SAARANG GHATI

CHAPTER 3

GENERAL POV:
Amrita sat across her mother as they argued with each other in loud voices."Beta tu chal mere saath... Teri tabiyat kharab ho rahi hai baar baar yaha aake. Koi zaroorat nahi hai yaha rehne ki. "
"Nahi mom. Mujhe yaha rukna hai. Mujhe jaanna hai."
"Arre kya jaanna hai tujhe?? Maine ji jaana hai suna hai iss Rangpur ke baare mein wahi kaafi hai. Tu meri iklauti aulaad hai Ammy. Tujhe mai yaha nahi chhor sakti."
"Nahi mom. Mujhe jaanna hai ki baar baar dur chale aane ke baad bhi kyun yeh jagah mujhe baar baar kheenchke apne pass la rahi. Pata nahi kyun mujhe aisa lag raha hai ki Kanwar Sa aur Begum Sahiba ki kahani ke kuch panne dab gaye hai. Wahi panne mujhe dhundhne hai. Please mom mujhe yaha rehne dijiye.  Mujhe kych nahi hoga. I promise."
After a lot of convincing her mother finally agreed to let her stay quite reluctantly but on the condition that she will call her thrice daily. Amrita agreed.
That night Amrita willingly went to the outhouse. It felt old & run down today but Amrita knew that it was here only that she will get her answers to all her questions. She sat on a huge rock there waiting for something to happen but nothing did. Amrita frowned. She walked towards the raised platform where the once ornate glittering chair rested now covered in centuries old dust & cobwebs. She touched the handlebar of the chair when suddenly she felt sucked into the vacuum. She found herself standing behind the boulder again. The prince sat infront of her in all her glory. A man came in & bowed infront of him. "Kanwar Sa... Unke baare mein pata chal gaya."
"Haa. Unka naam kya hai?? Kaun hai woh?? Kaha rehti hai??"
"Unka naam Aziza hai. Rangpur mein nayi aayi hai aur yaha pass hi ke Mrittika Bazaar mein rehti hai."
"Mrittika Bazaar??"
"Ji Kanwar Sa.  Nrityangana hai."
The prince smiled. "EKAANT!!" he commanded. The man left him alone. "Nritya karti hai aap?? Iska matlab toh guni hai aap. Jaisa atulaniya roop hai aapka waisa hi avishwaniha hi hoga aapka nritya. Aapse milne ki ichcha toh badhti jaa rahi hamari."
GENERAL POV:
Amrita was talking to the old lady who first told her the story of Kanwar Sa & Begum Sahiba. She asked her, "Kya aapko pata hai Mrittika Bazaar mein Begum Sahiba ka ghar kaha hai??"
Waha jaayegi tu??"
"Ji. Pata nahi kyun mere mann ke andar se aisi awaaz aa rahi ki mujhe waha jaana chahiye."
The old lady looked at her frowning at first & then smiled. "Ussi ghar mein Begum Sahiba aur Kanwar Sa pehli baar mile." Armed with the address, Amrita set out towards the house very eagerly. The house was very easy to find. It was the grandest building of the place, even in broad daylight the place gave off an eerie feeling. Dry leaves carpetted the entrance rustling under her feet. She went inside a room. It was dark & musty but there was a huge lifesize painting of her Begum Sahiba Aziza Bai, a little faded with time but her timeless beauty still shining through. Amrita smiled when a sound of glass crashing came from behind her. She looked & there was a broken mirror. She looked clisely at the mirror when it happened again, she was sucked into their time again. This time she watched Begum Sahiba dance fuidly to the beats of the tabla. Amrita looked on a little more closely towards the window where she saw the prince standing outside the window looking at her Aziza Bai mesmerized. It seemed Begum Sahiba too noticed him as she stopped dancing & went outside. Amrita watched with interest as Kanwar Sa & Begum Sahiba stood facing each other.
"Kaun hai aap?? Yaha kya kar rahe hai??"
"Aap bohot sundar hai..."
"Kya farmaya aapne??"
"Hum keh rahe the bohot sundar nritya karti hai aap."
"Toh isiliye aap hume aise chhupte chhupate dekh rahe the?? Dekhiye hum funkaar hai zaroor par humari aabroo aur izzat dono hai."
"Aap hume galat samajh rahi hai. Hum aapke sammaan ki kshati nahi karna chahte. Hum toh bas aapse dosti karna chahte hai."
"Dosti?? Hum aapse dosti kyun kare?? Aap libaas se toh aala khandaan ke maalum hotey hai toh kyun karna chahte hai humse dosti??"
"Dekhiye hamara maanna hai dosti jaat paat, oonch neech dekh kar nahi hoti. Aap mein itne gunn hai. Hum aapse dosti karna chahte hai. Karengi aap hamse dosti??"