The Strange Tale of Raj-Kumari Menaka

The tides of Time will sweep all away. Memories will fade and there is no ship sailing us westwards. Time unfolds what is already ordained in Life. Yet it seems worth telling this strange tale as the problematic life of Raj-Kumari Menaka is beyond the pale. It is a story covered with the patina of history. Covered by a cloud of doom from the start it is a never ending maelstrom. Raja Anil Chatterjee of Dost is smitten and drawn into the sinking silver net hovering over her. In the end her life was of some purpose to her adopted people but happiness was not forthcoming. Strange twists and turns appear in the twisting maze of her time on earth. Brief bright golden flowers might shower down for a moment but her ice-cold blue eyes reflect inner turmoil and an unsettled problematic life. The tale is set in Ancient India at the time of Iskander who detected a twin spirit in her - the sister he never had. Court life was just as full of intrigue as in the upper echelons of society nowadays. In India the poor are still poor, superstitious, and exploited by Thakurs. Characters develop throughout the poetic story which is quite detailed. Menaka ran away aged seven and was adopted by a Seshin tribe who had an obsession with wolf-hunting. At 15 she returned to Patiana where her father was the Raja but who hated her. Then she is married to the Raja of Dost - as reparation for a feud. The marriage was a failed marriage and her new family hates her even though she does much good for Dost. In the end she disappears with her Seshin scouts into the annals of history.