THE GYPSY LOVER
EPISODE I
When Swara Ganguly learnt from the receptionist of ‘The Heritage Inn’ that her fiancé was not there to accompany her through the journey from Kolkata to Ajmer she didn’t feel disappointed. Rather, she could feel relief washing over her soul.
It was all wrong. She sensed it from the very beginning. Yet she couldn’t stop it from happening. She was going to marry Sanjay Maheshwari, the sole heir of Maheshwari dynasty for the sake of her family.
Though the Maheshwaris were no longer the ones who ruled the province of Ajmer they still held the privilege of being the royal family by pleasing the British officials. This gave the heir of Maheshwari clan to be a part of the British army and the British officials gave him the title of the commander of their army in Ajmer to exploit his knowledge as a native of the place. Never did the common people of Ajmer were pleased by the reign of British army which was now headed by the youngest Maheshwari. When age old population of Ajmer still boasted to their grandchildren about the valiant resistance exhibited by the former Maheshwaris towards the British rule, the blood of the younger generation boiled in rage by the shameless act of the Maheshwari family of submitting themselves and the people of Ajmer at the feet of ‘firangis’. The lust for power made the Maheshwaris let themselves and their people down before British officials.
While Swara was immersed in her thought she heard the receptionist calling out her name. She looked up for him and found him forwarding the receiver of a telephone from his desk toward her.
“Madam Ganguly, His Highness Maheshwari is waiting for you on the other side”
She held the phone close to her pinna. As soon as Sanjay Maheshwari felt Swara on the line he started off without giving her a chance to offer him a normal greeting.
“So sorry that you should have to travel to the fort alone, darling. But work had come unexpectedly in between, I cannot join you. Once you reach Ajmer* railway station my driver will drive you up to the palace. I long for our meeting…”
That was it. He hung up without letting her talk. This was not what she wanted. She wanted a man who cared for her, who would listen to her, who would let her express herself, who would give some value to her opinions.
She wanted a life, a loving husband. Who would cherish and adore her like she’s the most beautiful and priceless possession in the world. She wanted to feel special in his arms. If this was all that she wanted from her better half then Sanjay is certainly not the one for her. She knew it. She had to set all her dreams and desires aside for the sake of family. For the sake of money.
It was less than 6 months ago that Swara met Sanjay. He had been driving through the residential area of Bishnupur when his car broke down near the Ganguly’s villa. Swara being a very kind and well mannered girl helped him in finding a mechanic. In her simple but elegant salwar suit she looked like the girl who was destined to be his to him. He went back to Ajmer the same day only to return after a week to propose her. Swara was impressed by his charm but not to such an extent to fall in love with him. So her immediate answer to his over sugary proposal was a no. She couldn’t love him. She was also aware of the deal between the Maheshwari’s and British officials. And she loathed their immediate submission. She was born in the land of warriors. She admired the men who fought for their motherland. Even the peasants were showing their indifference to Britsh rule the way they could. The Maheshwaris were the royals. They were bound to protect their motherland and their people. Still they gave up. And she hated that. So she said no to Sanjay Maheshwari.
It was a huge blow for her family. Her family consisted of her uncle, aunty and their two daughters. Swara was only 15 when her parents left her alone in this world. Then, her dad’s brother – Mr. Arnab Ganguly came to her rescue. He adopted her. He always considered her as his own daughter. But her aunt hated her presence in their beautiful home. For her Swara was a innocent looking witch who came to their lives to take away her children’s happiness. Swara’s dad was a businessman. So to provide her with all those luxuries that her father gave her, Arnab started his own business. Everything was going well with them. Arnab sent Swara to Cambridge for pursuing her graduation there. No doubt. Arnab wanted the best for all his three daughters. That’s why even after Swara’s vehement denial he made Swara join Cambridge. He made her understand the pros of the educational system there. When Swara was in Cambridge for her something went wrong with the Ganguly’s. Their Business was destroyed. Even then Arnab never let Swara sense their condition. When Swara came back to Bishnupur, she found all their wealth and possession gone. Sujatha was cursing Swara continuously for the misfortune.
Arnab was facing bankruptcy. Though he didn’t want to force Swara for anything, especially for a life changing decision like marriage, he prevailed upon her to change her mind. Sujatha wanted to fix her daughter’s alliance with Sanjay. But Sanjay was stubborn as a kid and showed no interest in marrying one of the other two girls. Now the only way out for Sujatha was Swara. . Sujatha argued that now it was her turn to help them in return of the mercy they took on her years ago.
Her dedication and love towards her family finally made her accept Sanjay. And now here is she. Standing all alone in the reception of a luxurious hotel managed by British officials. She came from Bishnupur to Kolkata all alone with the hope of meeting her fiancé here. Her family couldn’t accompany her to ajmer to take part in her wedding as her uncle suddenly fell ill. The Heritage Inn. The name of the hotel sounded funny to her. What kind of heritage? It was managed by a group of people who never cared about the Heritage of such a wonderful place.
Her chain of thoughts were broken by the sound of the huge pendulum clock on the wall. 11 am. That’s it. She headed towards the reception once again to make further enquiries about the timing of the train which she was supposed to board.
NOTE: this story was written by Denise Robins in the backdrop of Hungary. For convenience I made some amendments and set the whole story in the back drop of pre independent India. Since I am not that good in history you may find some historical inconsistencies. Pardon me for those. Your comments are really boosters for me. So do comment.
Here in my version of Gypsy lover, Swara is replacing Rina Morrison, Sanjay Maheshawari is replacing Lionel Quest. In the original story Rina belongs to a middle class family settled in Aversham and her parents are not dead. It is on her parent’s insistence that she says yes to Lionel. Your comments will decide the future of this story.
I very well know that I have phir se to update. Day before yesterday I actually typed 3 chapters of phir se and 5 chapters of Gypsy lover. But then all of a sudden my laptop screen went black and I couldn’t do anything. I’m still working on it. I’m not used to type long notes on phone and writing the whole update again was a herculean task for me. My hard work will be fruitful only if I get your feedback. So once again I’m requesting you all to comment. In the next episode our hero and heroine will meet and in the upcoming episodes we will find them getting close to each other.