ALSphere Foundation
The old, rusty clock came alive. It was two am. He heard it then. It was the unmistakable jingling sound of anklets – the ‘chham chham’ of the tinkling bells as they mounted up the stairs.
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“Dost*, the dreams of the anklets…they keep haunting me. I have to go there.” A perturbed Rishi had informed his childhood friend.
Rishi knew that the land in his dreams was a palace set against the sand dunes of Rajputana*. But which palace was it? A chance meet with his friend, based in Jaipur, solved the puzzle. They zeroed in on Boondi, a town in Rajasthan.
Rishi toured the palaces in the morning. But it was the dilapidated Rani Ki Haveli* which left an imprint on his mind. It was as if he knew the intricate details of the Haveli. A voice in him assured him that this was the spot. As the tourists trickled in and out, he managed to hide himself, carefully camouflaged in the thicket.
The answers to the haunting were in that palace. He lay in stealth, waiting for the moment.
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The anklets traced a pattern – up the staircase, towards the hall, then the court and back to the hall. The pair were soon joined by another and then many more. By then Rishi knew there were many of them.
He slunk out towards the music. To his incredulity, the hall was no longer decrepit. Brightly painted and lit by a thousand chandeliers, it shone in its grandeur. Women danced in gay abandonment. Men clapped, jeered and threw thick wads of notes at them. The courtesans scrambled to snatch them and tuck them in their blouses. In the midst of all this, there was a solitary figure, lost in the rhythm and oblivious of the lure of money.
He blinked. She was no one, but Heerabai, the chief courtesan. All of a sudden the music stopped. Heerabai shrieked. A man dressed in rich robes was pulling her by her hair. Heera looked at him directly. “Save me Kunwar*. Save me from this animal.” Pulling out his sword, he jumped in. A bloodbath ensued. He won. As they were about to escape, a bayonet impaled him. The dying Kunwar saw Heera being taken away. He gave up. Rishi passed out.
***
“E Babu…wake up. What are you doing here?”
A red-eyed, groggy Rishi woke up. Rubbing his eyes he looked around. It was the same hall. But it was a derelict, empty structure.
He looked at her. “Heera…..”
“This is Ratna, Babu.”
“But…you look exactly like her.”
“Babu, you should be grateful that the ghosts left you alive.” Holding him by his arms, she helped him up.
Rishi stood befuddled. Is this reincarnation? Did Heera haunt him to bring him back…to his destiny?
Alas! There were no answers. He chose to follow his heart.
Ratna led the way, supporting Rishi, as they walked side by side. Her anklets created music filling Rishi’s mind and heart. It was bliss.
Glossary
Dost: Friend
Rajputana: The erstwhile kingdom of the Rajputs
Rani Ki Haveli: The abode of the queen
Kunwar: Prince
