our dream.’

  ‘And one day we will also be faithful soldiers of crown prince Saleem, when he inherits the throne. Where do we draw the line in such circumstances?’ Suraj replied.

  ‘Exactly, that is the difficulty our fathers are facing now in Lahore,’ Kareem continued, ‘Prince Saleem has revolted against his own father. He has got the support of lots of Mughal soldiers, which he has earned during his fourteen years of exile from the royal palace and spent in the Army. Our fathers are on the side of the Emperor.’

  ‘Prince Saleem might have gotten support of tens of thousands of Mughal soldiers, no doubt. That is no match with millions well-trained soldiers of the Emperor.’ Aditi said.

  ‘That is a vast ocean of an army which can easily crush any strong enemy army I have ever heard of.’ Saira was actively participating in the discussion, ‘our fathers must be fighting the easiest war of their lives.’

  ‘This is easy to say my sister,’ Kareem had a warm look at their only sister who occasionally came to live with the brothers. ‘In fact this is the most difficult battle in their life as they are not expected to inflict much damage to the dissenting soldiers or their leader, prince Saleem. The Emperor wants the crown prince be defeated, but without any harm to him, as he still wants him as his successor. He also does not want more casualties to Saleem’s army as in the end that will come back into the folds of the Mughal army. Only few top officers may get punishment.’

  ‘Probably this is the reason; the war is lingering on without any definite result.’ Suraj concluded.

  The head cook Ismail knocked the door to inform about the arrival of dinner. Ismail not only cooked mouth-watering Mughlai non-vegetarian food, he was also an expert in delicious Rajput vegetarian food, which he occasionally cooked for Rajput guests in Ashfaq Khan’s Haveli.

  Ayaaz said, ‘No one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. We may fully enjoy either our holidays or enjoy the war. Let’s enjoy the food tonight.’

  They heard the sound of singing and dance outside their Haveli (mansion). The ambience in the tents was beyond description. Except few guards who were assigned responsibility to safeguard the tents against the wild beasts, all others were under the control of sharab (liquor). For them, the holiday started when the bosses retired at night till the next morning. Those times casualties in wars were comparatively much heavier than it is today. Those who were partially or totally disabled, the life became almost a hell till their death. In spite of all the adverse living conditions, these people lived their life every moment. They have plenty of lives, but only one death.

  Full Moon went into hiding again as the morning sun of spring began its journey from below the mountain from the east side. The wintery sun began to be slowly warm. The hue and aroma of the spring flowers created such a lovely ambience all over the mountain as well as the forest that the extraordinary decorations of the Mughal palace or any other royal palace would be ashamed of.

  The servants and guards were refilled with life after a pleasant night’s sleep with a bellyful of aromatic delicious food, liquor and a heavy dose of dance. Everyone in the tents was still relaxed as there was no plan to go for any war. Another day for doing picnic! Some even planned for an outing in the forest in terms so that there would be always some guards
ready to attend if there is any problem. Some experienced guards suggested not to do anything in a hurry, rather wait and see if Ayaaz and Suraj have jointly made any plans for the day.

  Suddenly they saw Ayaaz, Suraj and Kareem came out of the mansion towards the open field. All the guards got the shock of their life when they saw two beautiful sword fighters were following them. They were wearing bukhtar (a coat made of a combination of interlocking metal rings and overlapping metal plates and worn as body armour). It was thick enough to shield against the arrows, lances and swords. The coats reached right up to knees and were decorated with gold bands. They were also wearing expensive arm braces and leg armour. The braces reached up to elbows and were lined with velvet. The swords they were holding were curved, instead of heavy straight swords with rounded ends, which were extremely popular. Two beauties were Saira and Aditi.

  Ayaaz and Suraj both were seated underneath a large tree. Kareem was referee and was standing near both the girls. Morning sunlight was not that hot. The slow, cold breeze had stopped probably to watch the activities of the two beauties. All the soldiers and servants lined up around the ground to create a human fortress around them.

  Kareem signalled the start of the competition. Saira and Aditi lifted their swords and touched each other’s sword slowly. This was a way when two friendly rivals show respect to each other. Aditi moved backwards and promptly charged onto Saira. Her sword came with so much speed towards the neck of Saira that everyone probably thought the friendly fight would develop into bloodshed and death. Few servants became so nervous seeing this they raised an alarm. Suraj had to signal them with his hands to chill down. Saira was quick to raise her sword and stop Aditi’s sword mid-air. She was playing defensive. For around fifteen minutes, it was Aditi who always attacked and Saira was just defending. Suraj looked at Ayaaz. He was the coach of Aditi. Still he was hoping that Saira would give a tough fight to his sister. Ayaaz understood what Suraj was thinking. He whispered, ‘We have never trained Saira. She lives with her mother in Allahabad. Maybe her maternal uncle or someone else has trained her.’

  Suddenly Saira changed her tactic. She started attacking Aditi. For the past fifteen minutes, she was barely showing any motive for being offensive, but was capable of repelling Aditi successfully. Aditi was now comparatively tired. Saira mounted the offence so fiercely that Aditi was not in a position to hold longer against her. Finally, when her sword fell from her hands, Kareem signalled the end of the competition. Suraj stood up and came to Saira. He stood in front of her and looked lovingly at her eyes and congratulated her on success. She felt shy and looked at the ground with a smile on her blushed face. A maid came quickly and removed her headgear, which she was wearing for the fight. Slow breeze was creating waves in her long dark hairs as she managed to arrange long silky strands of hairs on her face.

  Aditi took some time to compose herself and came to her and congratulated, ‘You are indeed a brave girl Saira. Please keep up the practice. This shall assist you at some point of your life.’

  She smiled and nodded.

  ‘Aditi, we are a noble and warrior family like yours,’ Ayaaz assured, ‘we can always take care of her safety even though she does not keep up the practice. Anyway, congrats to both of you for the brave fight. You both are my sisters.’

  ‘Brother, no one can be sure what is there in future,’ Kareem countered Ayaaz, ‘anyone linked to the kings or Emperors have enemies by default. It is ideal for every woman to learn self-defence. Who knows what will happen if we are killed in some war.’

  ‘Excellent job my child! Let God bless you. You shall need to utilise this skill sooner or later,’ a monk suddenly came inside the human wall made by servants and guards. Before any guard realised and tried to stop him, he came straight to Saira, kept his left hand on her head and blessed her. Suraj immediately bowed and touched the feet of the monk with respect, so did Aditi. The monk looked into his eyes and said, ‘You are a brave fighter. Be prepared for the fight of your life. Be prepared for the fight for your love.’ Suraj was so much surprised that he remained dumbstruck. Holding a trishula (a trident or three spears) in one hand and a kamandalu (an oblong water pot made of dried pumpkin shell), the six feet tall, solid built man was standing apart from the rest. The aura around him was so strong and soothing, not a single soldier could take his hand to his weapon. The spotless saffron orange cloth was a perfect match to his fair skin, full white long hairs and beard. His glowing confident eyes were moving over Suraj and Saira as if none other existed in that place.

  Saira looked in confusion. She was not quite aware how to greet a Hindu monk. She just imitated Aditi and tried to touch his feet. Monk touched her head and said, ‘You are a brave and lucky girl. You are born for someone, and someone is born for you. Your life story will become famous in history.’

  Saira didn’t understand what he was saying. His voice was low but commanding. Slowly he moved out of the congregation and vanished in the thick forest where no path was going, before Ayaaz and Kareem could greet him. Entire congregation was almost mesmerised for some time.

  ‘He must be a monk living in the caves near the temple on the hilltop,’ said Ayaaz.

  ‘Is there any temple nearby?’ Suraj asked.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Kareem, ‘there is a small temple, and there are some caves near the temple. There are few Hindu monks there.’

  ‘So we can have a courtesy visit to them once our games are over,’ Suraj suggested and looked at Aditi. She nodded in affirmation.

  ‘I have seen all the monks who live in the caves near the temple sir; he is not one of them.’ Ismail, the cook of Ashfaq’s holiday home confirmed.

  ‘He is right. He is living here since years,’ said Ayaaz.

  ‘He must be a Tantric Sadhu (holy man),’ Kareem suggested, ‘may be an Aghori monk, who lives in thick forest away from human habitat.’

  Even in those times the word tantric brought fearful respect among ordinary people. Many believed tantric Sadhus had lots of spiritual power who can be utilised in positive or negative results. Some believed they had supernatural power. Aghori Sadhus were extremely rare in those days. They were not violent but were believed to consume human corpses when they can find it. Some believed consuming human corpse was a myth. They didn’t intent to kill or hurt anyone. By inspiring fear in the mind of ordinary people, they kept them at bay and did austerities in private and indeed for a good reason. They tried to destroy all fear, hatred, fondness, greed, anger present inside the mind.  The story of eating human corpse may, in fact, be a story intentionally floated around to install artificial fear and to help in making a successful psychological barrier.

  [In Aghora, the adepts attain mastery over the components of the universe; i.e., Earth, water, fire, air and sky. They also understand the vital force of the life from the inside out and energies that are even more subtle. They become the students of Mahashakti (Mother Nature) and play with the universal laws like a small child plays with toys! They transmute elements as if it’s a funny game. Ordinary men cannot understand their ways and are scared and disgusted by them. The Aghoris are shy and stay away from the world of ordinary men. They stay in remote mountain caves; dense tiger infested forests, cremation grounds and abandoned river banks. Verily they are a cult steeped in mystery. Very few monks dare to tread this path, for it is a closed tradition, and they guard their secrets well. Very few people of this world have met Aghori Yogis. Many know so little of them, except their mysterious power and horrendous lifestyle.

  Acknowledged to have taken from the following:

  https://tribes.tribe.net/practicaltantra/thread/3eb6ddf2-dcda-4038-932e-568d099c7fdf

   ‘Are you sure he is Aghori monk?’ Suraj enquired with Kareem.

  ‘No, I am not sure. In fact, what I have heard about Aghoris, he does not look like one from his appearance. Only feature resembling is that they live in dense forests, and you must have observed, he didn’t go on in any road from here. In
fact, he disappeared in the forest where no road exists.’ Kareem opined.

  ‘Why don’t we send some soldiers on the way he has gone and call him back here? We can see for ourselves who he is.’ Ayaaz suggested.

  ‘Apologies sir,’ Ismail suggested, ‘I will suggest he be invited with respect. He should not feel offended by our act of searching him.’

  ‘He is right Ayaaz,’ suggested Suraj, ‘I will accompany the soldiers. He must not have gone far away. We can get him.’

  ‘What is the need of finding him? He has not committed any harm to anyone. Nor he has threatened to do so. Let him go on his way. We have shown proper respect to him whatever possible during the few moments he was with us. Also, he may not be an Aghori; maybe an ordinary holy man. We are unnecessarily panicking.’ Aditi tried to influence the decision of Ayaaz.

  ‘Aditi, I think we should find and invite him. I will not feel comfortable till we come to know that everything is normal,’ Saira suggested.

  ‘We should not waste time in arguing, sirs,’ Ismail said, ‘he can walk much faster in unpaved dense forest than anyone of us. We can’t take advantage of horses in the dense forest. If you want to find him, the sooner we start is better.’

  Ayaaz with half dozen soldiers started walking on the direction the monk was seen last. Kareem also followed him in case they need to make two groups.

  Suraj stayed back to make arrangements for hospitality. Aditi and Saira went to the kitchen to start preparing vegetarian meal for the monk. The Rajput cooks, brought by Suraj in his team, were till now enjoying the Muslim hospitality. They immediately sprang into the action and started cooking authentic vegetarian food without even onion and garlic. A horse rider was sent immediately to the market down the hill to buy fresh fruits. Some servants went into the nearby forest, to pick fresh flowers.

  There was massive arrangement during a short period of time. Flowers were brought. Saira and Aditi prepared garlands to receive the monk. Suraj could manage to get a tiger skin rug where he would be seated. A gold plated dinner plate was decorated with various sweet fresh fruits. The aroma of authentic vegetarian dishes prepared by Rajput cooks was indirectly challenging the charm of the Mughal cuisine. The regular cooks and servants of Ashfaq Khan’s small castle were literally longing for the time when all these hospitality drama will be over, and they will get a chance to taste the mouth-watering dishes. What a lovely break from the spicy meat dishes!

  Hours passed by. Few guards, who were practising to show guard of honour to the monk, started taking rest. The hot vegetarian dishes gradually became cold and stopped spreading their aroma. Noon soon paved the way for the afternoon; still there was no sign of Ayaaz and Kareem. Everyone was hungry, but still waiting for their guest of the day to arrive so that they could satiate their hunger. Consuming food before offering to holy guests was poor manners. Saira was equally hungry like Aditi after playing a real war like swordfight in the morning. But besides that she was also not terribly comfortable, or you can say she was a little bit afraid of the monk’s prediction, which looked clearly on her face.

  A maid came rushing to deliver the news, ‘Ayaaz and Kareem both are back. They must be with the monk with them! Let’s be prepared to receive him.’

  Suraj, Aditi and Saira, started moving quickly towards the gate, with flowers in their hands. Ayaaz, Kareem and their team of soldiers were still at a distance. A guard came to break the news, ‘I was climbing a tree to find out. They all are coming.’

  ‘Did you see the monk also?’ asked Suraj.

  ‘I am not sure. I hope he must be accompanying them. How far he might have gone when we started looking for him?’ replied the guard.

  ‘It is not easy to follow an Aghori monk in a jungle, especially when he has gone in a direction where no road exists.’ Suraj commented.

  The team of Ayaaz and Kareem was seen at a distance. Everyone tried to have a glimpse of the monk. Finally, when both the brothers arrived at the gate of the little palace, it was clear that Sadhu was not coming with them.

  Both Ayaaz and Kareem were looking visibly tired of the exhaustion in searching the monk in the jungle and also of hunger.

  ‘Bad Luck,’ said Ayaaz.

  ‘Good Luck,’ smiled Kareem.

  ‘How?’ Saira asked.

  ‘The monk gave us blessings from far in my dream,’ he replied still with the smiling face.

  ‘How could you see a dream without sleeping?’ Ayaaz asked, ‘you always joke when everyone is serious.’

  ‘He blessed us so that we can now enjoy the unique dishes prepared for him,’ Kareem replied jovially, ‘why everybody is serious? He has not cursed you people! Let’s enjoy our holiday. If he is serious, he shall come again.’

  Kareem was right. The cold but delicious Rajput dishes calmed down not only the hunger of both families but also the worry over the appearance and disappearance of the mystic monk.

  The tension of the Aghori Sadhu was almost a thing of the past after a goodnight’s sleep and emergence of another sunny spring morning. The plan for the hunting activity was still on. Cooks were working overnight to make some takeaway food which can be consumed in the jungle in case they do not come back in time. The cooks who were experienced in making such foods were in demand in those days when soldiers would go for war in difficult terrains for long periods at a stretch.

  Kareem suggested a change in the team, ‘Instead of boys and girls going together as was planned day before yesterday evening, can we change to the other plan; i.e. Suraj and Saira in one team Ayaaz and Aditi in the other. I think this arrangement will be best to deal with the monk in case you meet him somewhere in the jungle.’

  Saira quickly agreed.

  ‘In such circumstances there is no need for guards to accompany any team,’ suggested Aditi.

  ‘You are right my sister,’ said Ayaaz.

  The guards got an excellent opportunity for another picnic day without any stress. Some even wished in a low voice, ‘Let the two families come for holidays here again and again, we can also enjoy some holidays on duty.’

  Ayaaz rode his horse, so did Aditi. The servants had started decorating the horses even before dawn arrived. Horses were equipped with colourful stuffed cushion. A pair of stirrups were fitted to give the rider greater control while riding with weapons and also increased stability and flexibility while seated. Suraj and Saira also rode two different horses. There was a single unpaved road leading into deep jungle from which different roads at various intervals originated and led to various other parts of the forest.

  It was decided they will go on the road all together and then part their ways on the way.

  The jungle was inhabited by few tribal people at places. They spent most of their life in the jungle. They grew at small patches of land and also collected the majority of their necessities from the jungle itself. At times, they came to the outside world and travelled at best to the villages or markets on the outskirts of the jungle. Most of the tribal people had never seen anything outside the jungle. It was the movement of tribal people across the jungle which created many unpaved roads. They moved across the jungle for hunting animals, collecting forest grown fruits etc.

  ‘If you find a path with fresh foot prints, be sure that tribal are living somewhere near.’ Ayaaz told as he possessed better understanding of moving in the jungle, ‘If the road seems to have not been used since long, we should avoid that route as it might be possible the tribal have probably forsaken that place and moved to another place.’

  ‘Why do they abandon a place? Is it like abandoning a house to move to another?’ asked Suraj. He was entering into a large forest for the first time in his life.

  ‘Yes, they, in fact, abandon their houses and villages and make another village. Entire village is abandoned. Their houses are not made of stone and brick like ours. They use bamboo, straw and clay which are readily available in plenty.’ Ayaaz told.

  ‘Why do they move to places?’ S
aira enquired.

  ‘It all depends on the movement of elephants, availability of food etc. If elephants come most frequently and destroy their crops, they tend to go to another part of the jungle which is less frequented by the heavy animals.’ He replied.

  ‘What if elephants start visiting their new villages?’ Aditi was curious.

  ‘This hide and seek game is a routine for the tribal people. Besides elephants, there are Cheetahs, Leopards, Sambar (a variety of large deer), Chital deer (spotted deer), Jackal, Nilgai (an antelope), Hyena, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, Blackbuck (a species of deer) and several other animals are living in this jungle. Please avoid wild elephants. In order to recognise which route you travelled earlier, save some symbol while breaking into a new path like breaking a branch of a tree, digging a hole and putting some branch having colourful leaves or flowers. This way there will be little chance of being lost in the jungle.’ Ayaaz tried to convince.

  ‘Is there any other way?’ Suraj asked, ‘we can even ask some tribal man how to get out of the jungle?’

  ‘Yes, you can ask them. But you do not know their language. You need to communicate with them by sign language.’

  ‘Are they not violent? I hope they do not consume human flesh.’ Saira asked.

  ‘They are civilised, though not like us. They eat cooked food. And they live in thatched houses, where the roof is made of bamboo, straw and clay. They speak their own language but do not write. In fact, their language has no alphabets, they are just spoken languages. The irony is that there are several languages, and they speak different languages. Very few of them who sometimes come to see outside world know a little bit of our language. You are lucky if you find any one of them. They are both friendly and also extremely violent, depends upon what they perceive of you; i.e. Friend or foe.’ Ayaaz explained.

  ‘How will they know whether we are a friend or foe?’ Aditi asked.

  ‘We are carrying weapons, this is enough evidence that they will take us for enemies.’ Saira opined.

  ‘No my sisters, they are not that stupid. Those who do not understand outside languages, God have trained them to observe body languages extremely well. In fact, elders in their societies, teach this technique to juniors when they are trained to move alone in the jungle. They are taught to read body languages of not only human beings, but also that of the animals. They can know immediately if a Cheetah or Leopard is hiding somewhere at a distance.’

  ‘Can they smell them from a distance?’ Saira asked.

  ‘No, they are just human beings. They might have better smelling power than us, but not like the wild animals. They are experts in studying the reaction of other animals who either can smell or otherwise can identify the existence of Cheetah, Leopard or other wild animals. Jungle is a place where only fittest can survive. This is almost the primary education or teaching elders impart on their children so that they can face life alone.’

  ‘What other training they receive from their elders?’ Kareem asked.

  ‘They know to find a way back to their place. Many of us can never come back if lost in the jungle. Finding a way back home is a child’s play for the tribal. Even their children know how to find their way back home from the dense forest. They know how to react if suddenly some dangerous animal comes across their way. They know how to survive in jungle fire. They can survive weeks without water as they know which leaf juice can hydrate the body in case water is not available. They can identify plants and roots which can cure them of snakebite and even from day to day ailments.’

  ‘Why then we are calling them uncivilised?’ Suraj commented, ‘they are even more civilised than us. Only they do not wear fashionable clothes like us though they wear something.’

  ‘One last thing, they are extremely protective of their women and children. The tribal women are practically semi-nude by our standards. They never take lightly if some stranger makes derogatory remarks. Do not ask how they interpret that the remark is derogatory when many do not understand our language. They understand from your body language.’

  ‘Ayaaz has studied a lot about the jungle in order to practice jungle warfare,’ Kareem commented.

  ‘That is exceptionally talented Ayaaz,’ Suraj told, ‘we can arrange some sessions for our soldiers about jungle warfare as this year Emperor may ask our regiment for South India expedition.’

  ‘Let our Parents come back from the war between father and son.’ Kareem told.

  Adventure hunting game started. Ayaaz and Aditi were in the first team in two different horses. They carried Bow and Arrow, daggers, sword and a swivel gun. The swivel gun was only for emergency. Suraj and Saira also followed suit with similar weapons and two horses. Besides both took with them water, food and some extra clothes.

  Kareem stayed back with the guards.

  Aditi watched how Saira rode her horse like an expert.

  ‘I can assume you can do well in a horse race tomorrow Saira. I will be happily defeated from you.’ Aditi said with lots of affection.

  ‘This is not my horse Aditi. My horse is Aasifa which means storm. I could have guaranteed my triumph had Aasifa been with me.’ Saira was proud of her horse, ‘what is the name of your horse?’

  ‘My horse name is Tohfa,’ Aditi said, ‘This was gifted to me by an Arab businessman. I have trained her to run as if Kali andhi (black storm) is coming. I hope to give you a tough fight as I am riding my own horse right now. Hope she will not be too tired after today’s expedition.’

  Both the teams slowly entered into the jungle.

  ‘What is the name of your Horse, brother?’ Saira asked Ayaaz.

  Suraj replied instead of Ayaaz, ‘we both change the horses so often that we are already short of names.’

  The expedition seemed to be exceptionally pleasant and smooth. An unpaved winding path led them inside the jungle. They had to move together till the road was divided into at least two different roads. For some distance, it seemed as if the road was smooth and would probably remain the same all the distance they wanted to travel. The ambience created by the spring was so much prominent as if the nature was clearly biased towards the jungle than the cities and villages. Bunches of flowers created the scene of a large park no gardener could think of recreating even for the emperors and kings. Nature favours the nature more than manmade gardens. Few blackbucks crossed their path, but they couldn’t hunt them till they go in different roads as per the rule fixed by them.

  All four horses were walking lazily carrying two young men and two young women on their back. The riders were gossiping as if there was nothing to be in a hurry. The moment was more appropriate to enjoy the beauty of the jungle than irritate the nature by the blood of some of its creations in the name of hunting game. The game of a superior animal; i.e. Humans may be bloody and undesirable for the inferior animals who have feelings, emotions, but can’t speak a human language.

  The conversation again went around the name of horses.

  ‘I am actually thinking seriously to give a name to my horse, but I have to decide to be with one horse rather than changing them every now and then. Actually giving the name to a horse helps in the wars as horses are also intelligent and emotional towards their owners. A little love and affection to them can sometimes make a difference between life and death in wars, and other emergencies.’ Suraj said.

  ‘Actually Suraj has already decided the name of the horse,’ Ayaaz told, ‘when I suggested otherwise.’

  ‘Did you recommend not giving any name?’ asked Aditi.

  ‘No, I was against a specific name chosen by him,’ Ayaaz said.

  ‘What is that name?’ Saira was curious.

  ‘Chetak.’

  ‘What is wrong in that?

  ‘The name itself is not deficient on any account,’ Ayaaz explained, ‘but Chetak, the Marwari breed warhorse is said to have flying legs. It was so beautiful that poets have written poems and folk songs praising its beauty, valour. Chetak’s co
at had a blue tinge. That’s why Rana Pratap is referred as the Rider of the Blue Horse. Chetak was well trained, highly intelligent and extremely loyal to the Rana.’

  ‘I have heard about Chetak. Is he alive now?’ asked Aditi.

  ‘No, it is dead since long.’ Ayaaz continued, ‘Chetak was so intelligent and powerful that in the battle of Haldighat in 1576, it almost helped in defeating the vast army of the Emperor Akbar. Man Singh was the commander of the Mughal army. He was directing the battle sitting on an elephant. Pratap hacked his way through the ranks of enemy soldiers and reached the front of Man Singh’s elephant. When he reached there, Chetak reared highly in the air and planted his hooves on the forehead of Man Singh’s elephant. Rana threw his spear at Man Singh, who quickly lowered his head. The mahout (elephant driver) was killed instantly. The commotion that followed, Chetak got fatal wound in one of his legs. This was the turning point of the war. It was a bold gamble on the part Rana Pratap to siege the battle in his favour, but it failed. Man Singh was immediately taken into safety, and Pratap was surrounded by Mughal soldiers.’

  ‘Did Chetak died their instantly?’ Saira asked.

  ‘No,’ Ayaaz continued again, ‘How can a faithful horse like Chetak can even think of dying before taking its master to safety? The poets of Rajasthan have praised him in their poems as a tribute to him that Chetak evaded the death god till its master reached safe place outside the war zone and then gracefully embraced the death god. Pratap was reluctant to leave the battle when one of his commanders, Jhala Sardar, snatched the Royal Insignia from him and wore himself, thus making him a target of the Mughal army. The Mughal army crushed Jhala Sardar thinking him to be Rana. Rana left the battle field with some loyal soldiers. Chetak was seriously exhausted, but carried his master nearly two miles when they came across a small stream. Chetak collapsed while trying to leap across the stream.’

  ‘Chetak’s saga will remain alive for centuries. He is undoubtedly a hero.’ Saira commented.

  ‘Don’t even utter his praise. Rana Pratap is the greatest enemy of our Emperor Akbar. And we are loyal soldiers of the Mughal dynasty. We should never side with his enemies even in our dream.’ Ayaaz advised.

  ‘I don’t think praising a loyal horse will make us disloyal to the Mughal dynasty. Even the Emperor himself has praised Chetak openly. His highness Akbar is no ordinary Emperor. He has a generous heart with which he has won so many Rajput like us who were one day arch enemy of the dynasty.’ Suraj’s voice seemed different now.

  ‘After all you people have fought so many brave wars against the enemy of his highness and will fight many more in the future. No one should question your loyalty even in dream.’ Saira commented.

  ‘Being loyal and showing loyalty are two different things,’ Ayaaz defended himself, ‘and we are expected to be both. Even stones and trees have ears and eyes; i.e. Ears and eyes of the royal family. The irony is that every word and action reaches the royal circle with added colours, for all the wrong reasons.’

  ‘Ok, I drop the idea of naming my horse Chetak,’ Suraj laughed, ‘please choose a name and let me know.’

  ‘First get a dependable horse and then I will find a suitable name in no time.’ Ayaaz replied.

  ‘Finding a loyal horse is not difficult,’ Aditi said, ‘the problem is that my brother himself is not loyal to any horse.’

  There was a momentous laugh.

  ‘I know that.’ Ayaaz said.

  Half a dozen peacocks suddenly appeared from nowhere and began dancing in a small open area across the road displaying their iridescent blue-green coloured plumage. The field and the road were being divided by a small stream. Few peahens soon joined them.

  The teams stopped for a bit and enjoyed the scene.

  Aditi got off the horse and looked at the sky all around. It was a clear sky with remarkably few scattered white clouds. ‘This is an indication of impending rain.’ Aditi said.

  ‘There is no sight of cloud anywhere. May be the peacocks are dancing to welcome us in the jungle. Most of the time they see only the dark skinned tribal wrapped with dull and dirty clothes. The sight of people with fair skin and colourful clothes is equally fascinating to them just like their coloured plumage to us.’ Suraj was still enjoying the peacock dance. After all, it was not a serious expedition. They were there just to enjoy their holiday.

  ‘I have never seen peacocks dancing without rain. Maybe I am wrong. But we should be doubly sure that rain is not coming.’ Ayaaz said.

  ‘There is no sight of any rain you see,’ said Suraj.

  ‘Our vision is blocked by mountains on the west and north face. There is a valley on the other side,’ Ayaaz was keenly looking at all sides. His eyes were moving around to get the slightest glimpse of the raining clouds. ‘We should not take raining lightly when we are in the jungle.’ He announced.

  ‘This is not the rainy season,’ said Aditi, ‘even if the rain comes it will be minimal. We can take shelter under some huge tree.’

  ‘What havoc days’ long heavy rain can’t do in a plain area, a mild hour-long rain can do much more damage in a jungle full of hills if you don’t know how to handle.’ Ayaaz had been trained by his father Ashfaq in Jungle warfare. The training had not been done in Ghana but in some of the smaller jungles along the Ganges. Ghana was a vast jungle having small and towering mountains scattered in it.

  ‘The nearly dead fountains you probably could not notice on the way so far can become roaring little rivers. As most of them are extremely narrow and also meanders often, the current is usually so high that the strongest swimmer can’t face it. Swimming in flooded Ganga or Yamuna is relatively easy. Sometimes there are small or large falls on its way where there are steep changes in the ground level. It is common in a hilly area like this. Actually the place we are standing now is also part of some unnamed river.’ Ayaaz concluded.

  Suraj, Aditi, and Saira observed now. The way they were travelling has slanted downwards and then again up after around ten meters. ‘Look to both and left and right side you can see this is part of the bed of a small river. You can still see water at some places where stream is concave towards the ground.’ Ayaaz’s observation was surprisingly strong.

  ‘What is the name of this river?’ Saira was now curious. Never in her life has she come inside such a large jungle. At best she had seen the small jungles near Ganga river where most of the cases you know where the jungle finishes. In fact if you move from one city to another, you may go through many such small jungles. They were no different from the plain surfaces. Only they had more trees, and sometimes there were wild animals inside them.

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied Ayaaz, ‘mostly it does not have a name. Sometimes tribal name the rivers so that they can distinguish between different rivers in their conversations. Outsiders do not bother as they hardly come here. In fact, there are hundreds such small and medium sized rivers.’

  ‘They must be joining some large rivers!’ said Suraj.

  ‘Yes, I think they might have joined rivers like Ban Ganga, Chamravati or Rooparel. I am not particularly much sure. Those rivers have joined Yamuna. Sometimes they also merge with water reserves.’

  ‘Before proceeding further, please know few more facts about these rivers,’ continued Ayaaz, ‘if it rains for about an hour, be sure these rivers will sprung into life. This is because rains falling on the hills are drained into these rivers and the amount of water is substantial to flood the small rivers. If your path crosses through any river like the place you are standing now, look at both sides. Sometimes water comes so suddenly that both you and your horse can be washed away. Some places current seems to be low, and the water may be only knee deep, but be careful as midway the water level can significantly increase. If there is an urgent need to cross any small but live stream, the best way is to get some tree whose roots will be on one side and branches might be extending to the other side. It is not difficult to find such tree. By the way, who does not know to
climb a tree?’

  ‘I know that you can handle. You are a trained fighter, and this is part of the training. I mean ---

  ‘I know.’ Aditi teased Suraj, ‘I can climb to the top of the trees where my brother can’t climb.’

  ‘It is because you are much lighter than me,’ Suraj reverted, ‘there are usually thin branches towards the top of the trees which will break with my weight. You are much lighter than me. In fact, there will be no need to climb to the top of a tree, midway is enough.’

  ‘It is necessary,’ Aditi tried to pull Suraj’s leg again, ‘what if a Cheetah attacks. I will be on the top of the tree, and you are in the middle. So you will be the first target.’

  ‘Yes, Cheetah will choose first to eat Suraj,’ Ayaaz intervened, ‘not because he is easily accessible. Cheetah is smart enough to decide where he will get enough meat. Aditi, you are slim. Why Cheetah will put so much effort when he knows killing you means he will get only bones and hardly any flesh.’

  Aditi laughed, ‘In that case your life is also in danger. You will be a strong attraction to Cheetah. We both girls are safe because we both are slim.’ She looked at Saira.

  ‘I can’t climb the tree.’ Saira said.

  ‘No worries,’ Suraj consoled, ‘Ayaaz is warning only if there is an emergency. You should take only one precaution; be as close to me as possible. I will take care of everything.’

  ‘This is the word of a Rajput warrior,’ Ayaaz was all praise to Suraj, ‘you need not worry when Suraj is with you.’

  Suraj smiled, ‘I am not an expert, but can manage if required.’

  ‘I am also a Rajput girl.’ Saira tried to show her self confidence.

  ‘Yes Suraj do not forget. We are also Rajput.’ Ayaaz smiled at Suraj and then at Saira.

  It was about 10 am. The winter sun was exceptionally pleasant. The meandering path has now moved upwards for few kilometres. One can easily see a narrow canal coming all the way from the top of the mountain along the road. After travelling few hundred meters, they came across a small narrow but live stream which had descended from the mountain along with the zigzag road. There was a bridge to cross the river. The river was about fifty meters wide, so was the bridge. The river had changed level at almost every three hundred to five hundred meters. At every change of level, the river became a thundering waterfall. The combined sound of all the waterfalls together was so high that it was almost difficult to speak in a normal voice. The water was clear like glass. You can see the bottom of the river. The river bed consisted of sand and white gravels. Occasionally you can see fishes of different colours swimming.

  Both the teams stopped for a while.

  ‘We need to move quickly,’ suggested Suraj, ‘otherwise forget about finishing the hunting game before evening comes. We have not even started.’

  ‘I think we do not have so much time limitations,’ Aditi commented, ‘you are talking as if we will finish all the game today and tomorrow you will go to war.’

  ‘I recommend for taking some rest here. We can have some refreshments here. The horses can also drink some water,’ Saira suggested, ‘also we should explore this place. The bridge does not seem to be natural. It is clearly man made. We can explore the area.’

  ‘You are right Saira,’ Ayaaz consented to the suggestion, ‘when you are in a large jungle and you are not sure where you get to the next place you get water, it is wise to let your horses drink enough before moving forward. After all, none of us is acquainted with this jungle.’

  ‘What about exploring this area?’ Aditi asked.

  ‘We are anyway exploring the whole jungle through our game plan.’ Ayaaz suggested.

  ‘She is talking about this bridge,’ Saira explained, ‘this bridge is manmade. If no civilised person had come here before, then how this bridge was constructed? I can never think tribal people can build this well planned bridge made of stone.’

  ‘I have never told that any civilised person has not come here before. Even though the jungle is tremendously large, the outskirts of the jungle are surrounded by cities and villages. Maybe some king might have constructed this in the past. There is nothing appealing in this.’ Ayaaz commented.

  ‘There is something amusing in this.’ Suraj was seen removing some creepers at some distance and keenly looking at something as if he suddenly found some hidden treasure, ‘I can see floor of some demolished building here and in this corner,’ he pointed at a direction, ‘there is a cracked wall covered with creepers having inscriptions on it.’

  Saira ran towards Suraj and looked at the structure. She seemed to be more interested in exploring the ancient structure than the hunting game.

  ‘Wait Saira, wait. You can’t let the horse roam freely like this. What if they escape to the jungle?’ Ayaaz warned.

  ‘Aasifa will never forsake me brother!’ Saira said confidently.

  ‘Your Aasifa is in Allahabad Saira,’ Aditi reminded.

  ‘Oh Yes, I forgot!’ Saira came back to tie the horse to a tree.

  ‘See how trustworthy is Suraj’s horse, already moving slowly away pretending to graze the grass.’ Ayaaz pointed at Suraj’s horse as he was busy tying his horse to a tree.

  Suraj ran to bring the horse back. All the horses were tied to different trees with long enough ropes so that they get enough space under them to graze and none is tangled with one another.

  Everyone including Ayaaz gathered to see Suraj’s discovery.

  Ayaaz tried to clear some of the creepers with his sword and moved about hundred meters to one side, ‘I think the constructed area is pretty sturdy. I have moved so far and still don’t see the end of the floor.’

  ‘Maybe this was the base of a small hill and stones have been cut and taken away to be used outside the jungle.’ Aditi commented.

  ‘No,’ Saira seemed confident, ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Saira is right,’ Suraj was standing in a corner and trying to clean some creeper from part of a seemingly broken wall, ‘I can see some writing on this broken wall.’

  ‘Writing!’ Ayaaz turned back and came to Suraj to look at the inscription on the wall. Aditi and Saira also came.

  ‘What is written?’ Ayaaz asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Suraj said, ‘seem to be alphabets of some old and forgotten language. I have never seen these alphabets before.’

  Ayaaz looked at the illegible inscription. He didn’t look interested, ‘Some meaningless writings. We have taken enough rest. I think we should move now; otherwise we can’t complete our game today.’

  ‘Shouldn’t we wait and watch the weather before moving further into the jungle, Saira pleaded, ‘We have just seen how the peacocks were dancing signalling rain developing.’

  ‘But we couldn’t find any cloud anywhere, maybe they are confused!’ Ayaaz joked.

  ‘Or maybe they were just entertaining us!’ Suraj added a line to Ayaaz’s joke.

  ‘Sorry Saira,’ Suraj continued, ‘you are right. We don’t have enough preparation for facing rain. Actually none other than Ayaaz knew what does rainfall means when you are deep inside a large jungle having several small and gigantic hills, hundreds of suddenly appearing furious small rivers. I suggest we wait some time and observe if the rain is actually developing. We can go back and again come tomorrow with all preparations.’

  Saira was visibly delighted, ‘We can still go ahead with our plan if we don’t see any sign of rain within an hour,’ she looked at her brother Ayaaz, ‘meantime we can spend some time exploring this ancient structure.’

  Ayaaz smiled and nodded in agreement.

  Saira looked much relieved and immediately joined Suraj in exploring the structure. She was not feeling shy to be close with him anymore. She had seen how Aditi, the young and beautiful girl was treating her brothers; i.e. Ayaaz and Kareem as her own brother. It was true they had met several times before because of the proximity of the two families both professionally and socially. She had never g
otten the chance before to be intimate with Purujit’s family. Maybe after these holidays are over, she would again go back to her maternal uncle’s house in Allahabad. This was not first time in her life she was interacting with males outside her family. Both her Maternal Uncle Iqbal Hussain and mother Nadirah were modern in the contemporary society. Iqbal Hussain, a landlord in Allahabad, had allowed and even facilitated military training for Saira. She had been trained in Horse riding, sword fighting and even using a bow and arrow by different experts available in Allahabad. For Saira, it was fun. For Iqbal Hussain, it was a tremendous foresight.