[Babab96]

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Raat tak haveli ka mahaul kaafi shaant ho chuka tha. Din bhar ki bhaag-daud aur tanav ke baad pehli baar sab log thoda sukoon mein nazar aa rahe the.

Rajeshwari bhi ab pehle se kaafi behtar lag rahi thi. Uske chehre par thakaan zaroor thi, lekin tabiyat sambhal gayi thi.

Jab raat ke khane ka waqt hua, to haveli ke bade dining hall mein dheere-dheere parivaar ke log jama hone lage.

Jeevan Singh_ Aaj sab saath mein khana khayenge. Bahut din baad ghar mein aisa mauka aaya hai.

Dining hall itna bada tha ki usmein ek lambi dining table ke saath kai aur tablein bhi lagi hui thi.



Lekin Jeevan Singh ka parivaar itna bada tha ki ek hi baar mein poora parivaar baith hi nahi sakta tha.

Isliye ghar mein pehle se hi ek vyavastha bani hui thi — parivaar ke log do ya teen batches mein khana khate the.

Pehle buzurg aur kuchh bade parivaarik sadasya baithte, phir doosre log, aur uske baad teesra group. 

Lekin khana sabka ek hi rasoi se banta aur sabke liye ek hi tarah se parosa jaata.

Lakin, Aaj mahaul kuchh alag tha.

Jitne log us waqt khaane ke liye available the, unmein se zyada se zyada log ek saath dining hall mein jama ho gaye the.

Main Jeevan Singh ji ke paas wali kursi par baitha tha. Mere doosri taraf Dadaji Baldev Singh baithe the.

Jeevan Singh_ Jay, aaj tum hamare saath hi baithoge.

Me_ Ji.

Dadaji_ Aur aaj zyada sochna mat. Poore din mein tumne jitni kushti kar li hai, uske baad achhe se khana kha lena.

Me_ Ji Dadaji.

Thodi der mein Nirbhay, Chandrabhan, Udaybhan aur Suryabhan bhi apni-apni jagah aa gaye. Unke saath unki patniyan, bachche, bahuen aur damad bhi dheere-dheere dining hall mein bharne lage.

Kahin koi ek doosre se din bhar ki baat kar raha tha, kahin bachchon ke baare mein poocha ja raha tha, aur kahin aaj ki kushti ka zikr chal raha tha.

Ek taraf se awaaz aayi.

Aditya_ Jay bhai, aaj to aapne poori haveli ka mahaul badal diya.

Udit_ Aur Baaz wali baat bhi sun li humne.

Vikram_ Haan, us ghode ko to Arjun bhi theek se sambhal nahi paata tha. Aur me bhi use control nhi kar paya tha..

Arjun hanskar bola.

Arjun_ Aaj tak Baaz ke saath mera hi aadha din uske peeche bhaagte nikalta tha

Aaj Jay bhai ne uski sawari bhi kar li aur mere hath me uski lagam bhi de di..

Sabke beech halki si hansi phail gayi.

Jeevan Singh ne meri taraf dekha.

Jeevan Singh_ Lagta hai Jay ko sirf akhada hi nahi, hamare ghode bhi pasand aa gaye hain.

Me_ Ji, Baaz sach mein bahut achha ghoda hai. Bas thoda ziddi hai.

Dadaji hans pade.

Dadaji_ Ziddi ghode ko samajhne wala aadmi aksar ziddi logon ko bhi samajh leta hai.

Kuchh log hansne lage.

Rajeshwari bhi thodi door baithi hui ye baat sunkar halki si muskurayi.

Uski tabiyat ab pehle se behtar thi aur woh aaj pehli baar bina kisi pareshani ke poore parivaar ke saath dining hall mein baithi thi.

Jeevan Singh ki nazar us par padi.

Jeevan Singh_ Rajeshwari beti, ab tabiyat kaisi hai?

Rajeshwari_ Ab kaafi behtar hai, Pitaji.

Jeevan Singh_ Achha. Lekin aaj zyada der tak mat baithna. Khana khao aur aaram karo..

Rajeshwari_ Ji.

Charulata bhi ek taraf shaant baithi thi.

Usne Rajeshwari ki taraf dekha aur halka sa muskurayi. 

Rajeshwari ne bhi uski taraf dekhkar jawab mein muskurahat di.

Dining table par khaana parosa jaane laga — garam rotiyan, dal, sabzi, chawal, dahi aur ghar ke bane hue doosre pakwaan.

Jeevan Singh_ Baldev ji, aapko hamare ghar ka khana kaisa lag raha hai?

Dadaji_ Bahut badhiya. Lekin ek baat kahun?

Jeevan Singh_ Ji?

Dadaji_ Aapke ghar mein khaana kam aur khaane wale zyada hain.

Jeevan Singh zor se hans pade.

Jeevan Singh_ Ye baat to bilkul sahi kahi aapne.

Main bhi hans pada.

Me_ Dadaji, abhi to pura pariwar khana khane bhi nhi betha hai..

Dadaji_ Isi baat ka to darr hai.

Sabke beech phir se hansi phail gayi.

Jeevan Singh_ Chinta naa kare, Baldev Singh ji, humare yaha prayapt khana Banta hai..

Aap befikar hokar khaye..

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Pehla batch khana khakar uthne laga to doosre log dining hall mein aane lage.

Kuchh logon ne apni jagah chhodi aur naye log table par baith gaye.

Jeevan Singh ne dheere se meri taraf dekha.

Jeevan Singh_ Samajh rahe ho Jay? Ye hai hamara ghar.

Main unki taraf dekhta raha.

Jeevan Singh_ Bahut bada hai. Bahut log hain. Kabhi awaaz zyada hoti hai, kabhi jagah kam pad jaati hai... lekin ye sab mere apne hain.

Me_ Ji. Aaj samajh aa raha hai ki aapka parivaar kitna bada hai.

Jeevan Singh_ Aur isi liye Jaswant ka darr itne saalon tak itna gehra tha.

Dadaji ne Jeevan Singh ki taraf dekha.

Dadaji_ Lekin ab isi bade parivaar ke paas ek doosre ka sahara bhi hai.

Jeevan Singh ne halka sa sir hilaya.

Jeevan Singh_ Haan. Ab shayad hamara ghar phir se ghar jaisa lagega.

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Raat badhti gayi. Dining hall mein do aur batches ne khana khaya. Har batch ke saath alag-alag baatein, hansi-mazaak aur aaj ke din ki charcha chalti rahi.

Itne bade parivaar ko ek hi baar mein dining table par bithana mushkil tha, lekin us raat kisi ko is baat ki shikayat nahi thi.

Sabko bas ek hi baat mehsoos ho rahi thi — bahut samay baad haveli mein darr ke bajay apnapan zyada tha.

Aur main, Jeevan Singh ji aur Dadaji ke beech baitha, chupchaap us poore mahaul ko dekh raha tha.

Mujhe lag raha tha ki aaj main sirf ek kushti nhi jeeta hun... Main ak aise pariwar ke beech hun, jis pariwar ko uss kushti ke mukable ki jeet ki bahut jarurat thi..
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