THE IGNORED PRINCESS

CHAPTER 16

PAST IS CONTINUING 

PLACE: INDRAPRASHTHA PALACE

 After 6 years...

     Its been 6 years since the birth of the twins.  Shrutakarma was cherished by others along with his other siblings.  Arjun loves him a lot as he is his first born.  Draupadi pampers him with lots of loves.  Shrutakarma was pampered with lots of love and gifts.  If he points at anything that will be his.  But he was not a spoilt brat.  He knows when to throw tantrum and act wise. 

     But the same thing cannot be said to Saagnika.  She is ignored by everyone except her siblings.  Even they also sometimes keep distance from her.  No one was around her to make her happy or was there when she got hurt.  She gets love from her parents but not like her other siblings.  When her other siblings throw tantrums, elders will endure it and play along with them.  But when she does it, they snap at her and get annoyed at her.  On her birthday also, she doesn't get gifts that much compared to her siblings.  Her siblings gets gift what they love but she gets gift for name sake.  They don't even ask whether she loved it or not. Sometimes, they even shout at her.  Saagnika didn't enjoy her childhood like others.  She was little matured more than her age.

   Saagnika is left in the care of the maids mostly.  Her father, Arjun, scolds her even if she does a small mistake.  He doesn't spend time with her.  Her mother, Draupadi cares about her but shows partiality.  Her other 4 fathers are always busy when it comes to her.  Her another mother Subhadra always scolds her for not being perfect.  Her another mother, Mandhagini, Arjun's 5th and last wife, always taunts her and hurts her verbally very much.   Kunti doesn't even care about her.

    One day during dinner time, Yudhishthir announced "Vasudev Krishna is coming to Indraprashtha tomorrow."  Everyone in the hall became happy hearing about the arrival of Krishna.  But there was one person who became scared at his arrival.  It was none other than Saagnika.  She was thinking about the incident which took place 2 years ago.  

2 years ago,

      Krishna came to Indraprashtha. This is was the first time Saagnika saw him. He looked so divine. Her every siblings were introduced to him. As usual they left out her.  Saagnika stood there dumbfounded when she was not introduced by her parents.  Seeing this Krishna smiled sadly and thought of going towards her.  His thoughts came to halt when he sensed a pull in his dhoti.  When he turned down, he saw Saagnika smiling at him.  She waved at him and told to bent down a little by her hands. 

      He bent till her height and raised his eyebrow mischeviously to continue what she wants to say.  "Pranipat Mamashree, I am Saagnika.  Daughter of Arjun and Draupadi.  Younger twin of Shrutakarma.  I welcome you to Indraprashtha." said Saagnika cutely with a wide smile and gave him a lotus.  Jagatpita was amused at how she didn't wait for others to introduce her and introduced herself.  Krishna smiled and picked up her in his arms.  "Thank you, Pari for welcoming me and giving me this lotus." said Krishna and kissed her cheeks.  Saagnika giggled and everyone went inside.

     It was dinner time, when Saagnika was moving towards dining hall.  She saw her father's room open widely and her eyes caught the father's bow, Gandhiv.  She remembered that before some days, her father was beaming happily when her brother Shrutakarma lifted the Gandhiv a little bit.  He stated how proud he was to tell that he is his son.  She moved towards the bow and paid respect to it.  Saagnika kept her hand and lifted it.   She jumped in joy that her father will praise her for it now.  She took the bow and ran towards the dining hall to show this to her father.

     She went to dining hall and saw her father talking to her Mamashree.  Saagnika yelled "Pitashree, see this.  I am able to lift it."  Everyone turned towards her and gasped at what they saw in her hand.  She looked at her father expecting to see pride in his eyes but what she saw was her angry eyes.  He took long strides towards her and snatched the Gandhiv forcefully.  Due to the force, Saagnika stumbled little.  She saw him with some fear in her eyes.  

     Arjun shouted "How dare you touch it without my punishment?  Do you know how important it is to me?  Why can't you just be silent for sometime?  Always upto something.  You always make me annoyed with your acts.  I just hate you a lot."  Arjun didn't know how much his words accepted that small heart.  Saagnika bowed her head and took all the yellings silently.  She was shedding tears silently.  Draupadi said "Why are you like this Saagnika?  Why can't you just leave us to have happy time for some minutes.  Why are you annoying your father like this?  Get out from here"

     Saagnika nodded and silently went out.  Krishna saw everything and smiled painfully.  When Saagnika went out, Krishna said he will move to Dwarka tomorrow as there is some urgent issues he have to look after and doesn't like to have dinner.  He went out of the dining hall and went to Saagnika's chamber.  He moved inside her chamber and saw she was sleeping after crying hysterically.  He kissed her forehead and went out of the chamber.  

     Saagnika came out of her thought when Draupadi turned towards Saagnika and said "Don't make trouble like last time when Govind came.  He is coming after 2 years."  Saagnika nodded her head with a little smile.  "Don't disappoint me like last time." said Arjun sternly.  Saagnika said "I will not, Pitashree."  Arjun scoffed and said "As if you will not.  That's what you did last time.  It will be even better if you don't come Infront of me tomorrow and don't trouble Madhav."  

     Saagnika got hurted listening to his words.  Tears welled up in her eyes but she didn't let them spill.  She just nodded her head and kept her head down.  Her brothers looked concern towards her but didn't say anything nor comfort her.  She stood up and moved away from dining hall.  Others didn't cared about her and continued eating.  She went to her chamber and sat in the bed.  Her personal maid or the one who practically raised her, Manjula came inside her room.  She asked Saagnika to eat a little in a concerned tone.  Saagnika refused to eat and told her to go and sleep.  She went out of the chamber and closed the door.

     Saagnika lied down on her bed and started sobbing silently.  She always cried to sleep.  She thought "Why is this happening with me?  Why is Matashree and Pitashree like this with me alone?  Why no one is being with me?  Why no one is caring about me?  Why am I not being treated like my other siblings? Why there is no one to comfort me when I am crying?  Why there is no one to appreciate me?  Why there is no one to encourage me?  Why do I don't get gifts like my brothers and sister?  Why me?  I just want some praise and love from my parents.  When will I get it?"  Thinking about this, she slept.

To be continued....