Chapter 7: Gandhari Devi
I sighed as three out of four marriage interviews were done. And I didn't like any of them, because of their families. All of them were staunch conservatives, believing in Allah while despising Ram. It didn't really help that they didn't even teach their daughters anything besides basic kindergarten stuff like reading and writing, and they were acting too obedient for kids around 10 yeass of age.
Sigh, gender inequality in Islam and Christianity is really too bad. I wished that there was someone from Kerala region, which is known to be matriarchal society, currently in the process of destruction by missionaries. And that way, it would even help me in forming an Indian Union by allying with Vijaynagar Empire. Afterall, it is much better option than fighting a war. My goal is to establish a strong structure that colonalisation itself becomes impossible.
For now though, I have been spreading racism towards all the White Europeans as cursed people who bring diseases with them. And it's not really a lie. I don't really remember much, but they did wipe out Africa's 80-90% cattle population, and who knows how much of indegenous populations from across the world. India really got lucky that it was the center of global trade for centuries, such that we were more resistant. But I don't even want to think about the Americas.
The drug purge has been coming along nicely, and the police has executed about 90% of the Europeans, who were hell bent on selling drugs.
And I also received a report that one of my men has burnt many tobacco farms in Portugal occupied Goa and started spreading rumours that they are poison, and that they will suck out the ground water and turn the lands into deserts.
So the Europeans became so desparate that they directly sold potatoes, tomoatoes and cocoa from the Americas. Well, most of them went stale, but I got atleast some so that I can start agriculture of those commodities.
Honestly, living without potatoes was very hard. My garden has started sprouting, and soon, I will eat my first potato dish in ten years.
Anyway, today, I was going to meet my last potential marriage candidate. Gandhari Devi, the eldest daughter of a noble of Indore. If I didn't like her as well, I will have to choose amongst the four, because they are the only options I am given.
Well, she is a hindu, so no offence to anyone, they are more flexible and less extreme, generally than Muslims and Christians. Afterall, the ideology of hinduism is to allow everyone to worship any god, even Christian god or Allah, or not any god at all. There are many problems during this time, like caste system, which very much exists in Islam as well, and I don't know much about Christianity.
But there is one problem, that the concept of divorce is too much of a taboo.
Since I am going to enter into Child Marriage, I would like an option to get out of it as well.
I am just slightly hopeful because she isn't from Rajasthan, which keeps their daughters too much repressed, especially the small nobles.
"Shehzade Shah Rukh, Gandhari Devi and her parents are here."
"Bring them to the hall, Sharmila. I am coming in a minute."
Okay, let's not lose hope.
********
After looking at myself in the mirror one last time, I headed to the hall of my mansion.
Gandhari Devi is a 9 year old, eldest sister of a 7 year old sister and 5 year old brother.
"Shehzade Shah Rukh ki jai."
They greeted me as they stood, and I greeted them with a namaste, "Namaste Arjun ji, Anjali ji, and their children Gandhari Devi, Sridevi and Ashok. I welcome you all. Please take a seat."
As they took their seats, I took in their looks. Arjun ji and Anjali ji looked about 34-35 years old, so this means that they had Gandhari when they were about 25-26. That's good then. Atleast they won't force her to have children early.
Gandhari looked like any cute 9 year old kid, curious about everything and eyeing the sweets. Her siblings were the same.
"Arjun ji, there is something I want to ask before we start. Are you really okay with your daughter marrying so young? I am sure that you know that being a princess will be both hard and dangerous for her. People will criticise and try to dictate her every move. And I am not sure if the news has reached you, but I will be going to become the governor of Lahore, and there are chances that I will have to fight with Persians. Are you sure that this will be good for your daughter?"
"Shehzade, I know the risks here. And honestly, I want to stay away from royal family. And no, I don't want her to marry you, atleast not right now."
I was surprised as he said that. Other's didn't show much concern for their daughter, and just said nice words like it's okay, we believe in you, etc. etc.
His family has always been neutral in the war of succession during Jahangir and Shah Jahan's time.
So marrying into the Royal family will mean that they won't be neutral anymore. But since Shah Jahan wants me to become Shikoh's close ally since we both are religiously tolerant, he must have done this to strengthen the power of the Royal family.
"What do you think about it, Gandhari ji?"
"Ehh? It looks fun! And you look good too! I want to become a princess!"
Okay, she's a kid alright.
Well, if she was in school, she will be in 4th-5th grade. So if she is given education, she should atleast know decimals, some geometry, and have good calculation in Maths, atleast.
"So, how much do you know in maths?"
"Well, I know the tables upto 40-"
Shit! Even I don't know that!
"-hmm, yeah, I recently learnt the decimal system, oh, I know some trigonometric ratios as well! Guruji was currently teaching me about tables, charts, averages and all."
Okay, so she is educated. I can't really give her a question paper to test her, that will be rude. But it's much better than those parents who didn't even bother teaching their children about simple stuff like addition and subtraction.
"Now, you can ask me a question as well."
"Who came first? Chicken or egg?"l
Okay, I actually know this.
"Well, it's a paradoxical question. If you are talking about any egg and a chicken, the eggs of animals that came first.
But if the debate is specifically for a common chicken and chicken's egg, then chicken came first. The ancestors of chicken gave out an egg, but due to mutations, the chicken came into the world, and then it gave a chicken egg. But the first chicken itself came from an egg, but not a chicken's egg."
"What's this 'mutation'?"
"Well-"
And I began explaining her evolution and biology that I learnt in class 9th. It wasn't exactly that hard to remember, but I don't know about a kid of 4th-5th grade.
"Wow, you are so smart!"
Yeah nah. I didn't come up with these theories.
But I noticed her mother looking at me suspiciously. Well, maybe she is thinking that I am nuts blabbering about anything to appear smart?
Though a muslim or christian of this time would have declared me blasphemous by the stupid adam & eve bullshit. Humans aren't that special that god will personally create a human. Sure, there may be some sort of energy like chakra driving the evolution, but God won't do it personally, for such a vast universe.
Brahma creating each and every living and non-living thing in every universe is more plausible than that.
Anyway, I will settle for her. She is smart, not repressed like other candidates due to their upbringing.
But about divorce...
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