All the beautiful daughters of Mara by Ashok Aatreya (books to read for 12 year olds .TXT) 📕

close. Shaheen was somewhat nervous then. He held her in his strong arms and pulled her beautiful face closer to him. She could feel his warm breathe. He could see her body tremble with desire. He kissed her lips, gently. His lips brushed hers, causing them to part. His hand went around exploring her body. He caressed her back, then her full breasts For once, she seemed hesitant, and then she gave in. Anand was kissing her deeply. His tongue was rolling in, getting the taste of her sweet breath. He kissed her cheek. Holding her neck tight kissed her passionately. He wrapped her in his arms and squeezed his body on to hers in deep embrace. Sheer bliss!
Anand had been to the place as a child. He surveyed the place. It seemed time had no influence here at all. It was just the same. He got nostalgic. A little after his mother’s death, Vishwa had come back from Kolkatta to spend time with Anand. He remembered how they had come to Kolayat with another family, living opposite their Haveli in a bullock cart. The journey was pretty interesting… old retreated tyres made horrible sounds in each circle on the muddy road and every part of Anand’s body was aching due to jerks, thanks to the potholes on unfinished coal tar road.... For lunch, they stopped over near the famous Shiva temple. Anand remembered having enjoyed Kair sangari pickle brought by the neighbour’s wife. She offered and served with her beautiful slender hands. Her red bangles flashed in his eyes and for that moment he could not resist to see the fallen sari Pallu from her bodice, exposing the full rounded bosoms like landing moons. Her face radiated charm. She noticed Anand looking at her and got a little nervous and to hide it, she clinched her pallu in between her teeth….
That place was a like an oasis…everyone had sweet well water, then they all rested under the banyan trees. …. Anand was thinking about the lady. And then he suddenly became conscious of his surroundings. He was there, at the same place, again but now with another young and irresistible girl. Shaheen. Anand started fantasising about Shaheen. He was excited and conscious with the feeling that Shaheen was so close to him.
Anand took Shaheen’s hand in his and started to read her palm. He scanned through the lines of her palm, specially the love line, soft hairline coming from the mound of mercury, her girdle of Venus and her marital line and below it. But Shaheen’s hands were reddened by henna that he could hardly see any lines. Shaheen told him a story of a tribal girl Laila who belonged to Al Amria, a tribe. That ancient love story was very popular in the Arabic world. Laila fell in love with Qais who was a poet. Qais, to express his feelings for her wrote numerous poems about her beauty. Laila’s father was enraged by this. He saw the reputation of his daughter getting sullied. He did not allow the lovers to marry. Laila was married to another man. Qais, hence went crazy with grief.
Does that love story have any relevance to their lives? Was she trying to say something? thought Anand. He looked in her eyes and Shaheen’s face went red. She looked ever more beautiful.
‘Do you also compose poems like Qais?’ Anand asked her.
‘Shaheen, does this love story have a relevance to us? He also questioned.
‘I don’t know’ but this story is related to my henna …my aunty told me this story few year back but I still remember it and it came to my mind suddenly”…
Anand looked at her in admiration. She had a glowing profile, mixtures of tradition and modern beauty and thoughts. She told him that henna application on the palm is considered to protect from evil. Henna designs have different social and religious motifs in the Islamic and Hindu world. The decorated palms, hands and feet add to the beauty of the one who wear it. Anand observed special pattern of the henna placed in the middle of the palm. It was simple yet impressive. He asked her if that pattern meant anything in particular. She replied, it wards off evil. She also told Anand that she had been learning to apply Henna as per modern Indian designs, accentuating solely the fingers, which appear to be covered with lace.
While reading her palm, Anand told Shaheen yet another interesting story set in the backdrop of Kolayat. That was the story of Kapil Muni, the sage who created an oasis in the desert. He was a great scholar, who propounded the concept of Raj, Tam and Sat and divided mothernature in three parts… Stree or Prakriti, separated from Purush and the Ardhanareeswar, half man and half woman form of lord Shiva.
The mother of Kapil was Devahooti, who was married to one of the sons of Brahma (The creator of Cosmos). She was also the daughter of Manu and Shatrupa. Manu was the originator of human race on earth..
The husband of Devahooti was Kardam who remained absorbed in his penance. His face was glowing and when he opened his eyes after 13 years, he saw a very charming, beautiful graceful lady, offering him a glass of milk...
Kardam asked –‘Who are you, lady?’
‘I am your wife - Devahooti replied.’
‘Oh dear, where were you all the while? Am I married? - asked Kardam.
‘My dear husband you were busy in your penance for last thirteen years and I was waiting for you all these years. You have now opened your lying... please have this fresh glass of milk which I have brought for you.''
‘It’s strange... Thank you for the glass of milk... it’s very sweet... what you want from me- Kardam asked his wife...
‘A son’ - Devhooti very politely replied
‘Oh, you want son from me… so shall you will have one!’
In the next moment, Kardam made a heavenly world for their honeymoon.In the genltle breeze, the fragrance of sandal wood, cooling rays of moon, he embraced his lady; she became a creeper of the age old Aswattha tree. The hot love wind thrilled her existence,the charming spring was dancing in the desert...Devhooti was a real woman of taste for this yogi. She made him agreed for the tender sports.The reverberation of this relationship was magical and Kardam gave Devhooti his son. The son was later known as Kapil. While still in his mother’s womb, Kapil taught her the meaning of life…and gave her the knowledge of religion…
But Anand made this sacred place Kolayat the "Cloister's Pale" of their first love University. Behind the facade of this love building activity lays story of their repeatedly missed bus.

10/AS DAYS PASSED

In the old township of Bikampur inside the fort area, Anand lived under strict discipline. His Nani had nursed in him a deep sense of confidence since the death of his mother. At Nani’s place, Anand initiated his formal education and had supportive hand on life. He learnt about various modes of living, explored a whole new world. During those years, there grew an amazing bond between the two. Everything, imbibed in him was transparent, lovable, inocent and it eliminated all the possibilities of weaknesses in life.
Soon his childhood gave way to adolescent and adolescence to youth. Anand remained, far from his father’s life. Nani spent all her life and energy in Anand‘s care. She had limited social interaction; she chose to stay away from the usual gossip of the locality. One person, she liked to spend time was her colleague at school, Razia a Moslem lady from reputed Mirza family. She would also take him to her class. Ms Razia taught Arts. And she was quite fond of Anand. She gifted him a set of toy table and chairs that she had got made specially made for him, by her students. Jokingly, Ms. Razia would tell Nani that she would marry Anand to a beautiful Moslem girl…
Anand told Shaheen whatever Ms. Razia had told Nani.Reacting on this, Shaheen replied-‘Then why didn’t you marry some other girl? She could have been more beautiful’.
‘Not as beautiful as you…
‘How would you know without meeting some one? Wouldn’t it be better if u married her, huh?
‘You mean that imaginative girl…
‘No, your dream girl…
’‘My dream girl is Shaheen.
‘Don’t lay okie? I know you since we were in school.
…‘And still you doubt me…
‘Anand, sometimes I feel, whatever we are doing is not right.. Shaheen changed the topic. Perhaps she was scared of their relationship.
‘OK, let’s not talk about that. Talk about something else. They continued to talk of ‘something’ else for hour's altogether.

Those were the final examination days and fifteen days preparatory leaves were declared. In this vacation Anand and Shaheen got no opportunity to meet each other but they found the way out. The next day was Saturday and as per their plan they decided to meet at the public park on the way to college. She told her aunt that she was going to college for extra-class but instead of going there, Shaheen went to a nearby lake Gajiner with Anand in the name of 'search of herbs' for their botany practical..... She kept her burqua in her bag and went around the place like a normal Hindu girl. There was something vague going on in her mind.
They wanted to spend the day together, free of inhibitions, full of love. It was a day of liberation for them, to vent out their suppressed emotions. They didn’t seem to care about the taboos of society. The only truth for them was that they needed each other at that point of time. They decided to occupy separate seats of a private bus.
The journey was very short. It took hardly half an hour. Fortunately, nobody in the bus was a known face and the bus was going to kolayat, their destination however was Gajner. Sun was shining through window panes of the bus and it was very hot. Shaheen had covered her face with her long black scarf and only her eyes could be seen through that. She looked like a tourist.
Anand deliberately sat a few seats away, just to avoid any hullabaloos in case they met head on with an acquaintance. He had booked a room for them through a close friend Sampat, who worked for the palace hotel. He had assured them total privacy for some time. Both Anand and Shaheen were impatient; they so wanted to be with each other and were ready to go to any extent in love making.
As they entered the hotel lobby, the two got a little nervous, a little excited. Anand‘s friend received them warmly. He had already arranged a special suite for them. Just in a while, they were all by themselves in their maharaja suite. Shaheen glanced down the big hall. Anand closed the room. He stood there for sometime, quiet and observing Shaheen. The look on Anand face got Shaheen somewhat nervous. And yet at the time, she so wanted him to just seize upon her. But she wouldn’t make the first move. She knew that! On one side, there was a big round shaped bed.. She noticed the side window was half open.
‘The window is open’-She said in whispering voice.
‘I will close that- Anand moved forward and closed the window. By now, Shaheen had surveyed the small changing room. She sat on the sofa and brought out small mirror to see her face.
‘How long we will stay here? Her first question was showing her worries. For that