Chandrakanta - Translation 3

Chapter 1

Narrative 3

It was still daylight. Chandrakanta, Chapla, and Champa were walking in the garden. The sweet fragrance of flowers, mixed with the slow wind, is appealing the mood. Various flowers are blooming. The scenery of luxuriant Mango trees on the west side of the garden and passing through it, the brightness of the rays of setting sun is giving a surreal joy. The furrows of flower bed have been sprayed well, and flower trees are also well washed with water. Somewhere rose, somewhere Juhi (Jasminum Auriculatum), somewhere Bela (Jasmine), somewhere Motia (Jasminum Sambac), every flower bed is bringing their joy in the air. On one side, a high palace next to the garden and on the other hand, beautiful towers are looking exotic. Chapla who is expert in the skill of trickery and a close friend of Chandrakanta, with her playful personality, walking around with Chandrakanta and praising, is giving plucking fragrant flowers and giving them in Chandrakanta's hand but how could Chandrakanta find these things good in front of her longing for Virendra? To cheer her, her friends have forcibly pulled her into the garden.

Chandrakanta's friend Champa, plucking flowers, then went towards Malati^⧪ creeper's bower to make a bunch. But Chandrakanta and Chapla slowly walked to the fountain in the middle and started to see the spectacle of water coming out of its rotating taps.

Chapla - "Don't know where Champa went?"

Chandrakanta - "She must be roaming somewhere."

Chapla - "It has been more than two ghadis since then she is not with us."

Chandrakanta - "See, she is coming."

Chapla - "Right now, there seems to be a difference in her gait."

So Champa came and gave a bunch of flowers in Chandrakanta's hand and said - "Look, what a nice bunch I have made. If Prince Virendra Singh would have been here now, he would have praised my talent and would have given me some reward."

Chandrakanta suddenly got anxious after hearing Virendra Singh's name. The forgotten thing got remembered again, lotus-like face wilted, she started breathing heavily, tears started dripping from her eyes. Slowly slowly, she started saying - "Don't know what the creator has written in my fate? I do not know what sins I have committed in that birth that instead of them, I have been suffering this sorrow? Look, don't know what craze has gotten into father, he says that I will keep Chandrakanta unmarried forever. Alas! How much Virendra's father tried to convince him to get us married, but Kupath Singh, the father of evil Krur, has done some magic on him that nothing works out, and on the other hand, that ruthless Krur wants to show his affection."

Suddenly, Chapla held Chandrakanta's hand and pressed it as if she hinted to remain silent.

Understanding the gesture of Chapla, Chandrakanta fell silent and holding the hand of Chapla, she started walking in the garden, but deliberately dropped her handkerchief at the same place. Moving a little farther, she said to Champa - "Sakhi see, has my handkerchief fallen somewhere near the fountain?"

When Champa went towards the fountain to pick up the handkerchief, Chandrakanta asked Chapla - "Sakhi, why did you stop me suddenly while speaking?"

Chapla said - "My dear friend, I suspect Champa. Her words and glances reveal that she is not the real Champa."

In the meantime, Champa brought the handkerchief and gave it in the hand of Chapla. Chapla asked Champa - "Sakhi, what did I tell you last night, you did that?" Champa said - "No, I forgot." Then Chapla said - "Well, do you remember what I said or did you forget that too?" Champa said, "I remember what you said." Then again, Chapla said, "Well, repeat it to me, so that I can know that you remember."

Instead of answering this, Champa started another point, which convinced that she was not Champa. After saying that I would tell you one thing, Chapla took Champa to one side and after telling some normal things, said - "See Champa, does my ear have any smell? Because there is an earache since yesterday." The fake Champa fell in the trap of Chapla and immediately started sniffing her ears. Chapla cunningly made Champa sniff knockout powder by putting it in her ear, upon smelling which Champa fell unconscious instantly.

Chapla called Chandrakanta and said - "Come, Sakhi, look at the condition of your Champa." Chandrakanta came close and saw Champa lying unconscious and said to Chapla - "Sakhi, lest your thought be deceived, and we have to be embarrassed in front of Chapla later."

"No, it will not happen." Saying this, Chapla took Champa to the fountain loaded on the back and said to Chandrakanta - "You pour water on her face with cupped hands from the fountain, I will wash it." Chandrakanta did the same, and Chapla began to wash her face with a lot of rubbing. In a short time, Champa's appearance changed, and clearly, the face of Nazim came out. Chandrakanta's face turned red with anger, and she said - "Sakhi, how presumptuous he is!"

"See, what will I do now?" Saying this, Chapla then took Nazim on the back, in the corner of the garden, where there was a small cellar under the turret. Bringing the unconscious Nazim inside that, she laid down him and lit a candle from her Aiyyari^✤ wallet. She tied a rope tightly to Nazim's feet and both his hands and took out the lakhlakha^❣ powder from the casket and smelled him, Nazim sneezed and came to his senses and saw himself imprisoned and helpless. Chapla stood up with a whip and started beating.

"Forgive, I did very wrong; now I will never do this; I will not even take the name of this work." Saying this, Nazim started shouting and crying, but when was Chapla going to listen? She whipped and said - "Have patience, even your back's itch would not have been erased yet. Why did you come here? Did you find the air of the garden nice? Did you want to take a walk in the garden? Did you not know that Chapla would also be here? Son of a bitch, you bastard, you did this thing at the behest of your father? See, I will make him happy too." Saying this, she started beating him again, and asked - "Tell me the truth, how did you come here and where did Champa go?"

Nazim had to tell the truth due to fear of being killed. He said - "I had fainted Champa, after spraying knockout drug, I placed a bunch of flowers in her way; after sniffing that she fainted, then I put her in the bower of Malati creepers, and after wearing her clothes and disguising her look I came towards you. See, I said everything, leave me now please."

Chapla said - "Wait, I will free you." But still snapped few more whips until Nazim writhed in pain, then Chapla said to Chandrakanta - "Sakhi, you watch him, I will find and bring Champa, lest he is telling a lie."

Looking for Champa, Chapla reached to Malati creeper and burned the light, started to find her. Saw that Champa is lying unconscious in a bush and there is not even a creeper on her body. Chapla smelled her lakhlakha^❣ and brought her to her senses and asked - "How is the mood, got duped, right?"

Champa said - "How did I know that there will be an Aiyyari^✤ here at this time? There was a bunch of flowers at this place, I picked up, and after sniffing which I fainted, then I don't know what happened. Alas, Alas! Don't know who made me unconscious, took my clothes off too, those clothes were expensive."

Nazim's clothes were lying there, taking few of them, Chapla covered Champa's body and then said, "Come with me, let me show you the person who did this to you," Taking Champa along she came to where Chandrakanta and Nazim were. Pointing towards Nazim, Chapla said, see, he did this good thing to you." Champa got very angry on seeing Nazim's face and said to Chapla - "Sister if you allow, may I take out my anger by snapping few whips on him?"

Chapla said - "Yes, yes, whack this bastard as much as you want." Then what was to wait for, Champa whipped Nazim countless times, even Nazim got frightened and started saying in his mind - "May God curse Krur Singh, who led me to this condition."

Ultimately, Nazim was imprisoned in the same prison, and the three left for the palace. This small garden in which the above-mentioned things happened, adjoining the castle, used to fall towards the palace's backyard and was specially built for Chandrakanta to stroll and enjoy the fresh air. Due to Muslims guards around it, Ahmad and Nazim got a chance to do their work."

^⧪ Native to India, Malati is a big, woody climber which bears masses of fragrant, white, jasmine-like flowers.
^❣ A fragrant liquid mixture of Amber, Kasturi (aromatic turmeric), and Agarwood to bring someone out of consciousness.
^✤ A magical skill of Aiyyars/Aiyyaras.

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