The Dewan of Boinnachong, Sonafar, sits beside his dying wife, accompanied by his two sons, Alal and Dulal. On her deathbed, Sonafar’s wife requests that he never remarry after her passing. She believes that a stepmother can never truly love her stepchildren. Therefore, with the sky, the air, and all the animals and birds as witnesses, she makes this vow to her husband before taking her last breath.
Meanwhile, after their mother’s death, Alal and Dulal stop eating due to their grief. Sonafar is also struggling to accept that his wife is gone. Seeing his sons in such distress deeply worries him. Gradually, Sonafar loses focus on his duties as Dewan, and his absence begins to affect the administration negatively. Observing this, his ministers and officials come together to request that he remarry. Sonafar responds that if he takes another wife, she might not care for his children properly, as a stepmother can never truly be a loving parent.
The minister said, “Not all stepmothers are the same, and we are here to support you.” Sonafar thought to himself that if he neglects his duties as Dewan, he would face even more problems in the future. After much consideration, he agreed to remarry, but secretly decided to keep Alal and Dulal close to him, ensuring that the stepmother would have no power to harm them.
After the marriage, Sonafar always kept Alal and Dulal by his side, even taking them with him to the Dewan’s office. He never left them in the care of his second wife. Seeing this, Sonafar’s new wife began to burn with jealousy. She thought that until she removed this thorn of a stepson, she would never be truly happy.
So, one day she pretended to cry and began sobbing. Seeing her sorrowful demeanor, Sonafar asked, “What’s wrong, my new wife? What sorrow weighs on your heart?” She replied that Alal and Dulal were also her children, but Sonafar did not allow them to come to her simply because she was their stepmother. She went on to say that not all stepmothers are the same, and her heart ached for the children. She claimed that facing death would be better than enduring such humiliation.
Seeing her state, Sonafar’s heart softened, and he assured her that from now on, he would allow Alal and Dulal to come to her.
After Sonafar left, the second wife thought about how to win Alal and Dulal’s trust. Therefore, she spent the entire night decorating the inner chambers and cooking delicious meals. The next morning, when Sonafar brought Alal and Dulal to her, his wife embraced them warmly and showered them with kisses all over their faces. She lovingly fed them with her own hands throughout the day. Receiving such affection, Alal and Dulal no longer wanted to go back with their father.
Days went by, and the stepmother continued her act of love while secretly plotting to remove the thorn of Alal and Dulal from her path. Sonafar was completely oblivious to all this. He believed that his children were well-cared for and, as a result, focused on his duties as a chief. He no longer worried about them. But little did he know the wicked schemes his own wife was concocting. No one had any idea of her true intentions.
It was the month of Shravan, and boat racing was taking place. When the stepmother proposed to take Alal and Dulal to watch the boat race, they eagerly agreed. However, her true intention was to take the boys out on the water under the pretense of watching the race and then drown them in the deep water. To carry out this sinister plan, she informed a local executioner, promising him a reward of “twenty bighas of land and a house” in exchange for his assistance in her wicked scheme.
They both crafted a beautiful peacock-feathered boat and dressed up Alal and Dulal before sending them off with the executioner. As the exquisite boat drifted to the middle of the river, the executioner revealed his true self and threatened the boys.
“Remember the name of Allah before your time of death.
I am the one who stands at the door of your fate.
In my hands, two of you will meet your end;
I will strike you down and then drown you in the river.”
Alal and Dulal, poor boys, were terrified upon seeing the executioner’s true form. When they heard of their stepmother’s deceit, they broke down in tears. Alal loved his brother dearly and pleaded with the executioner, “Please spare Dulal and kill me instead.” Not to be outdone, Dulal made the same request.
Witnessing such profound love between the two brothers, even the stone-hearted executioner was moved. He abandoned his intentions to harm them and instead transferred them to a merchant’s boat that was passing by, adorned with twelve oars. He said, “May you be well, my boys. Save yourselves and go on your way.”
The merchant, heading to the village of Kajol Kanda to buy rice, ended up selling Alal and Dulal instead, without purchasing any rice. The brothers struggled daily, going hungry and suffering greatly. One day, the elder brother Alal managed to escape, but Dulal stayed behind at the merchant’s house.
In the region of Dhanuk, near the riverbank and among twelve jungles and thirteen lands, there lived a certain Dewan named Sekander, who was passionate about bird hunting. One day, while hunting, he spotted Alal beneath a tree. Delighted by the sight, Sekander took him home with him.
Alal began working there without any pay. When asked about a salary, he replied, “I won’t take anything now. I will claim my wages later.” His work impressed everyone, including Sekander.
Dewan Sekander had no sons; instead, he had two exceptionally beautiful daughters, Momina and Amina. He began to see Alal as his own son and wished to marry one of his daughters to him. However, whenever Sekander inquired about Alal’s lineage, he would fall completely silent. Because of this, Sekander lost much of his enthusiasm for arranging a marriage.
In this way, twelve years passed by. Now, Alal decided to ask for all his wages at once. Dewan Sekander was very surprised and asked, “What do you plan to do with such a large sum of money, Alal?” Alal informed him that he wanted to establish a home in a town called Banyachang. Instead of wages, he requested 500 workers and 200 soldiers so that he could wage war against Dewan Sonafar and reclaim his home. Sekander agreed to his request and provided him with everything he demanded.
Meanwhile, Sonafar had long passed away by that time. He had died a long time ago, grieving the loss of his two sons. Before his death, his second wife had given birth to a son, and that boy was now the Dewan of Banyachang. However, his ministers and officials were not very competent, and as a result, the administration of Banyachang had declined significantly, almost falling into ruin.
Alal then assigned 500 laborers to construct the house and stationed 200 soldiers to guard the surrounding land. This news spread throughout Banyachang. The local minister approached Alal, seeking to impose taxes. However, Alal refused to pay any taxes, asserting that he had come to build a home on his father’s land. Hearing this, a battle broke out between Banyachang’s forces and Alal’s troops. Ultimately, Alal emerged victorious. In fear of defeat, Sonafar’s second wife, Alal and Dulal’s stepmother, fled that very night, abandoning everything.
Leaving the Dewan’s house, Alal disguised himself to search for Dulal. After a long search without finding his brother, he finally rested under a banyan tree, exhausted. Just then, a group of shepherds passed by, singing a song. Fate worked in mysterious ways, for the song was a lament about Alal and Dulal’s story—a tale of Dulal’s sorrow after Alal had left. Hearing this song, Alal found a clue about his brother’s whereabouts:
“The one who taught us this song
Hasn’t come today to graze the cows,
He stays in that farmer’s house,
To find him, follow this path.”
Alal invited Dulal to come with him to Bynyachong, but Dulal explained that he was married to a woman named Madina and had a son named Surat Jamal. He didn’t want to leave his wife and child behind. Alal, however, advised him otherwise, suggesting that he divorce Madina and marry someone of their own family’s lineage to uphold their ancestral honor and continue the Dewani legacy. Considering his family’s legacy and the responsibilities of their estate, Dulal made a harsh decision. Without even meeting Madina, he wrote a letter of divorce and left it with her brother.
After this, the two brothers returned to Bynyachong and married Dewan Sekander’s two daughters—Alal to Amina and Dulal to Momina. Together, they settled into their new lives, and for a time, everything went well.
Madina received the divorce letter and laughed, thinking Dulal might be joking. She loved Dulal so deeply that she couldn’t accept this as the truth. Believing he would return someday, she prepared various dishes and stored them carefully, dreaming of the day she could serve them to her husband.
“Today or tomorrow, he’ll surely come,” she thought,
And so Madina, beautiful Madina, spent countless nights waiting.
Today she prepared sweets from palm sap, tomorrow she made puffed rice,
Storing them in baskets, binding curd with cloths tight and nice.
Rice flakes from fine Shail paddy she’d prepared with great care,
Filling jars and setting them high, in hope he’d return to share.
But Dulal never returned. Six long months passed, yet Madina held on to hope, thinking that at least the sight of his son, Surat-Jamal, might stir Dulal’s heart and bring him back. Her son was the light of her life. With this in mind, Madina sent Surat-Jamal to Bainyachong with her brother.
When they reached Bainyachong, they managed to find Dulal. However, instead of welcoming them, Dulal coldly told them to leave. He warned that no one in this region knew about them, and if anyone found out, it would bring him great shame and trouble in his new life. Dulal made it clear—they were not to set foot in Bainyachong again.
Hearing Dulal’s harsh words, Madina’s heart shattered, and she wept endlessly. She became “Deewana Madina,” lost in a trance of grief and longing. The memories of their days together haunted her, driving her nearly mad with sorrow. Day by day, weakened by the pain of separation, she withered away until finally, one day, she passed into the embrace of death. It was as though no one remained for her son, Surat-Jamal, and she had left him alone in this world. Madina was laid to rest in a grave near her home, marking the end of her sorrowful journey.
Even though Dulal had sent Madina and his son away with harsh words, a deep sadness lingered in his heart. Regret consumed him, and, without telling anyone, he fled from Bainyachong. He walked along the path to Kuzkanda, each step bringing back memories of the days he had left behind. Along the way, ominous signs appeared—crows cawed, kites cried. In the distance, he noticed Madina’s favorite cow, frail and weak, as if waiting for him. A sense of dread filled his heart. Rushing back home, Dulal found that his beloved Madina was no more; she had passed away in grief over him.
Dulal fell to his knees by Madina’s grave, weeping with a heart-wrenching cry. He begged for forgiveness from his dearest wife, the one he had abandoned over misguided thoughts.
“Oh, my beloved Madina, rise and speak to me,
Never again will I cause pain in your heart.
If only you would look my way one last time,
I would never let you be parted from my chest.”
Even though Alal came to bring him back, Dulal no longer wished to return to Bainyachong. He realized that the heart’s affection was the truest wealth, far more valuable than gold or jewels. With this understanding, Dulal built a small home beside Madina’s grave, where he remained, waiting for the end of his days.
“Dulal became a fakir, abandoning his life as a noble,
No longer did he seek the path to Bainyachong.
He counted his final days by Madina’s resting place,
His grief so deep that even stones wept water,
And Jalal sang songs of sorrow and lament.”