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The veil,

between them was,

so thin that they forgot,

the difference between rich and poor.

Unsure.

Let the games begin.

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1558 Agra, India

Reign of Mughal Empire

Shalini's POV

If you are born poor, it is not your fault. However, if you stay poor, then that's your fault.

Out of all the teachings I had ever heard in my current seven years of life, this was the most wisest. And it did not come from highly ranking Brahmins who spent years with their noses buried in parchment papers and hands dabbled in ink. No, it came from my mother, an uneducated Sudra with withered hands who spent her days patching torn cloth to earn a few rupees. While combing through my long black hair, while making warm parathas, while dusting the floor of our two roomed home, she told me this, over and over again, until she knew it was etched firmly in me.

Just like she wanted, I took her words with me everywhere I went. Every opportunity I got, I would learn something, anything. Just because I was born as a Sudra did not mean I didn't like to learn. Maybe it was my way of rebelling against the status I was given, or maybe it was just a part of me. But the surge of excitement I felt from learning was incomparable to anything I've ever done before. When I visited the market, I would bargain for prices the way a Vaisyas merchant would, making sure every rupee my parents struggled to make would be worth it. The sellers would be left wondering what status I was, my rags said one thing while my tiny mouth said another. When I passed by shops of Vaisyas traders, I would always sneak around the alley way and listen to them teaching their disciples about the skills they would need to inherit the business. Stray or thrown away drafts of parchments from temples where the Brahmins stayed, were always found in near by garbage dumps. I would collect as many as I could, keeping the secret stash underneath my sleeping mat. If someone found out, there was no doubt I'd get be put in prison, or worse, beheaded. But that's okay, I had decided. If I was afraid of death, I wouldn't have started it all in the first place and just ignored my mother's words.

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GLOSSARY:

*The Caste System Of India

Higher Class Emperor and Royal Family

Brahmins- Priests

Kshatriyas- Warriors and Rulers

Vaisyas- Skilled Traders, Merchants, and Officials

Sudras- Unskilled Workers

Lower Class Untouchables

*Parathas- cooked flat bread (usually eaten with curry or something to add more flavor)