The Groom Abductor

She was sitting inside the Palace at Dwarka. Her brothers were busy attending to guests. The Prince of Hastinapur had arrived that day with a proposal for her elder brothers. Being aloof from political scenarios, the young princess, the only sister to her two brothers, was not bothered. She hated the sight of the prince who troubled her aunt and cousins back in Hastinapur. But he was her brother's student and hence a favourite at Dwarka.

A maid came in a hurry and informed, " There is good news, Rajkumari. Your wedding has been fixed to the Prince of Hastinapur, Suyodhan, by your eldest brother"

Shocked, she could not speak. Her brother did not bother to ask for her opinion. Her childish anger overcame her as she rushed to her other brother, the one who always had the way. Crying, she reached his chambers, where his wife Rukmini was present. Seeing his dearest sister cry, Rukmini got up worried from her seat.

"What is wrong, sister? Why are you crying?"
" Where is my Bhratashri?"
" He is out to meet some Rishis regarding your wedding. Why are you crying?"
" I want my Bhratashri!" The childish princess rushed into her room, crying and shut the doors. She heard maids talk outside. The wedding was to happen any day now. People were flocking from Hastinapur to make arrangements for the grand wedding.

Teary-eyed, the princess thought of the man she loved. By fate, they were cousins, by heart lovers. He was a warrior who couldn't express his love, but she could read him; she could understand they both loved each other ever since they understood love. His marriage to Samragni Panchali, too, did not bother her. But now, when she was going to be married to his enemy, where was he? He went on pilgrimage, and nobody knew where he was.

" Subhadra! My sister! Why these tears?" It was Krishna, her brother. How he got in through the closed doors, she did not care.
" Brother! Why are you marrying me to Duryodhan?"
"It's Dau's decision, Subhadra, I can't change it."

"Then go away!"
" I have come to take you out, to meet with a Rishi in the forest."
" I don't want to."
" Believe me, you want to!" He smiled.

Deep inside the forest was a Rishi deep in meditation. Subhadra touched his feet, and their eyes met.

" What do you want, Kanya?"
" I want my marriage to Duryodhan to be cancelled, Rishiji."
" Why?"
" Because I love another man, I am already his wife."
" Who is this man, lady?"
" Kuntiputra Gandivdhari..." Krishna witnessed this at a distance with a smile.

The Rishi got up, shocked.

" Subhadra, you too love me?"

Shocked, she looked up, and it was indeed Arjun.

" What to do now, Parth?" Krishna broke their stares.
" Go home, Subhadra, marry him. I can not fight my cousins for you. I can not fight Madhav"
"No, either you take me as your wife after this or else I die."
" Don't be naive!"

Krishna smiled, " Maybe there is a way."

" What?" The lovers looked surprised.
" Subhadra abducts Parth and takes him out of Dwarka. I will give you my chariot. When I settle things here, come back and marry at Dwarka."

Thus, the strangest incident happened. Krishna rushed into the court where Balaram sat with the guests from Hastinapur. Subhadra had abducted Arjun!!

Everyone knew this was a made-up tale; everyone knew Natkhat Nandalal was behind this, but who dared raise a voice against him?

Balaram was the hardest to convince. After all, he had called on his favourite student to marry his sister. At last, he agreed, but with a condition, " She will travel with him to Indraprasth and live there, unlike his other wives."

" But Panchali will not allow..."
" If so, then he should stay here."

Arjun was forced to take Subhadra home with him, and thus Krishna weaved the threads of the birth of the greatest warrior Abhimanyu, Son of Arjun and Subhadra.

She was pregnant within a few months, and Krishna told Draupadi that this son would make her future. Draupadi took great care of Subhadra and left her at Indraprastha when they went to Hastinapur, where they got humiliated. Subhadra, still pregnant, was sent back to Dwarka to be taken care of, and Arjun went to leave her. There he stayed with her for a year before they all left for twelve years of Exile and one year of Agyatbyas! One night, they were talking of weapons and formations on the battlefield, and Arjun lamented how bravely he had broken Chakrayuvh as a teen against Drupad Raj.

" Tell me how it's done, Arya."
" No, you will be bored."
" Please tell me."

Arjun told his pregnant wife in great detail how he got in, but while he said how he got out, he saw his wife asleep, and he smiled at her sleeping face. Unaware of the future.

A few months later, a son was born to them. His eldest son, Subhadra's only heir and Krishna's nephew.

" Take good care of Jiji Arya. She is in pain even if she doesn't show it"

" You take care of yourself, Subhadra and my son." He hugged his wife and kissed his son's forehead. Almost two now, the baby was beautiful. Some said he was after his mother in beauty and after his father in behaviour. The baby, unaware of the sad departure, giggled at his father. " Ma"

" When did he learn that, Subhadra? "
" Today only Arya! You don't worry, Bhratashri will take good care of us, you go and do your duties."
" What will you call him, Subhadra? Have you decided yet?"
" Bhratashri said he will be called Abhimanyu."
" Abhimanyu... My son, when I come back, you will be a teenager, and I won't recognise you. Do recognise your father-child, and forgive him for not being there."

Tears came to the warrior's eyes as he looked back at his wife and son waving with smiles at the Palace gates of Dwarka.

Krishna smiled. The future was decided, and things were going as they should be going. He looked at Subhadra playing with her toddler. He walked up to them, picked up his nephew and hugged him. Subhadra was watching Abhimanyu being loved by his Mamashri, and Krishna was silently begging forgiveness from the toddler for the future.

Etched In Stone

This historical short story is a fictitious account of Ashoka, the Mauryan Emperor and his first wife Devi, who finds no place in Magadhan History. There is another fiction about her in the blog as well. This story stemmed from a merge of two ideas, one was to mention the cave inscription found in Saru Maru that mentions Asoka spending some days there with his lover (presumed to be Devi), the other idea of how if words did not immortalise a lot of battles and achievements, the names of many great men would be lost in time. The prince stood on the edge of the cliff, looking at the horizon. Dawn arrived as the birds started leaving their nests, wings fluttering, eager to discover the world. He looked up at them, the thought of once again going back to exploring the length and breadth of his state making him feel a little restless as he eyed his healing wounds. He was left to die; his enemies wished so. Yet by some miracle of fate, as if his purposes were yet to be fulfilled, here he was ...

Rakhi Tales

A Rakhi to the Enemy: The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long, and time was of the essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even R...

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Journey to Bijolia: Lost Kingdoms and Timeless Temples of Mewar Bijoliya translates to a stop between two cities. Nestled in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, Bijolia sits 55km from Bundi and 105km from Chittorgarh on the well-travelled Bundi-Chittorgarh road. Once part of Mewar, this seemingly sleepy town guards a rich and layered past: it was ruled from the 11th to the 13th century by the Punwars (or Parmar Rajputs) before falling under the Chauhan dynasty, who shifted the region’s capital to Bhilwara and constructed the imposing fort there. After a brief Chauhan rule, Bijolia was reclaimed by Rana Kumbha and became an integral part of the Mewar kingdom, with the Parmars serving as local Raos, representatives and stewards of the royal house. Despite its history and the famed Bijolia inscriptions (a treasure for historians), Bijolia has never found a seat on Rajasthan’s primary tourist circuit, especially if you’re venturing out by public transport or private car. While a handful of...

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“Outrage in Calcutta; Terrorist Raid, British Officer Murdered” Read the headlines of The Times on Tuesday, 9 th of December, 1930 . 1930: A significant year 1930 was a very significant year in the history of India’s Freedom Struggle against the British Raj. The Indian National Congress went ahead to declare the 26 th of January as India’s Independence Day, celebrating it nationwide; the Civil Disobedience Movement was officially started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Subhas Chandra Bose was arrested for participating in the same. On 18 th April, Surya Sen, better known as MasterDa, had done the unthinkable, raiding the British Armoury with his students and fellow teachers at Chittagong. He was still on the loose, yet to be found. In this year of growing protests against the colonisers, an incident emerged that shook the British at their old capital. The Bengal Volunteers Corps was a group of volunteers organised in the 1928 Calcutta session of ...

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In the grand fort of Daulatabad, a princess was born in 1638 to Emperor Aurangzeb and his cherished consort, Dilras Banu Begum. She was christened Zeb Un Nisa, her very name meaning “ornament of womankind.” The youngest of her sisters, Zeb Un Nisa, grew up surrounded by the opulence of the Mughal harem at the Red Fort, under the spiritual guidance of her Sufi uncle Dara Shikoh and her wise aunt Jahanara Begum. From her earliest days, she was captivated by poetry, spending hours immersed in literature, her mind dancing among the verses of Persian and Urdu poets. As she blossomed into adulthood, Zeb Un Nisa cultivated her own literary voice and gathered the greatest poets of the Mughal Empire in her private council. Adopting the pen name Makhfi, the Concealed One, she wove magic with her words, always returning to one intoxicating theme: Love. Her father, Emperor Aurangzeb, was the most powerful man in India, unyielding in his faith and rule, yet also deeply affectionate towards his d...

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