[Babab96]

Main naha kar saaf kapde pehen chuka tha aur apne kamre mein baitha tha. Subah ki kasrat ke baad shareer mein halki thakaan thi, isliye main kuch der aaraam kar raha tha. Tabhi darwaze par aahat hui.



Anuj_“Jay bhaiya, Maa bula rahi hain. Chalo, nashta taiyaar hai” 

Anuj ne andar aate hue kaha.

Main uthkar uske saath chal diya.



Chacha ke hisse mein pahunchte hi rasoi se taaze khaane ki khushboo aane lagi.

Chachi Sandhya ne mere liye pehle se hi nashta taiyaar kar rakha tha. 

Unhone meri kasrat ko dhyaan mein rakhte hue dahi, doodh aur ghar ka bana poshtik khaana rakha, taaki meri sehat aur taakat bani rahe.

Chachi_“Baith ja, Jay. Aaj achhe se khana. Subah se akhade mein itni mehnat karta hai, toh shareer ko uske hisaab se khaana bhi milna chahiye,”

Chachi ne pyaar se kaha.

Main chupchaap baith gaya. Chachi mere saamne garam parathe rakhti gayin aur beech-beech mein poochhti rahin ki akhade mein aaj kya abhyas hua. 



Maine unhe Dadaji ke saath pakad aur daav-pech ki practice ke baare mein bataya. 

Khule dangal ki baat bhi nikli, toh Chachi ne mujhe samay par khaane aur aaraam karne ki salah di.



Unki baaton mein ek apnapan tha, jiske liye mere mann mein hamesha sammaan raha. 

Chacha aur Chachi ne bachpan se mujhe sambhala tha. Unke ghar mein baithkar khaana khaate waqt mujhe kam se kam kuch der ke liye aisa mehsoos hota tha ki main bhi kisi ke liye utna hi maayne rakhta hoon.

Lekin hamare parivaar mein sabka vyavhaar aisa nahi tha.

Doston, bachpan se main ek baat mehsoos karta aaya tha. Chacha-Chachi ka parivaar aur main, haveli mein rehne ke baawajood, baaki parivaar se kuch alag samjhe jaate the. 

Humein aksar aisa vyavhaar milta, jaise hamari jagah doosron se neeche ho. Iske peeche kya wajah thi, yeh main nahi jaanta tha. Bas itna samajh aata tha ki ghar mein kuch aisa zaroor tha, jiske baare mein mujhe kuch bataya nahi ja raha tha.

Chachi bhi kai baar kuch kehna chaahkar ruk jaati thi. Unki aankhon mein kabhi-kabhi ek ajeeb si bebasi nazar aati, lekin main unse sawaal karne ki himmat nahi juta paata tha. Main nahi chahta tha ki meri wajah se unhe kisi aur pareshaani ka saamna karna pade.

Main nashta khatam kar chuka tha, aakhri paratha kha rha tha.. aur Chachi ke paas baithkar unse baatein kar raha tha. Tabhi Tai Sushma wahan aa gayin.



Unke aate hi mahaul badal gaya.

Unhone ek nazar meri khaali hoti thaali par daali aur phir meri taraf dekhkar taane bhare andaaz mein boli..

Sushma_“Waah, Jay! Tumhari toh khoob khaatirdaari hoti hai. Subah se pehalwani karo, phir yahan aakar maze se khaana khao. Zindagi ho toh aisi”

Main samajh gaya ki unka ishara meri taraf hi tha. Maine nazar jhuka li aur chup raha..

Tai ne baat aage badha di.

Sushma_“Aakhir kab tak doosron ke bharose chalta rahega? Itna bada pehalwan ban raha hai, lekin apni zimmedaari samajhna bhi seekh. Sirf kushti kar lene se insaan bada nahi ban jaata."



Chachi ke haath ek pal ke liye ruk gaye.

Unhone Tai ki taraf dekha, jaise kuch kehna chahti hon. 

Unke chehre par saaf tha ki unhe meri beizzati achhi nahi lag rahi thi.

Lekin agle hi pal unhone apni nazar hata li aur chupchaap rasoi ka kaam karne lagi..

Main Chachi ko dekh raha tha. Mujhe pata tha ki woh mere liye bolna chahti hain. Phir bhi woh kuch nahi keh paayin.

Tai Sushma ko jaise meri khamoshi se aur hausla mil gaya.

Sushma_“Ab dekho, ghar mein sab apne-apne kaam karte hain. Har kisi ko apni jagah aur apni aukaat samajhni chahiye.”
 
Unke aakhri shabdon ne mere dil ko chot pahunchayi. Main unki taraf dekh sakta tha, unke taane ka jawaab bhi de sakta tha, lekin maine aisa nahi kiya.

Woh meri Tai thi. Tau Bhim Singh mere bade the aur Dadaji mere liye sabse badhkar the. Main nahi chahta tha ki meri zubaan se nikla koi kadwa jawaab parivaar mein aisa vivaad khada kar de, jiska asar Dadaji par pade.

Isliye main apni baat apne andar hi daba gaya.

Chachi ne meri taraf dekha. Unki aankhon mein mere liye fikr thi, aur shayad is baat ka dukh bhi ki woh mere saamne hote hue bhi mujhe is tarah ke vyavhaar se bacha nahi paa rahi thi.

Main unhe aur pareshaan nahi karna chahta tha. Maine halki si muskaan laane ki koshish ki aur apni thaali ek taraf kar di.

Tai kuch der aur wahin rahi, phir apna kaam karne ke liye chali gayin. 

Unke jaate hi rasoi mein sannata chha gaya.

Chachi ne dheere se poochha..

Sandhya_“Jay, bura toh nahi laga?”

Maine turant jawaab diya..

Me_“Nahi, Chachi. Main theek hoon.”

Lekin main theek nahi tha.

Main unhe apna dukh batakar aur bojh nahi dena chahta tha. 

Chachi khud kitni baatein apne andar dabaaye baithi thi, iska mujhe andaaza hone laga tha. Unka chup rehna sirf darr ya kamzori nahi lagta tha. Uske peeche koi aisi majboori thi, jise main samajh nahi paa raha tha.

Aakhir aisa kya tha jo Chachi ko mere liye awaaz uthane se rok deta tha?

Kyun Chacha aur unke parivaar ko baaki logon ke saamne apni baat kehne mein bhi sochna padta tha?

Aur sabse bada sawaal—jab main isi parivaar ka hissa tha, toh mere saath baar-baar aisa vyavhaar kyun kiya jaata tha?

Mere paas in sawaalon ka koi jawaab nahi tha..

Main sirf itna jaanta tha ki kuch raaz mujhse chhupaaye ja rahe the. 

Un raazon ki wajah se Chachi apna dard chupchaap seh rahi thi, aur main Tau aur Dadaji ke prati apne sammaan ke kaaran har taane ko sunkar bhi khamosh reh jaata tha.

Us din bhi main bina kuch kahe wahan se uth gaya.



Mere chehre par shaanti thi, lekin mann mein sawaal badhte ja rahe the. Mujhe nahi pata tha ki sach kya tha, kis baat ne mere parivaar ko is tarah baant rakha tha, ya kab mujhe un sawaalon ke jawaab milenge.

Bas itna zaroor tha—Thakur Villa ki un oonchi deewaron ke beech kuch aisa chhupa hua tha, jo mere aur Chacha ke parivaar ki zindagi ko meri samajh se kahin zyada prabhavit kar raha tha.


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