Monima Das

"It's the diamond, Mon. They want the Koh-i-Noor [...] Your ancestors hid the real one some time in the eighteen-hundreds and I guess they didn't tell anybody where. The only clue to finding it is apparently in your DNA."

―Jot regarding Monima's ancestry, 2013.^[src]

Monima Das (unknown – 3 November 2013) was an Indian actress and the fiancée of MysoreTech programmer Jot Soora. Her ancestors included the Assassin Arbaaz Mir and princess Pyara Kaur, the granddaughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Biography

Early life

Born into a privileged and wealthy family, Monima constantly traveled the world during her youth due to her parents' roles as university professors, until she was sent to a large boarding school in Mumbai.^[1] She ended up going into acting and became an increasingly popular film starlet. At some point, Monima also entered into a relationship with computer engineer Jot Soora, to whom she eventually became engaged.^[2]

Relationship troubles

"There was a man [...] I felt like I'd known him my whole life. Losing him suddenly like that... I don't know what I feel... Sad."

―Monima on her experience with the Brahman, 2013.^[src]

In October 2013, her fiancé began working on the Brahman V.R., a device that MysoreTech had been assigned to distribute by Abstergo Industries, and brought it home with him one day. Despite Jot's excitement at his discovery that the machine allowed the user to relive the memories of one's ancestors, Monima was largely disinterested, jokingly referring to it as a "karaoke machine". Still, her curiosity tempted her to try it out later, while her fiancé slept, leading her to relive the meeting and tryst between the Assassin Arbaaz Mir and Punjabi princess Pyara Kaur.^[2]

However, the experience was later cut short by Jot, leaving Monima confused and frustrated. The intense attraction she had sensed between Pyara and Arbaaz made her second-guess her feelings towards her fiancé, who was rattled by the revelation that Monima was descended from royalty; his own ancestor Raza Soora was but a mere servant by comparison. Despite her reassurances that nothing had changed, the relationship between the two quickly grew strained, fueled by Jot's jealousy over Monima's interactions with his boss Ajay Rana.^[2]

Irked by her fiancé's distant attitude, Monima decided to focus on her film career instead. While en route to the airport, she held a frosty discussion with Jot regarding a job offered to her by Ajay. Monima subsequently handed her fiancé her engagement ring, feeling she needed to continue keeping their relationship a secret from the paparazzi, and then departed for a film studio in Mumbai.^[2]

Sometime after, Monima received a phone call from Jot, who, affected by his experience with the Brahman, expressed his desire to see her, to which she reluctantly agreed. However, she neglected to notify the security guards of his arrival, forcing Jot to try to get her attention from within a crowd of fans. Monima only managed to glimpse her fiancé, before he was forced into a white van by and disappeared.^[2]

Kidnapping and death

Although she continued filming for her movie, Dvija A.I., that day, Monima frequently attempted to contact Jot, though none of her calls ended up making it through. When her wounded fiancé appeared later that evening, she immediately called a stop to the shoot and rushed to his side. After his injuries had been tended to, Jot explained to Monima that she was a target for people attempting to obtain the Koh-i-Noor, because she was a descendant of its last known owner. Monima decided they needed to go to the police, but before they could do so, they were abducted by Templar agents.^[2]

A rescue attempt was made by Assassin Jasdip Dhami, who jumped on top of the van as it raced down the highway. While Monima and Jot braced inside the vehicle, the Templars' escorts were quickly being taken out. Things went awry, however, when Jasdip shot one of the van's wheels, causing the driver to lose control of it and crash through the highway's safety barrier.^[2]

The vehicle went down into the Mithi River and began sinking, with both Jot and Monima still trapped inside. Jasdip came to their rescue, but could only free Jot, while Monima drowned in the depths of the Bay of Mumbai. Her genetic memories were preserved through the Brahman device, which were later transferred into Jot's phone.^[2]

Trivia

A name of Swahili origin, Monima stands for "it is wrong to envy others". The surname Das is derived from the Sanskrit word Dasa, दास, meaning "servant of God", "devotee" or "votary".
According to the Assassin's Creed: Encyclopedia, Monima and her ancestor Pyara shared an uncanny resemblance, though the comic itself shows both women with distinctly different appearances.
In August 2014, Melanie Lemay had come to an arrangement with Ajay to create a digital version of Monima using Animus technology. This would allow production of Dvija A.I to be finished and "give Monima the send-off she deserved".^[3]