Hamida's Hostage (COMPLETE)

Chapter-3 (Part 1)

In the evening, a gala function was held at the dowager empress’s quarters, which was the finest in the harem. Nauroz evenings were always special. The grandeur of the celebrations were beyond words. With each year, it only got better and more royal.

Poetry, music and dance were the finest enchantments. Wine flooded like fountains, there was a wave of joviality in the atmosphere. People danced and sang their hearts out. A ghazal competition was also held. Nautch girls danced and the finest musicians played their best compositions. Even the superlative of every good there is would fail to describe the gala fest that was held. Servants, queens, concubines, ladies-in-waiting, all dressed up in their best fineries and attires. The entire harem glowed with scintillating jewellery bedecked beautiful women. The royal musicians played the finest ragas and raginis and were rewarded by the empresses magnanimously. Laughter, smiles, music and dance occupied every nook and corner of lavish and huge zenana. No one seemed to get tired, even though the night fell and became darker and more black by the minutes. The stars aided the glistening chandeliers light up the vivifying zenana.

When finally lethargy stroke, every famished individual was served the best dinner ever prepared; lamb in ginger and minced coriander, steamed rice served with spices and shredded chicken, duck meat prepared with eggs and kebabs in herbs and spices flavoured with a pinch of tamarind, mixed vegetables in lemon, garlic and cinnamon, perfectly shaped breads and naans, and finally, kheer with dry fruits and sweetmeats flavoured with rose water to add the icing to the cake. For the Rajput queens, special Rajasthani thalis steaming with daal-baati-churma a combination of dal and baked wheat cakes, rice decorated with saffron, sugar and dry fruits, mangodi dumpling curry and for dessert, the obvious ghevar, round cakes of white flour sweetened by syrup were lavishly prepared. That night, wine flowed, food flowed, festivity flowed, and so did eulogy.

After completely satiating themselves of food, the tired toes with tinkling payals went back to their quarters, not wasting a single minute only to sacrifice a portion of the much needed sleep.

Hamida was feeding Marah some kheer in her quarters. She looked like a Goddess that night. While everyone that night wore heavy dresses with shimmering sequins and bright colours, Hamida chose to keep it simple. She was never too excited about glittering jewellery and glowing fineries. She boasted a non-white sharara with a blue blouse. Her diaphanous dupatta plus veil covered her thick, black, flowing hair. She did not tie her hair that night, rather, she set beautiful and fragrant parijat, ketaki and juhi flowers which were in full bloom. For accessories, she she simply chosea pair of pearls for her ears and a learn string for the neckline. her hands tinkled with a set of 6 glass bangles on each. her eyes were deepened with kohl and her full lips were colouredbwith soft carmine. For an embellishment, she beautified her fur like soft feet with her mother's payal, the one her mother gave her on her 10th birthday. Although dressed simply, she stole the most glances and received the biggest compliments. Hamida looked like an angel from above

"Marah! Come here, you naughty little one! I'll catch you!" Hamida laughed and ran after Marah, who was frolicking around in the small room.
"Ammi cannot catch me!" Marah teased her mother. "You little ball of mischief! If you don't eat your kheer I will feed it to the rats!" Hamida pouted at Marah. "Come to ammi, baby." Marah took a bite from the silver spoon and smiled.

"Hello, Hamida!" Bahar begum smiled and entered Hamida's chamber. "Why not asleep yet, you both? It's so late! Everyone has retired to their quarters."
"Hello, Bahar aapa! Please take a seat. I was feeding Marah some kheer and look at this one, she never gets tired while my feet are about to fall off!"
The plump woman laughed heartily. "She's three, Hamida" she pulled Marah's cheeks. "Do children ever get tired?"
Hamida nodded in agreement.

Bahar was a much senior member of the harem than her, brought at the age of 14. Hamida called her Aapa, meaning elder sister. She was so far Hamida's closest friend and confidante. They talked about anything and everything under the sun. If she had survived in the harem so far, it was all owed to Bahar. She advised Hamida whenever she needed one and loved her daughter like she was her own. Marah although much younger, played with Bahar's daughter in the daylight, Nusrat. The four of them always sticked to each other.

I hope I could create a picture of the grand fest in your minds! Since this chapter was too long, I decided to break it in two parts. The second part is going to be.. well...
Happy reading again!
-S