The Mother of Yuyutsu

She lived in the Palace in the quarters of the Princess. Yet she had no luxury. She came to the Palace when she was just three years old and stayed there. She was trained by the housekeeping staff since she was five years old. She was of the Princess's age and became her Sakhi and playmate. She helped the princess with her daily chores at an age when she could not do her's properly. She heard at the servant quarters every night from the Queen's Sakhis how they were not supposed to have a life or dream of their own. The Princess's life was theirs ever since they could remember. She sat silently. She blamed no one. Her father had been so poor that he couldn't feed her, and the kind King gave her shelter. She did not remember her family anymore. The Princess was her everything. She was like an elder sister she loved.
The princess married the would-be emperor of the biggest neighbouring country, and as per tradition, she followed her mistress. The husband of the princess was blind and moody. She consoled her princess in her days of sorrow.
" I know this is not what you wanted, Princess. A beautiful person like you should have had a brave warrior as a husband. But my lady, your parents did not have the power to refuse the great warrior Bhishma. He would have ruined Gandhar if we refused his nephew."
" I know that, Sukhada, but my heart does not understand. He thinks I am mocking him with this blindfold, and he does not love me."
" Give him a son, My Lady. Every royal loves a wife who gives him a son. And you have a boon for a hundred from Mahadev."
The Princess was pregnant in a few months. After the younger prince went into exile with his wives, the blind prince became King. Everyone rejoiced that the Queen was pregnant. But this strange pregnancy continued for over a year. Every Kaviraj was called upon, but in vain. The news arrived of the Younger Prince's first child. The Blind King was angry at his wife. His sons can not be kings!
" Send in maid Sukhada at my service." The moody Blind King roared in anger to his guards.
News arrived at the Inner Palace. The king has called upon the Queen's Sakhi. The Queen was in tears. She was scared. She did not want to offend the only person she had by being a pleasure to her husband. But the King's Orders were to be kept.
" What is happening, My Lady? Why has he called upon me tonight when he should have been with his pregnant Queen?" She wept.
" Go fulfil your Master's desire, Sukhada." The Queen's voice was calm and composed.
" But My Lady... I am your Sakhi. I am not the King's slave." Her voice tried to suppress her anger.
" But Sukhada, I am the King's Slave. He is my Master and hence yours." The Queen clearly showed her discontent with this marriage.
She was bathed and dressed with garlands and perfumes and made to take fruits to the king's chambers as per tradition. She was thus forcefully possessed by the king's lust.

The palace was abuzz with the arrival of the hundred Princes and one Princess. But the servant quarters were celebrating the birth of her child, he who was the king's second-born son. Yuyutsu was taken away from her at a tender age, and her protest was in vain. He was a prince. He deserved a prince's luxury and lessons along with his stepbrothers. But the Hundred Princes always mocked him as the Daasi Putra.
"Why am I mocked by my brothers, Mother? Why am I his Son but you, not his Wife??"
Yuyutsu's innocent questions were unanswerable. The world was a cruel place. She hugged him and cried.

The war was near. Yuyutsu was about to make the toughest decision of his life. Should I support the stepbrother who always treated me like a servant for the wrong or the cousins who respected me for Dharma? His decision was easy. He would be an informer. His mother was with him on the right side.
He fought bravely for the Pandavas and was the only surviving bloodline of Dhritarashtra. He was appointed guardian and guide of the future king Parikshit. She, at last, got her deserved honours through him during the rule of the Pandavas. He was the only surviving heir who had the right to help Dhritarashtra cross over to the Vaitarani. She spent all her life being just and honest, yet abused and humiliated by life, but through her son Yuyutsu, she finally got the honour she deserved.

Rakhi Tales

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, of great 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 Raj Singh-Aurangzeb, yet ...

A Veranda Vendetta

“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 sessi...

Bijolia: Her Home

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...

A Journey Called PrAja

Love is a relationship based on trust and understanding. It is also a bond that is made up there. People often ask, "Why them?" I end up telling them some folklore. I end up telling them about how she actually was his shadow in the forests, in bad times. Because love passes all its tests in the worst times when you don't give up on each other. So, here's to My Pratap and His Ajabdeh! Ps. This is about the show Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap on Sony by Contilloe Starring Faisal Khan, Roshni Walia, Sharad Malhotra and Rachana Parulkar. This is NOT their real story. The show aired from 2013 to 2015. Ajabdeh, the simple, strong yet gentle samantputri, was starstruck seeing the down-to-earth Kunwar Pratap, the crown prince of Mewar. She was clueless that he held the key to her heart, her lost mala that destiny had chosen him for. Na na na na na Chan Chan Chan Chan na na na na! A comedy of errors followed, as she threw the pail of water on him, fumbled at his presen...

The Hidden One

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 ...

The Emperor's First Wife

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore, she was fifteen. At the mere age ...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538 - 1597)

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, and Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja. Udai Singh II was the son of Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons and 2 5 wives, apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jalore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir, as her father, Akshayraj Rao, was a friend and ally of his father, Rana Sanga. Saj...

A Chivalrous Emnity

“Ranisa. Hukum” There was a hint of urgency in the maid in waiting’s voice as she rushed to the clearing where the tents were set up. Rani Pur Bai Solanki, the second queen, frowned at her sudden, alarming voice. “Hush, Rama, the children are...” She checked the children’s tent, alarmed. They slept during the day and stayed awake at night, because the forestland was not safe, neither from animals nor the enemies. “Ranisa, forgive me, it's Kunwarsa... He is back... but...” Pur Bai’s face lit up with a smile of hope that didn’t last long. “But?” “What is it? What’s wrong?” The Maharani of Mewar had walked out of her camp, with the other queens in tow. The maid bowed before her. “It’s Kunwarsa.” “He is back?” She frowned. He was not supposed to be back so early until his father reached Dholan. “So is Ranaji.” The maid looked scared. “There is a court called in an emergency. I came to inform you that Ranaji wanted everyone to be present.” “Jija...” Pur Bai could see the tension mountin...

The Idea of Independence

Independence is not merely about a free country, a flag or a democracy or a monarchy as the power seat of a region. It is a feeling and a choice. Entitlement to one’s own opinion and rights. Often, a reason to reform. Independence is about individuality and mass. As we grow up, we often write essays on “My Inspiration.” The word inspiration is, in reality, deeper than we understand at that young age and is more often than not merged with our childhood ideas of an ideal man, an idol, or someone who helps us, namely, our own teachers or parents. Some of the students even mug up essays that tell the tales of the lives of Swami Vivekananda or Mahatma Gandhi. But it takes us years, or even perhaps a lifetime, to be mature enough to know and understand the true meaning of inspiration and idol. When we do, it is then that we choose ones that appeal to our morals, thoughts and souls. I remember Independence Day as a child. Every 15 th of August used to be about our locality dressed up in ...

Mewar: Parting Words

The journey through Mesmerising Mewar ended the night I boarded my train from Udaipur, my heart weighed down by the memories I was leaving behind. As the city lights shimmered in the darkness, I found myself turning back at every chance, reluctant to bid farewell to Mewar, a place that felt less like a travel destination and more like a forgotten home. Sometimes I wonder if my love for the place comes from another life. My parents certainly think so. With the city’s silhouette fading behind me, it felt only right to share my last thoughts: the flavours of the cities, the hills of Aravallis, the moments that made those 15 days feel like a dream, a dream I had dreamt a long time ago, to see his world, through his eyes. His home. I’ll be forever grateful for. The Food: Soul of Mewar Udaipur is a feast in every sense! I dove headfirst into plates brimming with local aloo sabzi, peas cooked with a gentle sweetness, and the signature Rajasthani Churma that seemed to melt away any tra...

A Journey To Discover Life

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