My name is Tamra!

Chapter 4

Rathore family was sitting in the dining table enjoying breakfast. It was a very big table and if the members of the family wanted to speak, they had to use a phone near them. Mr. Suraj Rathore never wanted any exchange of words or arguments in front of the servants. If they had any difference of opinion, that could be settled afterwards in their private terrace where a lawn was maintained.

Usually, Tamra enjoyed this family dinner together, but this time she had many doubts to ask her grandfather. It's not going to be easy, she knew, for Suraj Rathore was a man of high honor, any silly talk or question from any member of the family, he would simply thrash them with words. For a man of high esteem and society his language was rotten. Tamra pondered over that too. She gathered courage decided to tackle her grandfather later.

"Mihir! Nice alliance for both Tamra and Adhrit have come!" said Dadaji over the common phone. The word put a great pressure on Tamra. She was not prepared to get married. She had not met anyone of her likings. "Tell me about it, Father" replied Mihir Rathore, Tamra's father. As usual Sukanya kept quiet. Her grandmother didn't even bother to look up. For the first time, Tamra saw her grandmother keenly. She was indeed very beautiful, with big eyes. "Why Grandmother had not spoken anything? Even in my childhood, she was aloof and detached. Why?" Tamra thought to herself.

"Um…The Kanwar family Mihir. Even though they are not our equals, they would come up soon. The boy is very ambitious, so I heard. " Suraj Rathore was saying these words and Tamra was distracted. "What about you Adhrit? Is the girl, ok? She had done her MBA from USA, willing to run the business, what else you need?" asked Senior Rathore. "Ok Dadaji! Do what you feel is good for me!" Adhrit answered eating a mouthful of butter chicken. "How can you say like that Adhrit? It's your life! Meet the girl, talk to her, then decide." Tamra said quickly. "Listen Tamra! I let you pursue education, this does not mean you can back talk!" Said Mihir sternly. Tamra was really hurt and felt humiliated. She wanted to run away from that place and hid somewhere. Or yell the place down. But she was not allowed to do so, not in front of the servants. Controlling the angry tears, she went on trying to eat.

Her Grandmother Aditi for the first time, threw a kind glance at Tamra, but before, Suraj could see, she again looked back in her plate. At last, the dinner was over and Mr. Rathore said everyone could leave. With a thank you Tamra raced back to her room and sobbed uncontrollably. She missed a friend, missed love, missed liberty. What was she to do? There was a knock in the door. Tamra pretended as if she was sleeping. But the knock persisted.

"I know you are awake dear! Please open the door. I have something to say to you!" came her mother's voice. "Go away Ma! I don't want to talk about it." Shouted Tamra. The door opened and her mother came inside and sat near the cot. "Listen Tamra! I can understand, getting married could be stressful, but I have made arrangements for you to meet the boy!" said in very lower register. "What? What are you saying Ma? Only Adhrit is getting married? Right?" asked Tamra quickly. Mother remained silent. Tamra remembered Dadaji talking about both alliance for Adhrit and her. She panicked.

"Ma! I am not going to marry any boy Dadaji likes. I will marry a man whom I love. " replied Tamra with rage. Sukanya smiled a pitiful smile, "Don't know who put all these wrong ideas into your head! Marry this Mohan Kanwar, Love automatically will follow. Even if it does not, who needs love for life? Ravishing parties, business meetings, making a billion to 10 billion, apart from these who has time for love?" asked Sukanya. What else to expect from a finance business person? She would start lecturing about loving couple wanting more money, and so on. Sukanya continued. "Listen Tamra! Don't fool yourself with ideas of marrying for love, against the will of your Dadaji. He could even eliminate you, remember that!".

"Who wants his money? I can earn on my own. I will work in a university and can manage myself. Eliminate me it seems…ha!" yelled Tamra. Sukanya looked at her daughter with a sad face. "I didn't mean that elimination Tamra!" With these words she got up and left the room. Tamra sat flabbergasted. What was the meaning of elimination then? Did it mean removal from this world? That was how Uncle Arun was eliminated? But why? Could her Dadaji, Mr. Suraj Rathore be that cruel and inhuman? Many thoughts flooded her mind. She wanted to discuss all these things with someone she could trust. But unfortunately, she had none.

Lying on the comfortable cot, Tamra was thinking deeply. The happenings at the village, the old woman's accusation about her grandfather, made her see Suraj Rathore in a very different light. How could a man from such a tiny village without much of an education or background become rich over a period of 8 years. Not just rich, filthily rich. Where he got the money for initial investment? Who believed him and gave such a huge amount? What happened to that person now? The old woman was saying something about her name. Who was Tamra? Why Dadaji named me after that lady?

When she was thinking about all these, her father called her through the intercom. "Yes Papa!". "Today is Friday, next Wednesday, you are going to be engaged to Mohan Kanwar! Go shopping tomorrow, with your friends, if you have any! Buy whatever you want, diamonds, gold, pearls, dresses. No limit. Enjoy yourself!" even without waiting for an answer, he cut the phone. Again, a surge of anger and humility crept inside her. That was not the time to ponder over the deeds of Suraj Rathore. She was going to get engaged and married to a Mohan Kanwar, she had not even set eyes on. She had to escape. Escape to freedom, love and liberty.

There was a faint knock on the door. Sukanya had always knocked strongly, announcing her arrival as the most important event. But this was very soft. A knock which said, I did not intend to disturb you, but I had to! Sorry! Tamra wondered who that be? Outside her Grandmother Aditi was standing in her silk saree, covering her face even at night. "Dadiji? What…." Without saying anything, Aditi dragged Tamra out of her room and led her into a tiny room adjacent to servant's wing.

"Planning to run away?" this question knocked the senses out of Tamra. "no…but…yes…. Dadiji! Please don't tell anyone. " Begged Tamra. All kinds of fear came to her mind. She dreaded the engagement; she dreaded the wrath of her Dadaji and Papa. "Sh….I am not a traitor. Came to help you dear! Tamra! You are not like these Rathores. Many years back one Tamra tried to escape, I was not able to help her. But now I will help this Tamra to escape." Said Dadiji with vengeance in her eyes. "What? You knew I was named after another Tamra? Who was she Dadiji? What happened to her?" Now it was Dadiji's turn to look flabbergasted.

"You already know Tamra? Who told you?" Dadiji was squeezing her fingers. "Please let go of my fingers Dadiji. It hurts!" said Tamra. "Sorry dear! But who told you?" came the same question. Tamra told her about the village and the burnt house, the old woman. But she withheld the accusation. "You went to Dantla? Your Dadaji knows about it?" asked Dadiji with a bated breath. "No Dadiji! I told him I am going for a village visit near Barmar." Dadiji somewhat subsided.

"Listen Tamra! Never ever set foot on Dantla again. Your Dadaji had done enough harm already. Leave Rajasthan and go to Delhi or Mumbai. " Said Dadiji. Tamra got intrigued by the way Dadiji was talking about Dantla. She simply nodded for everything. "That's like a good girl! Take these money with you child! You may need them. Don't know anything about its value yet. Be careful and let not the thugs of your Dadaji catch you!".

Tamra was really astonished. The timid, never spoken Dadiji was arranging an escape route for her. Why? But why? "Dadiji! There is a secret about you, I think! I am 23 years old Dadiji! All these years you never opened your mouth to voice your opinion. But now…." Stopped Tamra in the fear of hurting the old grandma. She laughed a bitter laugh. "I was never asked any opinion. Leave me out of this Tamra. Concentrate on your escape. Tomorrow your Dadaji is going out of Jaipur to attend a meeting. Collect your bags and walk out of the house as if you are going for shopping. No feeling on your face. Got it?" said Dadiji confidently.

Tamra was astonished. "You have a wicked side Dadiji! I love that! I will do as you say!" she assured. Dadiji stayed there for some time and advised her about the evil ways of the world, how some men are predators and she had to escape from them. Money helped a lot in such situations. But at the same time always keep the pepper spray handy. It was almost mid night. "Dadiji! You have spent a long time with me! Won't Dadaji miss you?" asked Tamra. Again, a bitterness came to her face. "Me and your Dadaji never share a room, Tamra! We have our own rooms, and he never enters mine. "saying this Dadiji retreated to her room.

Tamra needed some time to process all these details. She was proud of her big and wealthy family one day, the next day, many mysteries unfolded before her eyes. She took out a paper from her backpack and started jotting down the incidents in the chronological order. She wrote

1. Going to Dantla, saw a burnt house, when asked about it, they said it was haunted.

2. Suddenly out of the blue an old woman appears and accuses Dadaji of some foul play to certain Tamra.

3. GF brings an alliance for me and brother, and forces to get engaged.

4. Dadiji comes and offers help for me to escape and tells the way to do it.

5. She discloses that, Dadaji and she had never shared a room.

Have all these things connected? Or they are just an edge of an iceberg? She wished someone was there to talk to. Speaking to Adhrit was not going to help in any way. He would advise about the importance of money and the love could be bought with that.

"I have spent 23 years in this palace as a prisoner. Tomorrow I am going to be a free bird. Maybe I will get good friends. May be this journey takes me to my destination. Who knows? But one thing is for sure. I am not going to Mumbai or Delhi. I will go to Dantla. I think I have some work to do there. I have to unravel the history of my family somehow. Why so many secrets?" Deep in thought Tamra without her knowledge fell asleep.

The burnt house in Dantla suddenly got illuminated and there was only one person who saw that. Kamal was walking along the road where the house stood, the next second he saw light inside the house. Suddenly it vanished as it came, again house was in dark now. Dantla was Kamal's village, he had visited many times before, but never had any spooky experience till then. Feeling a bit afraid, he wanted to go near the house and see. But a cold breeze made him remember the warmth of his house, so he went along.

The old woman was watching all these from a distance, with a mysterious smile on her face. "Tamra! Time for your vengeance!" she said to herself. As if like saying Yes, a cold breeze changed into a hot air and blew over the face of the old woman. "Welcome Tamra! Welcome!" said the old woman with a sinister smile.