Today, I shall tell a tale of one fine city of Bengal. Murshidabad, The capital city of Sasanka, the great king of Gouda (comprising the most of Bengal) in the seventh century AD.The Nawab Murshid Quli Khan made Murshidabad the capital city of Sube Bangla, comprising of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The East India Company reigned from here for many years after the Battle of Plassey; Travelers extolled its glory through ages.
I am not here today to describe the chapter of history, but to invoke a true-life tragedy of beautiful Bengali woman.
I visited the place in Jan 2001. There was an ancient monument, artfully crafted in the marble and scripted marvelously to a Michael Angelo delight. The guide scripted a story of a sculptor, who arguably depicted a life of Bengali culture of medieval history of Bengal in the monument of King of Mushidabad.
The creator, Narayana Das was small carpenter living in the village near by. People used to say about him, “What he works, becomes a art of his own”. He was invited to build a monumental piece of work for kingly capital. He was happy in the village with his family. When, he decided not to leave his village, he was forcefully taken to capital by king and lastly; he worked for years there to make complete works on the monument. The king was equally happy to reward him and offered a permanent courtship to king. Das preferred to leave the king court and live with his family and returned to village. He had a beautiful wife and a cute daughter, Moina Das.
Day by day, Physical change with age, made Moina more beautiful girl in the region. She was most beautiful among the villagers at the age of 15. All villagers around her village knew the fact. One day, this fact propagated to King, and instantly, he ordered a raid to village of Narayana Das, and made offer to marry his daughter as the reward of his works.
Narayana Das had no option with him other than to agree to marriage proposal. So, fortunately or unfortunately, she was exported to Kingly house and kept in the monument scripted by her father. She was very happy to see the works of his father around and dream upcoming marriage with the king.
Days were amazing with daily luxury in the beautiful garden, artful gallery of fine works of marble around for beautiful Moina. Day-night shift of music, made life more exiting for the young heart of Moina Das. On the other side, the King was little too busy with the hundreds of other beautiful women brought from different part of his country. Days, were being passed, the marriage day did not come by. Moina, was trapped in the age labyrinths, she had to live in kingly house without her parents, village muddy road, the riverbank where she used to play free with her friends.The story goes on, as told by old man, she became older. As a part of womanly life she was inducted in the band of musical group who used to amuse the courtesan of the king’s durbar. She used to play a Khanjana , small instrument to her credit till her story ended.