The Hope Of Bhonsle

Aditya Bhonsle felt groggy as he woke up, confused. Looking around at his surroundings, he concluded that he was in a carriage. He was very perplexed about how he got here in the first place; all he could remember was hugging his father and crying one moment, and the next moment, he woke up. Thinking about his father, he got a bad feeling welling up in his stomach. He knew that his stubborn old man would do something stupid, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope to see his father when he reached Vijayanagar.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a woman's cry came from somewhere. Aditya quickly recognized the voice of the woman; it was none other than his beloved wife, Harshpreet. Panic gripped him at the thought of something happening to her, so he sprinted toward the voice without a second thought.

He reached the carriage where the voice was coming from, but before he could go in, he was stopped by a maid at the entrance of the carriage.

"I am sorry, Your Highness, but the pains have started for the princess. She is about to give birth, and you can't go in."

Hearing the reason, he became even more nervous than he already was, unable to stand still. He knew he couldn't do anything now as he clenched his fists till it turned red. Restlessly, he paced around the carriage like a madman. In his tension, he even forgot the worry for his father, his thoughts consumed by concern for his wife, Harshpreet, and their child. His tension increased as her screams grew louder and louder.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Uwahaaaaaaaa!"

"Uwahaaaaaaa!"

Finally, after the loudest scream from his wife, the infant's cry was heard. Tears welled up on Aditya's face as he was filled with happiness. He was finally a father.

"The Old man would be so happy right now," he thought, imagining his father doting on his grandchild.

He entered the cabin only to see the most beautiful child in his eyes lying down next to his lovely wife.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! It's a prince, and both the mother and son are safe and healthy," the midwife said as she picked up the infant and handed it to Aditya.

Aditya became emotional as he held his son, feeling a mountain of responsibility as he cradled the new life that he brought into the world in his arms.

The princess, witnessing this touching scene, was also overjoyed. However, remembering the promise she had made to her father-in-law, she took a letter from under the pillow and passed it to Aditya.

Aditya, seeing his wife pass a letter to him, was intrigued. He took the letter from his wife and passed his son into the mother's arms to feed him. When he opened the letter, he was shocked to find that it was from his father.

He couldn't shake the foreboding feeling, considering the dire circumstances the Maratha Kingdom was in. Unfortunately, his worries had proven true as he read the letter.

"Aditya, if you are reading this letter, that means I am already dead. But don't worry; I have lived a prosperous and upright life. My conscience is clear as I pass on to the heavens. Unfortunately, our people will have to endure prolonged torture and suffering as the Maratha Empire is not strong enough to resist the Mughals. I know you wanted me to go to your sister's house, but you have to understand, my son, being a responsible king, I bear the weight of my citizens. So this old fool's life or death is tied to them. But you are different; you have your wife and child to look after. By the time you are reading this letter, maybe my grandchild is already born, but unfortunately, I will not be there to look after them. You bear the responsibility of the last heir of the Bhonsle family. I know that with the help of your brother-in-law, it can rise again. So, a lot of responsibility lies on you, my son. Don't let me and our ancestors down.

And don't blame my daughter for pleading with me to send you away. It was already my plan before she even asked me to send all of you away from the very beginning. So if I learn that you have mistreated my daughter, I will wake up from the dead and break your legs.

Ha ha ha,

Anyway, this is goodbye, my son. I bless you to have a full and fulfilling life."

Reading the letter from his father, Aditya's face went blank as he did not know what to think. Complex emotions of his child's birth and the passing away of his father passed through his mind. He couldn't process the emotions he was feeling properly; it was like a void had been torn open in his heart and the same void was being filled at the same time.

He quietly left the carriage, leaving behind the worried eyes of his wife, to spend some time alone. Sitting by the river, he watched the sunset and the moon rise, tears finally welling up in his eyes as he cried bitterly for a few minutes.

Coming to terms with reality, Aditya remembered the responsibility as the head of the family and as the father of a child. He quickly returned to the carriage to see his son. Gently cradling the head of his newborn, he uttered, "Father is not dead; he is reborn as our child. The child's name will be Rajendra Bhonsle the Second."

Harshpreet, listening to the underlying meaning of the words uttered by her husband, was heartbroken as she burst into tears.

"No, why, why, husband? Father...? I am responsible for this. Please punish me, I am a bad woman, I am, please... " she sobbed as she banged her head with her hands, shattering the bangles on her wrists and causing a few cuts in the process. Seeing her like this, maybe the child also felt sadness as he started crying.

Aditya felt heartbroken again seeing his family in this state. He couldn't bear his wife's suffering as he quickly hugged her and comforted her, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. It's not your fault, not yours. Father already made his choice; he died a great warrior. Don't cry, don't cry."

With that, the Bhonsle family grieved the loss of the backbone of the family. But like an immortal phoenix, hope was born from the ashes of the great Bhonsle family of the Maratha Dynasty with the birth of Rajendra Bhonsle II.