A tale of Paithan
This story is written as an entry in the Write India contest by Times of India, under the Genre Historical Fiction based on the history available about the 17th century paithan city. The story is developed from the preface given by Amish Tripathi- author of the Shiva Trilogy.
Close to the city of Paithan, in
a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great
river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Being cotton farmers, her family was
well to do, but not among the richest in their area. It was the harvest season,
and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from
Paithan would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for
barter. They would exchange what they carried for the cotton that the farmers
grew. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak! But
Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn’t working. Instead, she was
sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari.
‘I am sick of this!’ she grunted
loudly.
