Saraswatichandra by Sameer Acharya

Author:Sameer Acharya
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
Published: 2018-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

22

Kusum’s Independence

Chandrakant arrived at Vidyachatur’s home full of anticipation and anxiety. Would he find his friend there? Was he having an affair with Kumud? Chandrakant would soon learn the truth. Vidyachatur welcomed him into their home and invited him to stay with them. Chandrakant handed him the letter from Buddhidhan. When Vidyachatur read the letter, he nearly fell back in his chair.

‘What happened?’ asked Gunsundari.

‘Pramadhan is dead,’ replied Vidyachatur. Chandrakant was just as shocked as they were, not having read the letter himself.

Everyone mourned Pramadhan’s loss, not knowing if Kumud knew what had happened. Vidyachatur was worried. Kumud had left Suvarnapur before Chandrakant had, and yet he had arrived first. Where was Maanchatur? Where were the bodyguards? What route had they taken and why was it taking them so long?

The mysterious circumstances around Pramadhan’s death were of greater concern for Vidyachatur. Why had he agreed to marry off his daughter without really knowing the kind of man Pramadhan was? Gunsundari had a different fear. Her eyes welled up as she said, ‘Kumud will live out her life as a widow. She will never have children. She will never build a life with someone. How will she survive?’

Vidyachatur tried to comfort her, knowing what she said was true. Life for widows was miserable. Remarriage was out of question, and even though she had been married for a very short time, she was expected to live out her life in Buddhidhan’s home in Suvarnapur, not in her parents’ home in Ratnanagari. Then they began talking about Saraswatichandra, and Chandrakant was impressed by the respect they had for him.

King Maniraj had invited some special guests to discuss the affairs of the kingdom and Vidyachatur asked Chandrakant to join him. After he became the chief minister, Vidyachatur would often spend his days at the king’s palace which seemed to him a combination of Ratnanagari and Bombay. The palace was surrounded by a huge garden with fountains, ponds and trees. Some areas were filled with sand, while others were lush with green grass. There were small caves, hillocks and meadows. This garden which surrounded the palace seemed to have almost everything nature had to offer. And everybody from the king down to the poorest person in the kingdom was invited to enjoy its beauty.

Kusum liked to study and exercise in this garden. Today Sundar went with Kusum so that she could keep an eye on her. There was one particular spot across from a pond where Kusum liked to sit and read. Kusum had Kumud’s good looks, but not her shyness. Kusum oozed with self-confidence and a rebellious spirit. Like Kumud, she was slender and had long hair, but she liked to wear her hair tied up in a bun so that she could play sports.

Gunsundari often worried about Kusum. Kumud was destined for a difficult life. Would Kusum share the same fate? Was their family cursed with bad luck? Sundar often told her, ‘Kusum is childish now, but she will be fine over time. We just need to find a good man who will appreciate her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.