29-06-2021, 09:37 PM
The Zamindar spoke, "Welcome Sher Khan. I'm glad that you came at such a short notice."
Sher Khan replied, "From where I hail, greetings are considered a waste of time Zamindar. You've asked for my service. What shall I have to do?"
The Zamindar in his younger days would have sliced the Pathan into two for his lack of courtesy but now wasn't the time for such petty things.
He spoke in a slightly stern voice, "Very well. Let's talk business Pathan. The Nawab of Banda has set his eyes on my fief. He wants to annex my territory & my estate by hook or crook. Although my army is sizeable in number but I have no able Commander. I want you to be the Commander of my army. The battle between us & Banda will occur in 2 months. They will lead a siege. I want you to defend my Zamindari & destroy the forces of Banda. I will pay any amount you want."
Sher Khan was silent for a moment. He did not like sieges. But he always wanted to experience new things in battle & hence agreed.
"I pledge my loyalty to you Zamindar. I will order my 500 soldiers to arrive here by the day after tomorrow. I will defend your estate & rout the forces of Banda," said Sher Khan with determination in his voice.
The Zamindar after a long time had a feign smile on his face.
He said, "I'm pinning all my faith on you Sher Khan. The fate of my Zamindari now lies in your hand."
Sher Khan replied with fervour, "The word of a Pathan cannot be broken even by ,.', Zamindar! You'll have the Chief Commander of Banda's army lying at your feet. No harm will fall on you, your family or your Zamindari as long as I'm in charge."
The Zamindar replied, "God be with you Sher Khan."
He then directed his guards to escort Sher Khan to his room. Sher Khan saluted the Zamindar & left the room.
Sher Khan was walking with the guards. He ascended to the second floor. He was shown his room. It was a grand room. Turkish carpet laid on the floor, Awadhi tapestries enriched the walls & departed happy vibes, sophisticated Jalis (windows) won his heart & the master bed was the cherry on top.
Sher Khan started changing his clothes. He wore a black kurta & a white dhoti that he had bought in the Bazar of Delhi. He then sat for the evening prayer. After completing the prayer, Sher Khan went towards the Jali & sat there looking outside.
He thought about the position he was in. He had already told the guards who had escorted him to go to the city & inform his soldiers to reach Devipur as soon as possible. A siege was an entirely new thing for Sher Khan. He was determined to see through it & destroy the enemy.
His thoughts were distracted by a melodious voice. Someone was singing. It was a female's voice. What a wonderful song it was! It seemed as if the angels in heaven were themselves singing. It was evening & this mysteriously melodious voice enchanted him.
From what he could gather he reckoned it to be a Bhajan, a religious song of Hindus. From the window he could see the temple atop the fort. Bells were also tolling. The voice was coming from the temple he was sure.
This heart wrenching performance went for quite a long time. Sher Khan got immersed in it. The spell broke when the song stopped. Chants of 'Jai Jai' were heard from the temple. The worship was over it seemed to him.
He hurriedly ran out of his room for the temple. He wanted to see the singer. He wanted to witness the angel who captivated his heart & cast a spell on him.
He was stopped by a band of guards few yards away from the temple. They bluntly told him that the Princess is inside the temple & hence nobody could enter the temple.
Sher Khan got angry but controlled himself from creating a scene. He was standing beside the guards when he saw her.
Sher Khan replied, "From where I hail, greetings are considered a waste of time Zamindar. You've asked for my service. What shall I have to do?"
The Zamindar in his younger days would have sliced the Pathan into two for his lack of courtesy but now wasn't the time for such petty things.
He spoke in a slightly stern voice, "Very well. Let's talk business Pathan. The Nawab of Banda has set his eyes on my fief. He wants to annex my territory & my estate by hook or crook. Although my army is sizeable in number but I have no able Commander. I want you to be the Commander of my army. The battle between us & Banda will occur in 2 months. They will lead a siege. I want you to defend my Zamindari & destroy the forces of Banda. I will pay any amount you want."
Sher Khan was silent for a moment. He did not like sieges. But he always wanted to experience new things in battle & hence agreed.
"I pledge my loyalty to you Zamindar. I will order my 500 soldiers to arrive here by the day after tomorrow. I will defend your estate & rout the forces of Banda," said Sher Khan with determination in his voice.
The Zamindar after a long time had a feign smile on his face.
He said, "I'm pinning all my faith on you Sher Khan. The fate of my Zamindari now lies in your hand."
Sher Khan replied with fervour, "The word of a Pathan cannot be broken even by ,.', Zamindar! You'll have the Chief Commander of Banda's army lying at your feet. No harm will fall on you, your family or your Zamindari as long as I'm in charge."
The Zamindar replied, "God be with you Sher Khan."
He then directed his guards to escort Sher Khan to his room. Sher Khan saluted the Zamindar & left the room.
Sher Khan was walking with the guards. He ascended to the second floor. He was shown his room. It was a grand room. Turkish carpet laid on the floor, Awadhi tapestries enriched the walls & departed happy vibes, sophisticated Jalis (windows) won his heart & the master bed was the cherry on top.
Sher Khan started changing his clothes. He wore a black kurta & a white dhoti that he had bought in the Bazar of Delhi. He then sat for the evening prayer. After completing the prayer, Sher Khan went towards the Jali & sat there looking outside.
He thought about the position he was in. He had already told the guards who had escorted him to go to the city & inform his soldiers to reach Devipur as soon as possible. A siege was an entirely new thing for Sher Khan. He was determined to see through it & destroy the enemy.
His thoughts were distracted by a melodious voice. Someone was singing. It was a female's voice. What a wonderful song it was! It seemed as if the angels in heaven were themselves singing. It was evening & this mysteriously melodious voice enchanted him.
From what he could gather he reckoned it to be a Bhajan, a religious song of Hindus. From the window he could see the temple atop the fort. Bells were also tolling. The voice was coming from the temple he was sure.
This heart wrenching performance went for quite a long time. Sher Khan got immersed in it. The spell broke when the song stopped. Chants of 'Jai Jai' were heard from the temple. The worship was over it seemed to him.
He hurriedly ran out of his room for the temple. He wanted to see the singer. He wanted to witness the angel who captivated his heart & cast a spell on him.
He was stopped by a band of guards few yards away from the temple. They bluntly told him that the Princess is inside the temple & hence nobody could enter the temple.
Sher Khan got angry but controlled himself from creating a scene. He was standing beside the guards when he saw her.
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