Antara was asked to elaborate on Rewa.
Antara saw a 'white tiger', for the first time, in May 1990.
They had been visiting Puri, Orissa. Ajit, his wife and daughters. Bimal with his wife and daughter, so seven of them.
They had gone to a forestry reserve, when it started raining, furiously, there was no shelter along the pathways, the occasional shed crowded with huddling tourists. Antara's group of seven kept walking in that torrential rain, clothes drenched, when someone shouted, "There's the 'white tiger', it was retreating into its cave because of the rain".
And so it was, they had taken photographs of that 'white tiger', its face no longer visible, as well.
These anecdotes were not the property of any Benioff or former Time magazine journalist.
Two months later, Antara went for the Maggi Quiz contest, in July 1990.
Antara's school was the champion of that inter-school quiz contest, Antara's efforts were considered crucial for that triumph, all her teammates had acknowledged it, Antara didn't know about Rewa or Bhopal.
A few days after that Maggi Quiz Contest, a classmate (Noida) came up to Antara and said, "I was being given a hard time, I've been scolded by my mother and elder brother because of you and your quiz contest."
For the remainder of their school years (another five years or so), Noida hardly talked to Antara again.
If SIMEX and jaundice info came to Noida after school was over, Antara didn't understand the implications of "mother" or "elder brother".
Recently, it was suggested that Bhopal was probably responsible, given it had wanted the accession to go another way, its Nawab had married into the Afghan Durrani royalty, in Peshawar in 1925, a Sadozai at that.
Antara didn't like being included on the Sadozai side, she had not been consulted but every time she placed her fair arm next to the tanned one of her father, Ajit would say, "Tumi to Sado, khub Sado" and then he'd run away. (You were Sado, weren't you?)
For example, the Balochi Bugtis had changed sides in recent decades and joined the Sadozais, Antara knew one of the Balochis from ACJ, he didn't stay in touch with her for Sadozai cause?
What a waste, the Great Game Politics!
Ajit expressed fondness for Bhopal's eldest daughter, Surayya was his favourite in Bollywood, Bhopal's princess was called Suraya Jah, Nawab Gowhar-i-Taj Abida Sultan.
They had traipsed around quite a bit around the Taj Mahal in Agra, Ajit and Anjali, back in 1969.
Even Asansol AG and the sibling's family seemed to have been well-treated.
The former seemed to have been close to Sikander Saulat Sajida Sultan, the second daughter who had succeeded Bhopal's Nawab, and had married into the Pataudi clan.
The sibling's side was probably with Nawabzadi Qamar-i-Taj Dulhan Rabia.
Antara supposedly got the Bhopal Nawab's second marriage, to a local woman. Antara remembered watching a television programme about Bhopali Muslims, elaborate breakfast taken while seated on the bed, a multitude of meat dishes.
Thus, Antara ended up with Farzana's side, so she was forced out of the Great Game, who made that decision?
For years, after 1990, a classmate would walk up to Antara and say, "It was the duty of every dutiful girl to...", one could make up the rest of the sentence, it began the same way.
Farz. Duty.
One could guess why Antara was out of the Great Game? Which marriage between a Bengali man and a supposed banking heiress of the West had led to the debacle? Why no one wanted to know Antara ever again, not part of the Great Game since 1990?
Feb 1990: Important marriage.
May 1990: Rewa and 'white tiger'.
July 1990: Maggi Quiz.
It could have gone so different for Netaji Bose and his years spent in Nazi Germany.
Afsos!
Regrets!
Neither the Pentagon nor the Great Game aficionados would ever find out what happened in Afghanistan, 2001 onwards.
Let the relatives and the former batchmates preserve their Bhopali traditions with secrecy.
Or with the West Bengal Govt.
May 25, 2026.
****
No comments:
Post a Comment