A month had passed since Urvi had left the ashram,There was no news of anything, Acharya Avanti had promised to inform her about the events at the Kalapini ashram but there was no letter from her and Urvi was getting restless . She had so many questions as she was trying to make sense about the events that took place, which had forced her into hiding.
She was anxious to return to the ashram which was not possible as of now ,as she was not aware of the political situation which was happening outside of the forest she was hiding in.
After escaping the ashram Urvi rode to the village Panchavan, a remote village ,situated among the hills of the Vidarbha. The hills were home to dense forests and the village was just a clearing at the foothills . People who lived there had been associated with the Kalapini ashram in various ways . Some of them were spies who gathered information and sent reports to the ashram as it was necessary for the ashram to keep themselves updated on the political scenario in various kingdoms, and be prepared for changing times.Some them maintained hideouts to help people, who were sympathiser of KALAPINI ,in need to escape and lay low for sometime. Some of them-collected Tadpatra leaves cleaned them and processed them such that they made suitable for writing. The ashram needed a lot of writing material.Many of the villagers gathered medicinal herbs and various products from the forest.All the collected paraphernalia was delivered to the KALAPINI ashram.In turn the ashram took care of the people's needs.
Urvi was hiding in the Devrai of the village. Devrai or Vanrai were protected forests and they were dedicated to the Goddess protecting the village. Entering Devrai was strictly forbidden to all except for the priest who performed puja at the small temple in the midst of the forest dedicated to the goddess Katyayini.
This was the ideal hiding place for Urvi as she was among friends of Kalapini .The villagers took care of her food and clothing.Food and any messages,news was brought by the priest . Having nothing to do ,she had setup a routine for herself so she kept herself fit and disciplined.Getting up at sunrise,bathing near the small stream near the temple, meditating, practicing yoga, archery and sword wielding. Lunch followed the practice. Late afternoon and evening was spent exploring the forest.
One particular hot day, she noticed mangoes while walking through the forest bringing a rush of memories of her long gone past. Every detail of her earlier life flashed in front of her and scenes of her earlier life unfolded in front of her like a drama.
"The earliest memories were of her maternal home , were she was cherished and all her wishes were fulfilled by her parents.Though a poor farmer ,her father made efforts to give her a comfortable life full of love and laughter.She had a rosy complexion and tall stature ,which was common among women of North panchala,situated near the foothills of the mighty Himalayas.Women of their village were sought after for marriage fir their beauty.As was the custom Urvi was married at an early age to a farmer boy from Kothi village near Kampilya. She stayed in her maternal home till puberty and later on her husband would take her to his home to start marital life .Urvi remembered her wedding day with her new clothes ,jewellery and lot of sweets.She remembered playing with her groom ,"Oh! it was such fun".
At sixteen Urvi had matured to a beautiful ,tall damsel and her parent now made preparations to send her to her husband"s home.On an auspicious day her husband, a young man of 22 years had come to take her and her life became miserable from then.The first meeting with her husband was a disaster as he was very short and she was taller than him.She could sense that he was embarrassed and lost all his enthusiasm after seeing her.Men of Panchala kingdom were taught that they were superior to women and looking up to a women hurt my husband"s pride.If he had a choice he would have left me in parent"s home, but social customs made him take me to his house.
Once we reached his village there was a lot of gossip,mocking about our height difference.Villagers who attended the festivities to welcome the daughter in law of the house ridiculed my husband about his small stature.This infuriated my husband and my life became a nightmare from that day onwards.
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The Kalapini Warriors
Historical Fiction"Women have always been considered as the weaker section of the society. They were never given the opportunities to grow and develop equally alongside men." Throughout the history of mankind, it was always the men who were remembered for their knowl...
