Shivaji by Ranjit Desai

Author:Ranjit Desai
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
Published: 2017-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

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I

t had been a month since Raje’s return to Rajgad but he had not recovered fully. The heat, the long journey and the constant anxiety had taken a toll on his health. It had been more than four months since Raje’s escape from Agra. He was feverish every few days. The physicians continued their medicines but it was a recovery. Raje was being briefed daily by Moropant, Annaji, Balaji and Prataprao. Raje was overwhelmed by all the love and affection he received from everyone. The men who had accompanied him to Agra too were returning, and he was apprised of the events in Agra.

Ram Singh’s mansab had been cancelled the day Raje escaped. His jagir had been taken away and he was banned from appearing in the durbar. Raje felt bad that Ram Singh was being punished needlessly. He wondered how sad Mirza Raja would be right now.

It was late afternoon when Raje woke up. Soyarabai sat in one corner of the room, busy with her embroidery work. She looked beautiful, engrossed in her task. Raje continued looking at her for a while. She looked up to meet his gaze. Raje asked, ‘When did you come in, Rani saheb?’

‘A while back, but you seemed to have dozed off.’ She continued, smiling coyly, ‘It seems you are in a good mood today.’

‘Rani saheb, happiness is infectious. You seemed happy; and hence I too am happy!’

‘I had requested you to bring me some attar, the Mughal perfume. But you forgot, didn’t you?’

‘I did.’

‘You could have, if you had tried,’ she added with a sigh and then moved to the door.

‘Remember I got the silk cloth from Surat? But this time was different. Though I did get what the younger queen wanted.’

At that moment Putlabai came to the door. She hesitated seeing the elder queen inside when Raje said, ‘Come in, Putla. You were the cause for a fight just now.’

‘It is each one’s fate,’ Soyarabai said in a resigned tone.

Putlabai was nonplussed and kept standing at the door. Raje said, ‘It was just that Rani saheb had asked me to get her something which I forgot to but I got what you had asked for.’

Putlabai laughed and said, ‘It was nothing. I just told him to bring himself back safely, that’s all.’

Soyarabai could not hide her anger. Her nostrils were flaring and she turned red. She got up picking up her items saying, ‘Anyway, as far as there is someone to do the worrying, why should it bother me?’

Soyarabai left in a huff. Putlabai said, ‘As such, she is against me anyway. You have only added fuel to the fire.’

‘I was just joking. Just ignore her temper.’

Raje adjusted the wick in the lamps and they started burning brightly. He said, ‘Putla, I lost something, and I am troubled because of it.’

‘What?’

‘I forgot the Shiva linga which I used to pray to every day. In the hurry to leave, I forgot to carry that one thing with me.’

At that moment, they heard someone calling, ‘Aba!’

Raje’s face lit up.

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