Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

The air seemed to be charged up in the Northern Zilla, exactly how the residents of that province were feeling at the moment. Located at the foot of a mountain, this was Chandragarh's most fertile land, mostly because of the three rivers which made it the food belt of the entire queendom.     

It was a day of celebration for the zilla and its inhabitants, specifically the householders. The parents were already assembled at the riverfront. The boats couldn't be seen yet, but the sound of the conch shells was audible. This meant that the children would be ashore before the hour ended.     

"How many days would they be here for? I don't even know how much has he grown. Did he eat well there? He was so used to me telling him a story every night. I don't know whether he managed to sleep a wink in the Gurukul* or not", wailed a mother, whose child had gone to the Chandragarh Gurukul for the first time.     

"Can you calm down, woman? Everyone knows that all children must go to the gurukul at the age of nine, so why didn't you prepare yourself and your son ahead of time?" Raghuveer chided her.     

Belavati, his wife, nudged him hard before whispering, "I don't believe it. How can you go around showing-off your nonchalant attitude? A lot of people here still remember your clingy, crying behavior from five years ago when Mrignayani first left for the Gurukul."     

Raghu went red in the face before muttering, "how can you compare that woman's behavior to mine? I was only upset about my child leaving, never was I worried about how would she sleep and survive. I had prepared her well enough."     

"Really! So, it isn't you who stays awake for 2 nights consecutively at the end of every vacation, making ladoos* and mathis* for your daughter, till date?" Bela teased her husband.     

"Oh shit! I forgot to take the vegetables pot off from the simmering stove. I hope they won't be burnt by the time we reach back", he said worriedly.     

She shook her head in exasperation, "don't you start fretting about food again. Ever since I came back home this morning, I couldn't get any peace because of the ruckus you were making in the kitchen. It seemed as if a feast was being prepared."     

"So, who asked you to agree for night duty this week? You could have asked the police station to postpone it. You are the station chief, after all. Do you think that you would manage to spend enough time with Mriga now?" he retorted.     

His wife looked at him with serious eyes, "but it was my turn for the night vigilance. How could I say no? It wouldn't be fair, right?"     

Chandragarh was a prosperous land with population just under six digits. The country had managed to survive and thrive for nearly a century under its matriarchal* rule. There were strict norms and regulations which had been laid down, abdication from which attracted severe penalty. The queendom was based on the motto – 'Equality, Fairness, Evolve, & Embrace'.     

Both men and women were free to make a choice in taking up a professional or being a homemaker, depending upon their skills.     

Since Bela was an amazing swords-woman and good at horse riding, she was employed at Northern Zillas's police station. Raghu had decided to use his science background to improve the small crop plantation which they had behind their house. As a homemaker, he had flexible hours to experiment upon various agricultural techniques. Also, with Mriga gone for most part of the year to the Gurukul, he had much more time on his hands during the past years, which he had used effectively to discover a faster way to grow potatoes. He was currently working on growing two plants simultaneously and effectively on the same patch of land.     

"I can see the flags…oh I can see those boats also now", someone screamed in excitement.     

The kids alighted from the boats. Younger ones were aided and handed over to anxious parents before the more experienced children helped the boatmen set sail back for the capital. The local council members who were also present that evening, handed over few refreshments to the boatmen as a gesture of gratitude for bringing the kids safely and speedily to their families.     

"We will be here on the designated day at the break of dawn. Please ensure that the children are ready in the same uniform on that day," said the last boatman, before departing.     

Since it was downstream from the Northern zilla to the Capital, the near empty boats would make it back before the nightfall.     

"Look at that beautiful uniform. I love how soft and comfortable it feels," exclaimed a mother who was seeing her daughter in the school clothes for the first time.     

"Maa, I can't wait to become eleven years old. Then I would get to wear more colors," the child exclaimed back.     

As per the Gurukul's rules, children from age nine till eleven were allowed to wear only white.     

Colors were assigned to each day for the older kids as per Ayurveda's* directives.     

Mondays – White     

Tuesday – Red     

Wednesday – Green     

Thursday – Yellow     

Friday – Light Blue     

Saturday – Midnight Blue     

Sunday – Pink     

All children wore an angrakha styled shirt which had strings tied on the side of the shirt instead of the center. These were teamed with loose pyjamas. The clothes were weaved from cotton and washed repeatedly making them soft, before being worn by kids. The clothes' style ensured maximum comfort and flexibility whether during studying or exercising.     

*Mathis – Salted small round deep fried snack     

*Laddoos – Yellow round sweets made from gram flour     

*Gurukul – School where faculty and children stay on campus     

*Matriarchal rule – Social unit(country/locality/region) governed by a woman or group of women     

Ayurveda - Science of life as per Indians