Palaksi~Pranaya-[The spotless Love]

disillusionment from "Asmakam"

Standing alone with the old atechi (old suitcase), wrapped and veiled with a shawl, the silver anklet, the scarlet bangles and the red vermilion were composed for her attire. She even requested her so-called brother to accompany her as she was unrevealed to transportation but he left her on conjunction.

Walking with baby steps, the wrong trepidation occupied her state but the wrong trepidation became worse when the kuli approached her and tried to take her old atechi. She tightened her hand [as she was holding her atechi] and pushed him back while she was pushing back, unintentionally injuring him. She began running in packed conjunction, she tripped, injured, pushed and screamed in that packed station but fortunately, she got on the train.

[24 March-1947]
A day aback

A man, who was wearing a dhoti, which are loincloth wrapped around the waist and legs, his upper body covered with a kurta and a cowboy hat was burdened on his head. He was rendezvoused by Kursi Shah [his old pal]. The man said in hushed tones "Did it happen as I said?" Kursi nodded and gave a paper, the man opened the paper and angrily said but still in a hushed tone "Yeh Kis senik ka aadhar parchi le aya hai, ek Kam bola tha Wo bhi nahin hua tuhjse. Kursi said "Jis bhi senik ka hai, chup chap rahk lo, warna yeha se Jane ka bhul jao."[as he stole the aadhar parchi], In all that, a cop flashed his torch to the place where they were standing. Fortunately, the man ran out of the place but the cop caught Kursi.

Present time

Satrupa shrank back, clutching her atechi tightly, while tears streamed down her face as she fondly reminisced about her chachi and all the memories from her past, particularly of Jhoomtala. Lost in thought, she found herself pondering about a letter, not the one that led to her chachi's passing, but one from the previous year.

The letter came on the threshold when the other members were not present, but Satrupa was lonely there in the house, others were busy with the Holi festival. She didn't know what the letter stated but she knew that letter came with some legal paper, she had not shared it with others because she felt too shy to share it with other

But later on, she forgot.

In all that, a man, Bhagat Raghuvanshi, who was wearing a dhoti, which are loincloth wrapped around the waist and legs, his upper body covered with a kurta and a cowboy hat was burdened on his head frantically came and sat in front of Satrupa [he was the same person who rendezvoused with Kursi Shah]. She consciously sat, veiled properly and tightened her atechi. When Bhagat saw Satrupa, he sank into her eye, his own eyes were paused and fell in love [love at first sight]. Satrupa covered her face with a shawl but he was still troubling her by tripping her leg. Satrupa hid her leg in her saree.

"Look, don't worry, why you are sitting too uncomfortably" She ignored him, and again Bhagat said "I am not a thief, so, put your atechi aside" She moved her shawl upward and again ignored him.

Upon introducing himself, Bhagat glanced at the Aadhar Parchi and greeted her with 'Namaste, I am Bhag... Shukman Raut, an army officer heading to Chitral and You?.' Upon hearing this, she was taken aback as she had never met Shukman before.

Upon being instructed by her Chachi, she promptly veiled herself and stooped to touch his feet. When Bhagat queried her actions and she explained it as a wife's duty, he expressed his surprise and clarified that she had misunderstood the situation as he was not her husband. He further inquired if she was married, to which she affirmed their marriage that took place seven years ago. Despite her apprehension evident in her demeanour during this exchange, she extended some papers towards him.

Upon reading the letter, Bhagat was astonished by the contents which indicated that Shukman Rauat had expressed a desire to divorce her in a letter from last year, requiring only her signature. Additionally, the recent letter received in mid-March stated that Shukman had passed away a couple of months ago. She asked what letter content and further she told him, that she was not educationally conscious.

Throughout the entirety of the journey, they maintained a quiet demeanour and observed each other subtly from the corners of their eyes.

Upon their arrival in Chitral, Bhagat discreetly requested the address by extending his hand, and when they were seated on the bel-gardi, she inquired if he had forgotten his address. He nodded affirmatively.

Upon reaching the stated address location, they saw a huge lock on the door of Rauat's household, they were filled with dismay. Upon asking surrounding people, Bhagat gets to know that Rauat left their house forever.

During that evening, they strolled in the rain together, sharing an umbrella. The sense of isolation facilitated a bond of trust between them. Satrupa inquired about Padma's whereabouts, to which Bhagat (known to her as Shukman) admitted he had no information regarding Padma [Satrupa asked him about his whereabouts for the past seven years, but he deceived her.]. In a roundabout and vague manner, Bhagat inquired about their next destination. Satrupa, overwhelmed with emotion, confided that her brother and sister-in-law had expelled her, and she could not recall her address either. Witnessing Satrupa in distress, Bhagat consoled her and assured her that he would not abandon her prematurely.

In witnessing Satrupa's disappointment, Bhagat falsely stated that he would bring her to visit his relatives residing in Lahore.

In transit, he was experiencing concern and reciting Krishna's name repeatedly. Upon noticing his distress, Satrupa reassured him that Krishna would not let them down. Later, Satrupa expressed her desire to visit Suachala to Bhagat, who initially did not comprehend her request. However, when she subtly gestured with her little finger, he finally caught on.

Upon returning from the Suachala, Satrupa encountered her old and loyal friend Dhairya [who had eloped and got the knot to Abhishek Narayan]. As they embraced each other, they exchanged their experiences and the entire story. However, Satrupa inquired about the baby boy in Dhairya's lap, to which she revealed that he was her son and her husband had passed away. Satrupa returned to her bogie which was twice as far from Dhairya's bogie and Satrupa and Bhagat fell asleep.

Upon opening their eyes, they were met with an inverted view as their bodies were in severe agony, witnessing the collision of the train bogies that caused them to fall to the ground. Bhagat swiftly rose, rushed to Satrupa, lifted her, retrieved a handkerchief, and tended to her wound. Upon discovering that the collided and inverted bogie belonged to Dhairya, Satrupa and Bhagat hurriedly investigated, finding Dhairya's baby boy but Dhairya was missing. They unearthed every possibility of Dhairya's presence but nothing they found and they saw the address of her in-laws which was wrapped in a baby's blanket.

2 April 1947

Once more, they set out on the voyage not towards Lahore but to Indian Punjab.

Satrupa and Bhagat decided to take the baby boy to his grandparents
However, they couldn't make a stop at Lahore's station due to the ongoing communal riots. As a result, they had to stop at Bahawalpur station.

Upon reaching their destination, the travellers gently tapped on the imposing portcullis of Narayan, a formidable structure that loomed before them. Noticing their puzzled expressions, a helpful passerby suggested that they ring the bell attached to the portcullis with vigour. As the travellers followed the advice and the sound of the bell echoed through the courtyard, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Moments later, the heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing a stooped figure framed by the doorway.

The elderly woman who greeted them with a warm smile and kind eyes was none other than Lady Mildred, the steward of Narayan. Her presence exuded an air of authority and wisdom, hinting at the many tales she must have witnessed within the walls of the ancient keep. With a graceful gesture, she invited the travellers inside, where the flickering light of torches illuminated the dim corridor and the promise of hospitality beckoned them forth.

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