Friend or Foe?
Jiwa had questions but no one who could answer them. She didn’t want to speak about her doubts to her husband or sister-in-law fearful of their reactions and with Dheerbai present everything could go wrong. She glanced at the clothes and jewellery that had arrived for the evening function. Sangeet and Mehendi were being held in the private zenana for the ladies while the men’s area was set-up outside just like the old times.
“Who are you Ajabde baisa” she wondered, “friend or a foe?”
Pratap sat down as the servent tied his safa for the evening function. He had been called back to get dressed for the event and had sadly bid farewell to his friends with a promise to meet them again the next day at sunrise for a ride. He couldn’t believe that of all the places to find his beloved horses he found them in Bijolia,
“She knew how much they meant to me and hid their presence,” he thought angrily, “I thought you were my friend, Ajabde.”
Jalal’s eyes widened as he read the message, “I have to leave to take care of some stuff. Make sure the function goes on smoothly. I’m counting on you- Ajabde.”
“She’s leaving me in charge of the function, has she lost her mind?” he thought scared of the task that lay ahead of him. If it were just the men he could have handled it but how was he supposed to look after the ladies section when he wasn’t even permitted to enter the zenana during the function. There was only one person who could help him now, he quickly typed the message and prayed that the person would agree to help him out.
Shakti found Jalal waiting for him at the entrance of the west wing. He had been surprised that Jalal reached out to him for help. He wanted to refuse, but Heer and others insisted he help him and gather intel on their enemy. He couldn’t deny her after all this was the time the first time she had requested him to do something, so he agreed.
“Thank you Kunwarsa” Jalal smiled, “for helping me out.”
Shakti nodded his head as they walked out to the venue for the evening function. On the way, Jalal asked him questions about the rituals and traditions of a proper Mewari wedding.
“Why do the men and women celebrate mehendi and sangeet separately?” he asked the prince who took a minute to gather his thoughts.
“Well, the ladies event takes place separately so that they can let loose their hair and enjoy the festivities amongst themselves without any hesitation or fear of being watched by anyone.” He looked at him, “as you know in our culture ladies always wear a veil and keep their face covered in front of men whom they do not know. So it makes sense that they can fully participate and enjoy the festivities without any interference from us men.”
Jalal nodded his head, “Khan baba would tell me tales of the old times and this one seems similar to those tales.”
“May I ask you a question” Shakti looked at Jalal who nodded his head, “Well, why are you helping Ajabde Baisa? I mean who is she to you?”
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