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Early morning saw Sajja Bai ji as well as Rani Meera at the Jag mandir praying for the children’s success. They both offered their puja thaal to the pandit ji and as soon as their prayers were over they rushed back to the hotel. As they were in a hurry they were not able to see the girl who kneeled in front of the Lord her eyes closed, hands folded as she prayed ,

“May the best person win the project and I hope Heer and Pratap do amazingly well. Heer ko thoda zyaada dhyaan dena bhagwaan ji- meri behen ka pehla major presentation hai” she smiled as she recalled Heer’s smiling face.

Heer stood all ready for the presentation, dressed in a royal blue saree and pearl set with the royal brooch of her family as an heirloom she looked every bit the Rajkumari she was, she could feel her heart throb in her veins. Today was a very important day not only for her but also for her family, she could not fail today.

Heer her mother’s voice called out as she walked in with her father following behind, “Prasad lijiye” as she did her aarti.

Her father smiled, “border par nahi bhej rahe hain hum Heer ko Ranisa” he teased his wife who looked at him, “Border se bhi zyaada dangerous jagah jaa rahi hain”, she did nazar uttaran for her daughter

“Aaj ka result jo bhi ho Heer, remember aapne humaara sar uccha kiya hai. WE are very proud of you.” Heer hugged her mother first then her father who echoed his wife’s sentiments as well.

“I’m proud of you beta. Aapke saare ancestors bhi aaj proud honge ki unki beti ne itne bade project ke final contenders mein Solankhini family ka name pauchaaya.”

As they walked out one of the servers approached them with a dahi shakar as well as a hand written note.

“Hukum, yeh Rajkumari Heer baisa ke liye hai” he said looking at Raja Hemant who nodded his head. His wife asked, “kisne bheja hai yeh?”

The server’s response had them smiling, “Ranisa yeh Ajabde Baisa ne bhijwaaya hai and order diye hain ki aap humaare saamne dahi sakar Rajkumari ji ko khila dein. Aaj unka bahut important presentation hai”

Rani Meera smiled, “Chaliye Heer apni jija ki baat maan lijiye” she fed her the dahi sakar and Heer like a kid on Christmas morning opened Ajabde’s letter to her

Meri pyaari Heer

Today is a very important day tumhaare liye. This presentation is a very important thing and I know you are carrying a huge burden on your shoulders just remember ki tum Rajkumari Heer Kanwar Solankhini ho who is one of the most loved girl and a Rajputani. Aaj give your best, presentation ko apna banake dena- aaj koi bandish nahi hai tum par. I want you to be the business woman you are Rajkumari sa.

I’m praying for your victory and hamesha yaad rakhna tumhaari Jija is always there for you. Agar darr lage toh bas apne Daata ke taraf dekhna- saare darr bhaag jaayenge

Tumhaari Ajabde Jija.

With a new boost of confidence Heer walked towards the Swaroop Sagar boardroom where she was about to give the best presentation of her life.

Rani Sajja ran from one room to the other making sure both her sons had everything they required. She was a jittery mother whose sons were about to appear for their Maths board exam. The boys came out dressed looking every bit of the young men they were she smiled as she saw them dressed formally – they took her blessings as she handed them the Prasad. The server approached them as well

“Ma’am Ajabde baisa ne bhijwaaya hai- dahi sakar” making all three stare at the server with surprise clearly visible on their faces

Sajja Baisa smiled as she gave both the boys a spoon full of dahi sakar and followed her sons to the boardroom. She was going to sit with Rani Meera and watch the presentations with her- as there were only 3 major presentations followed by discussions on the many ways other businesses could collaborate with them over the project and then the press conference. She sat by Rani Meera and looked at Heer who looked confident and ready. Sajja Bai smiled as both the ladies whispered, “Ajabde Baisa”

The Rathores took their place with Rao Maldev in the front with Jhalim Singh following behind him with the rest of the family falling behind. The Sisodias were also in presence as Udai Singh wanted to contribute to the project and it was one of the ways he could see his sons even if from a distance. The Rathores were first to present followed by the Solankhini and then the Songara group.

The jury sat in the front with mikes and stationary tidily kept on the table with their name cards in the front. The projector was set-up on the left of the room with space left for the person to move around, the projector’s remote was placed in the front with spare kept as back-up. Jhalim Singh looked at the crowd his eyes resting on the trio sitting in the front- Kunwar Pratap Singh Songara, his younger brother Shakti Singh Songara and his fiance Heer Kanwar Solankhini. He had to admit the Songara heir was quite good in his work and he was only competitor they would face because Heer Kanwar Solankhini was a newbie and had no idea what she had gotten herself into- her place was at home taking care of the kitchen and babies and not in the boardroom. He never understood why his own sister Phool Kanwar was involved in business decisions but he never questioned his elders only did as asked of him and once the Rathores were declared as the winner he would make sure he was the sole head of the project and that Jagmal could go and fall in some ditch.

The presentation began with Jhalim Singh full of himself went on a self-praising monologue of the Rathores and their background. Ajabde was watching it from the Udai Singh boardroom and her eyes widened listening to the man

“Yeh Jhalim Singh is so full of himself, he feels ki surname mein Rathore hi kaafi hai” she looked at the jury who did not show any emotion on their face but her gaze landed on her father and she knew he was bored.

Everyone clapped with the end of the presentation and Jhalim Singh walked back making way for Heer. Ajabde closed her eyes as she uttered a prayer for the girl who had become her younger sister. Heer looked at the crowd her heart beating way too fast for her liking and then remembered her Jija’s words, she looked at her parents, Manjhali Maa, Shakti and Dadabhai who gave her a thumbs up and began.

“Honourable jury members

The Historical Tourist Destination Project is a golden opportunity for the State and for us to leave a mark upon the globe. We come from a rich traditional and cultural background where our ancestors fought invaders and protected our motherland. We belong to the land of Maharani Padmawati who symbolises the strength we have within us. We want to promote not only the famous places that were mentioned earlier. I want to mention here, significant lesser places like Chavand, Kelwa, Bhilwara which leave their mark in history. Developing them as tourism destinations will help the locals there with there livelihood. Before me Mr Rathore made a really good point talking about the financial influx this project would bring into the state. We, The Solankhini group wishes to have that influx of wealth reach the common man- the man who toils day after day on the dry earth and makes it fertile, the ladies who sew and make some of the most renowned handicrafts that people from around the globe take home as décor. As my mentor my Daata told me

For us what matters is the effect it will have on the common people living here and how we can help them in the most effective way”

The jury looks impressed Ajabde thought as she wiped a tear that fell from her eyes. Her little sister was doing a fabulous job as she walked everyone through their presentation. The Solankhini’s had focused on the handicrafts as well as the different festivals one could promote to generate tourism even during the off-seasons. Everyone was stunned that the jury asked questions from her and not the Rathores. Heer gave them all the answers impressing them with her knowledge.

Raja Hemant Solankhini looked proudly as a father and teacher as everyone clapped for Heer at the end of the presentation. She had everyone glued to the presentation throughout and focused on their main topics. He was a very proud father today.

“Well done you made all of us proud” Pratap hugged Heer as she sat by her father. Shakti had done the set-up as Pratap walked to him; both the brothers were going to do the presentation together. Rawatji and Jaimal ji both were waiting for this very moment- to see late Maharanisa Jaiwanta Bai’s sons in actions. Rawatji had kept a tab on the boys and he was well aware of the personal issues they had gone through but today as he saw Pratap he realised he was seeing the old Pratap back.

Raoji nodded his head for them to begin but Pratap looked at the jury then at the audience- his Manjhali Maa, Heer and her parents and then at his brother. He shut the MacBook down earning gasps from everyone, Shakti knew his brother was a one man army about take everyone down so sat down, Rawatji smiled, his Pratap was about to impress them. Ajabde stared at Pratap’s antics eyes wide open.

Kharus what are you doing? She thought as she kept on mumbling soft prayers for his success

“I know everyone must be surprised” Pratap began “on why I closed my MacBook as the presentation is in there but let’s be all very honest- most of our presentations are similar especially in the financial section. We know that this project will bring in development and financial help. So the question we need to ask ourselves is why is this project so important?” He stopped at the pin drop silence.

“The very name says it, Historical Tourist Destination project. We are going to promote our state as not just any tourist destination but the place where history lives, the state in whose air one breathes the numerous folktales that talk of our brave Rajputana, of the brave warriors who laid down their lives, of the women who chose to jump in the sacred fire than surrender to the enemies. “

The jury especially Rao Ramrakh leaned in to listen to the young man in front of him whose views matched those of his daughter,

Pratap had everyone’s attention including the girl, who sat admiring him as he spoke,

“Meri Ranimaa would always tell me

Kya hai Hindustan ka Itihas Rajputo ke bina,

Aur kya hoga Rajasthan ka itihas Mewar Bina?”

“This project is our golden opportunity to share with the world the rich heritage we have been blessed with. Our past has laid the foundation for our present and we have the responsibility as Rajputs to make our future- to uphold all the traditions, pride, dignity and honour we have received from our ancestors.”

For 2minutes there was silence but it was Rawatji along with Jaimal ji and Raoji who stood up and clapped followed by everyone else. Rani Sajja Bai ji smiled as she saw her sons greet everyone with polite smiles. She was proud of both her sons as well as the daughter who made her head held high today. Everyone proceeded to the lawns for the break as after the break the winner would be announced. She walked out with her family and loved ones happy and not at all worried about the decision- in her eyes her children had won.