INDI A

SINGAPORE

M A L AY S I A

Notion Press Media Pvt Ltd No. 50, Chettiyar Agaram Main Road, Vanagaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu – 600 095 First Published by Notion Press 2021 Copyright © Mohammed Asim Jaffri 2021 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-68494-685-3 This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

DeDicateD to my loving father

Late Naimul Hasan Sb.

1943 – 2020

Historical or otherwise, this book is a work of fiction� Never have Kings, kingdoms and protagonists mentioned in it dwelled on the face of this planet� Timelines though are real as they impart authenticity to the narrative�

contents

Death By Murder ������������������������������������������������������9 1. From the Memoir of Richard Wilkins .................13 Unbreakable������������������������������������������������������������45 1. The Past .............................................................47 2. The Present .........................................................63 3. The Future ..........................................................70 The Dark Precinct ��������������������������������������������������83 1. The Fragrance .....................................................85 2. Flashback ............................................................94 3. The Other Side .................................................100 4. The Letter .........................................................108 5. The End ...........................................................116 Train to Delhi �������������������������������������������������������123 1. Journey .............................................................125 2. Arrival ...............................................................130 3. The Camp & Beyond .......................................138 Six Petite Tales ������������������������������������������������������143 1. Twice As Much .................................................145 7

Contents

2. The Prayer ........................................................149 3. The Angel .........................................................151 4. The Imposter ....................................................155 5. Gloat ................................................................157 6. The Ventilator...................................................160

8

Death by murDer

It was 1815 A.D. and Lord Francis Rawdon Hastings had spent a tumultuous year in India serving the East India Company. On one side, he was fighting with the Gurkhas of Nepal who being experts in mountain warfare inflicted defeat over defeat on the English Army. While on the other flank were Pindaris, merciless unpaid plunderers whose earnings drew purely from the loot they carried out during invasions. With 30,000 mercenaries they were growing stronger each day; challenging the authority of British Colonies, Muslim Sultanates and Hindu Kingdoms alike. Apart from the Gardi Ka Waqt or “period of unrest”, as this era was referred to by locals, a lot was happening elsewhere across the Indian subcontinent. Post the Charter Act of 1813, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Bengal Residency had been opening missionary schools for teaching English and propagating Christianity amongst Indians as part of their long-term plan. What follows is the memoir of Richard Wilkins, an associate missionary of William Carey of Serampore in Bengal, whose persistent efforts had led to the translation and printing of the Bible in 33 Indian languages and dialects already. Richard Wilkins was given the responsibility of establishing a mission school in the small yet powerful kingdom of Chhattargarh. It stood firm at the intersection between Rajputana in North-West, Maratha State in the south & west and the 11

Death By Murder & Other Short Stories

rapidly expanding British territory spanning from Bengal to beyond Oudh & Agra in the East. Under the rule of Raja Prithvi Ratan Singh, Chhattargarh had flourished more than it had under the rule of his forefathers. It was not because he had a strong and well-trained army under his command but due to the strategic management of relations with the Marathas and the Rajputs that he had mastered with time and experience. The King was however still not sure about the British who had joined his set of neighbors only recently. His twin sons Bhu Ratan and Akash Ratan had inherited qualities like bravery, tactical thinking, combat expertise and planning from their father. With such assistance from his able sons, Prithvi Ratan was a proud father. However, at the same time, he was also a worried king who had to choose the rightful heir to his throne. He could, more than often, observe both trying to compete and outdo each other in the race. ***

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from the memoir of richarD Wilkins

May 13th, 1815 I had been seeking an appointment with his highness Prithvi Ratan Singh, the Raja of Chhattargarh, to discuss the possibility of establishing a school at Ambapur, the capital. Around noon, post the daily darbar, me along with Colonel Edwards from the 3rd Regiment of Bengal Army, were summoned. As we followed the courtier, passing through passages that lead to the main hall, the magnificence of the fort and the palace made me feel inconsequential. The carpets that lined the corridors were so thick and deep that I almost tripped and nearly twisted my ankle twice. My throat was already dry under the awe of what I was currently experiencing. “Control yourself Reverend,” said Edwards softly. He obviously could sense the state of my mind. “It’s not unusual for Englishmen to experience what you are going through while visiting an Indian king for the first time. And let me tell you, what you see here is nothing compared to the seat of the Mughal Empire in Delhi” 13

Death By Murder & Other Short Stories

“Umm…hmm,” I replied looking at him nervously. “If our attempt to convince the King to establish a school is successful, it would be our chance to establish ties with the kingdom and for future inroads,” he murmured. We took a left turn and what befell was beyond my belief. I found myself in a huge hall with a high ceiling held in place over numerous gold-plated pillars with priceless jewels embossed on each one of them. An enormous Bohemian-styled crystal chandelier hung at the center. The roof itself was intricately painted in shades of purple and light green adorned with bold natural patterns across. The Colonel removed his hat and held it under his arm as we paced unilaterally and cautiously towards the high platform that staged a magnificent throne made of gold and studded with uncountable diamonds and rubies. On it, sat a man who would be about 5 feet 10 inches in height as per my estimate, not fair in complexion and rather stout. I must admit that he certainly did not fit my image of an Indian king. He sat there, unmoved and so did all his courtiers. There was complete silence and the absence of any physical movement in the hall except for the rolling eyeballs that tracked us as we moved and halted right below the chandelier. 14

Asim Jaffri

An aged gentleman seated to the left of the King at the foot of the platform stood up slowly, folded his hands and welcomed us. “I am Ghazali, prime minister of his highness, the King of Chhattargarh Sri Prithvi Ratan Singh,” he announced. Turning towards his master and bowing slightly as he spoke his name, he said, “What purpose brings the representatives of the company to our threshold?” Colonel Edwards bent gently and I followed him, then clearing his throat he said, “Greetings and salutations to the mighty King from her majesty, Victoria, the Queen of England and all of the British Estate in India. We bring to you a token of our respect,” he signaled our interpreter, who after the translation, uncovered a large silver plate exposing 10,000 gold coins that we were carrying as a gift for the King. The prime minister looked towards Prithvi Ratan, who waved his hand slightly in acceptance. “Go on Mr. Edwards, reveal to us the purpose of your presence,” said Ghazali. “Your Highness, we’ve come with a proposal that will help subjects of your esteemed kingdom attain superior knowledge of the world, its languages, customs and affairs. It will expose their minds to great learning and development,” said Edwards. “We seek no financial or logistic support from your Highness, but only permission and allotment of land here in Ambapur to establish our school,” he concluded. 15

1815 AD, East India Company is fast encroaching upon monarchies and domains. The kingdom of Chhatargarh however stands strong under the rule of Raja Prithviratan Singh. His leadership and farsightedness have kept the Kingdom protected until one day when he suddenly dies in a freak accident. All hell breaks loose as Chhatargarh spirals into depths of peril. Can its ministers help save the now headless dominion from falling into the hands of the British or being plundered by the Pindaris? A mysterious occurrence catapults Ajit and Anu into an uncharted territory of horrors. With each of them and their young child separated, they have nowhere to go. Can they find their way back or will they perish in their new found phobias? A ruthless criminal murders an old man for money. Little does he know what shall fall upon him due to this heinous crime. Can his conscience break the profanity or will he be entangled in it for life? September 1947, the Indian subcontinent has just been liberated and partitioned, the new situation has proved to be an unimaginable catastrophe for the common people. A family travels from Lahore to Delhi aboard the Frontier Mail experiencing extreme horrors enroute. Will they be able to realise their dream of reaching newfound land or will the perils of partition be too extreme upon them to survive? Six Petite Tales: I. A shopkeeper seeks blessings from a beggar, gets double of what he seeks. II. It’s late and Deepika finds no transport with shadows lurking all around. III. Ayan and Seema alight at a railway station late in the night. IV. Sarla wants her brother to evacuate their ancestral house. V. Like, comment and share...is this all that a social media post generates? VI. Ankur’s father is on life support, a critical medicine is required to keep him alive.

“Your Mind is a Quiver, tongue a bow and words are arrows, use them wisely” Asim Jaffri Asim Jaffri’s maiden book ‘The Store of Stories’ published in 2017 received some great reviews both from readers and reviewers. ‘Death by Murder and other short stories’ is his second book. One can find his short stories, audio books and quotes across various social media platforms. He is known for the unusual and unexpected twists that make each of his stories stand out. Thought provoking and having a message for every reader to carry along, his short stories suit every age and person. He was born and brought up in Kanpur and currently lives in Delhi where he has been working in the field of learning and development. When he is not working or writing he can be found gardening or spending time with family including his pet guinea pigs. Know more about him and his work, just type ‘Asim Jaffri’ on your search engine. Price 199