"You are an uncouth dog Khan! Begone from our land. May Allah damn you & your lineage," barked the old man.
Sher Mohammed Khan woke up from the dream. He had reached the village of Devipur, Meerut. He stepped down from the caravan & started walking towards the big fort across the river. It was a magnificent view. The fort belonged to one of the biggest Zamindar of Meerut, Hukum Dev Rathore.
Strolling towards the fort, he pondered about the dream he had a few moments back. It was a recurring dream that had been disturbing him for the last 4 years. It reminded him of his home.
Sher Khan was born to a family of Pathan warlords in Khyber. A handsome, blue eyed, muscular, young man with a long hair and a grey turban wrapped around his head, he was the quintessential free spirited, fiercely emotional Pathan. He could have been the biggest warlord of Khyber, but alas that would never be.
Sher Khan was a rebellious teenager. He was also a womaniser. His conduct already created problems for him & his family. But his fate was sealed when he accidentally killed the Wazir (chief) of his tribe during a massive quarrel. The local Qazi (Judicial Officer) admonished him & ordered him to leave Khyber forever.
He left home in the year 1773. From Khyber, he travelled to Lahore, Punjab. There he got a job as a soldier in the Durrani Army. After serving for a few years & earning enough money & fame, he travelled to Delhi. There he met a band of 50 Pathan warriors. Flocks of the same feather stick together & hence they teamed up. Sher Khan became a mercenary leader & his soldiers increased every year. His fame as an able leader & military strategist spread throughout North Hindustan & he was often hired by different Rajas, Zamindars & Nawabs. His life was action packed. His only regret was that he didn't have a home.
Sher Khan had now reached the fort. It was a massive structure of military genius, he thought.
He said to the guards, "I'm Sher Mohammed Khan. The Zamindar had asked for me. Tell him that I've arrived."
The guards were intimidated by his baritone voice & mighty stature. They followed his orders immediately. One of the guards ran inside. After a few minutes, he came back & told Sher Khan that the Zamindar was waiting for him & had cordially asked him to enter the fort.
Sher Khan entered the fort. It was three storeyed. There was a big Hindu temple on the third storey & the central dome of the fort was influenced by Islamic architecture. Along the entrance was a grand garden blooming with flowers. Sher Khan was getting some real positive vibes. Soon he entered into the royal palace & headed towards the room of the Zamindar.
Hukum Dev Rathore was busy smoking the hookah & reminiscing about his glorious years. He was now an old man. Age had humbled the once arrogant warrior. Life had always been hectic for him. His loyalty changed from the Mughals to the Marathas. Now at the age of 72 he had declared independence & was the biggest Zamindar of entire Meerut. His professional life was full with victories but personal life marred with losses.
He had four children. 3 boys & 1 girl. He lost his eldest son in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. His second son died in the campaign against the Rajputs & his third son succumbed to pneumonia a year ago in 1783. He was survived by his only daughter Pushpavati Bundela. She was a young widow of the Prince of Bundelkhand. Hence life for the old patriarch was full of scars.
He was thinking about the things in his life that went wrong when he heard his guards announcing that Sher Mohammed Khan is outside his room. The Zamindar ordered the guards to send Sher Khan in.
Sher Khan walked into the room. It was dusk. The mood in the room was gloomy. He saw the old Zamindar laying on a Persian mattress & smoking.
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 Allah, 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.
Pushpavati was coming out from the temple. Clad in a velvet saree she resembled the famous angels. She was much grown for a 20 year old woman. But she wasn't old. She was mature. She had raven black hair that kissed her slender curvaceous waist, she had a milky complexion, her face radiated with passion, she had long eye lashes & brown eyes. Her lip resembled the charming petals of lotus. She was the embodiment of charm, elegance & delicacy.
She was an enchantress. She was a seductress. It seemed as if the Goddess herself had came out of the temple. Sher Khan was spellbound by her smell as she passed by. She smelled of sandalwood, rose & honey.
Sher Khan heard one of the guards saying, "Pushpabai sings like the Goddess herself."
He nodded in agreement. Sher Khan was mesmerized by the princess in the twilight. She was the one that had orchestrated such wonderful melody. A flame of desire was kindled in the heart of the sturdy Pathan. The womaniser in him had awaken after a long hibernation. He resolved to seduce the enchantress.
