Shweta just stood and stared at the portrait. Speechless. In the room of the biggest palace of Kolkata, she was accompanied by her silence.

The tale starts several years ago. The time, when British raj was at its peak in the colonial state of India. When Rabindranath Tagore and rest of renowned political leaders strictly advocated ‘Swadeshi‘ and ‘Boycott’ all foreign products.

In Kolkata, people were fueled up with this and participated in large numbers. Whole Bengal was burning for revenge. Educated class specially took the path of Radical nationalism. Directly confronting the wicked British officials.

King Arkoprovo and his Queen Ramakuntala were happy. They had four children; three handsome teenage boys and an extremely beautiful girl. There was prosperity in their kingdom. Kolkata flourished a lot under their wise rule.

King did his best to maintain a safe but prestigious distance from the East India Company. Lots of swadeshi factories were established during his reign. The three boys received their education from the best school in Kolkata. As King‘s wife was modernized, it was her earnest heart’s desire that the girl had to be educated. So the little Rinita, better known as Princess Rini received her education through a female special educator. Little Rini proved herself a lot more than her three strong brothers. From her early childhood, Princess Rini showed her sparks. She became very much motivated to join in the movements that included the common intellectual masses of people.

Rini first completed her education and she was the first female to be a college graduate. It was now her time to get married. But fate had woven something else for her.

She had long time fallen into the evil eyes of Mr. Sputsnik, the officer in-charge of the East India company. He paid a high cost to her private maid to bring her into his camp. Manjula, the maid who was filled with greediness, one fine night when the whole palace was asleep, compelled Rini by taking control of her body, through her magical powers and brought her to the ‘sahib‘.

Mr .Sputsnik ripped open Princess’s clothes, touched her lovely body, caressed her finely uplifted breasts. Sucking the black, swollen, pointed nipples like for years, as if he didn’t have intercourse with any other woman!

‘Ahhhh! Today my thirst is just fully quenched.’ He muttered these words to himself. Now he was at the peak of bodily pleasure as he went inside her fully and stayed there for hours, the whole night. Simultaneously, touching and kissing all the angles and curves of her beautiful body.

She couldn’t scream or prevent him from doing such as she was still under the magical spell.

Late in the morning, when everything was over, Mr. Sputsnik had also fled away from there. Tthe spell broke. Rini was really at her wits end, when she saw herself naked and red thumb expressions all over her body. At first, she thought of committing suicide but some inner voice prevented her from doing so.

‘I need to change myself completely.’ This is what she convinced herself with.

Her whole body ached. She looked after her own wounds though it was terribly painful.

After few days, she remained in hiding by silently moving from that area. ‘I can’t even get back to home.’ She thought.

As the non-cooperation movement started, People were gathering in huge crowds to participate there. Rumors had it that recently a female saint had joined this. There were massive killings of English people all over Bengal. Rukmini Sen collected all the people of Bengal together and started fighting for a good cause. In the meantime, she fell in love with an intellectual Bengali revolutionary, Sudhir Maitra. After some months, they were happily married.

King Arkoprava had died recently, leaving the throne over to his youngest son, Anuj, whom he thought to be the most intelligent and able ruler. It was also a long time span since Princess Rini had been lost from the kingdom. Though king Arkoprava tried his best to find his daughter but couldn’t. After some months they thought something bad or worse must have happened to her. Queen Radhakuntala died of internal shock as she loved her daughter the most.

The princes though they were able and had all the qualities for becoming the next heir to the throne but Radhakuntala dearly wanted but she lost hope when finally Rini couldn’t be found. Everyone searched a lot, but with no hope. Maid Manjula was also questioned but she played safe.

‘I don’t know about princess as I suddenly fainted.’ She said. After few days Rini was lost, Manjula also slipped out of the palace and nowhere to be seen after that.

Years passed, the prince as he was aging became more selfish and worse.

‘He doesn’t care about his subjects but himself.’ The people used to say. Saint Rukmini was gaining much reputation by now.

‘We need to be all united to fight against the British.’ This is what she would say to inspire the people. At times, she would act as the spy, secretly making friends with the east India company people and gaining the necessary information.

‘Ma, Sanu is wounded and nearly on the verge of dying!’ A follower came and pleaded in tension.

‘Don’t worry. I am coming, wait.’ She said.

By her tender care and touch, the sick and the wounded were magically cured.

‘Ma, God really bless you.’ They would raise their hands and say.

By this time Rukmini had a daughter. She made sure to make her educated and most importantly to be a decent human being.

There were now all around movements in Bengal and in Kolkata. Fighting, confrontation and murder of top East India people became the order of the day.

This had become more furious when the partition of Bengal was declared!

Rukmini would cover herself up from head to toe and go to attend people of a grieving Bengal. There were only cries to be heard all over! Some crying in pain. Some lamenting in injury. Some howling because of the ‘jealous violent attack’ meted out to them. The situation had become fearful.

As there were majority of people who loved Rukmini and had called her the saint or ma, there were some others who hated her to the power of infinity.

Among the ones who didn’t like her were her own brothers, though they never came to know about her real identity.

One night, in the outskirts of an injurious and lamenting Bengal, there was an urgent call from someone who said to know Rukmini very well!

She was an old woman. Rukmini could instantly know her. Though a person becomes old, the face never completely changes.

She was nearly in her death bed and just muttered. ‘I have something to tell you please…’

As Rukmini did only good to the people, she became animal like with the bad ones. The intelligent thing about it that she would make sure that the culprit got killed but in such a way that she does not become the main criminal!

In the palace of Kolkata, by this time, there were a lot of changes. Anuj as he couldn’t rule properly and became so jealous of his other brother that he made sure that he is sent to solitary confinement for several years!

He ordered his people, ’Just throw him out and see to it that he never has the guts to come back again!’

Kolkata now was really becoming a more ‘blood-stained‘ city. Anuj was growing more harmful than a dictator. Rumor had it that he had become a ‘puppet ruler’ in the hands of the British by giving loads of money and important posts in his kingdom.

‘King Anuj is a traitor...’ The people discussed among themselves. Anuj wasn’t aware of the fact that a silent revolution had started against him and in his own kingdom!

The next day it was a big hullabaloo in the palace! King Anuj was no more. The palace vaidya found out that he was poisoned. He had a son, who was in his teens and instantly made the next king.

Some days after this incident, the long lost trace of Mr. Sputsnik was found by some intelligent person and he was instantly shot dead by some revolutionary people from the upsurge!

The British were meting out all kinds of ways to keep pace with the rising upsurge. Simultaneously the people became more desperate to throw the British out of India. By this time Rukmini’s daughter had also grown up and became the first female lawyer of Bengal. Rukmini instantly made her get married.

‘Now, it’s high time for her to get married. She had accomplished whatever she wanted to accomplish...’ she would tell her well-wishers!

***

Shweta Banerjee, the twenty five year old was always a bit of a revolutionary kind.

‘I don’t know, but I really feel this from inside that for some cases there need to be revolution. Without revolution or protesting, age old things will remain the same.

As she was a travel cum historical journalist, she had to travel extensively in different parts of India and start writing her journals.

She would feel really excited and proud about her job. Though her parents never given her applaud for it and for them, it was a risky one and she is their only daughter.

At times, she would feel all alone by daring to do some things but gradually would regain strength for taking her upcoming tasks.

Whenever there was any incident of violating any rights, she was the first one to go and protest.

She had her best friend Ritika when while talking to her, she would gain her strength and be at ease.

Ritika gave her the mental support to move on.

Ritika, tour‘s guide would often accompany her best friend to unknown parts.

‘Shweta, I am always there to help you.’ Shweta woke up suddenly with a tremendous jerk.

She checked the wall clock. It was correctly twelve a.m.

Who said it? There was no one in her room. Ritika is also not visiting her for a few days. Who could it be?

Shweta is the one not to be scared for anything, but she heard definitely that it was actually a gruff female voice or was it her illusion?

Shweta not brooding over this issue too much, again went off to sleep. By next morning, she got up very late. She didn’t think it worthy to ask her parents as she‘s a hard core realist. But something uncanny still went on inside her.

The next night, it happened again. And for the following nights, she heard the same old gruff female voice. Now she is finally convinced that it was not a hallucination.

Before having a discussion with her parents, she decided to ask Ritika.

‘It’s an inner voice of yours Shweta that is actually want to protect you against the odd ends of this bad world’.

In the next few days, Shweta got summoned by the human rights minister and told not to go in for so much protest, as she protested first against the murder case of a young orphan girl, involving the minister’s son.

The minister was not that dangerous, otherwise it was possible to do anything for him. This was thought by the parents of Shweta and repeatedly they advised her not to meddle in high profile affairs.

Shweta just recalled the gruff voice that she heard some few days.

Shweta as she is a bit introvert types stopped disclosing about her these little secrets even to her parents!

These gruff female voices became all the more prominent whenever she was on the verge of facing any danger. It served as a protection shield for her.

Now the boss had given her a project. She had to write an account of a dilapidated palace near Tollygunge. The boss had chosen her as he found her to be the courageous one. There was one more serious factor about this palace. People had never come here for ages.

It was taken as a government property after India had gained her independence.

Some locals said that it wasn’t at all safe for a young girl like her to investigate about this issue. So, Shweta thought to take Ritika with her on this journey.

Though, it was hardly to be called a journey, as she and palace were not miles apart.

Ritika always loved to be with her best friend when she needed her the most.

Soon they started their investigation. Several iron doors of the palace just could not be opened. The throne of one king Anuj, depicted now in modern times as a barber, butcher and dictator still remained.

Shweta realized that it was not something new that she saw. The big dusted grand pillars, the still saffron and expensive silk covered beds, the grand piano and the very old photo seemed to remind her naturally of the past incidents that this palace was a witness of.

This was exactly she reflected after standing in front of the beautiful age old portrait of king Arkaprovo, his wife, his sons and the beautiful princess Rini!

After the movements, Saint Rukmini was put behind bars. The few rich people accused her of being a spell caster. She passed her remaining days in isolation. Everything was heard from the portrait.

Princess Rini further said, 'You are my descendant so I protected you. Now I am at peace.’

As Shweta heard all this from the portrait, she gained her wits just to find her best friend, Ritika to be nowhere.

‘It was I, who took the attire of Ritika to save you from the dangers.’ Princess Rini’s voice said. Gradually, Shweta just point blankly observed a pure white soul full of fragrance and radiance going inside the portrait.