Thriller गुनाहों का देवता

[Jay Thakur]

Chapter 5: Aakhri Teen Ummeedein — Ek Anjaan Raaste Ka Safar

Aaj ek hi din mein maine apne rishton ki asli sachchai dekh li thi.

Tau Mahendra ne mujhe ghar se nikaal diya tha. Chaaron muh boli bhuaon ne mujhse door rehne ko keh diya tha. Maa ke mayke walon ne bhi madad karne se inkaar kar diya tha. Aur Papa ke sabse kareebi dost Raza Ahmad Khan bhi apni majboori ka hawala dekar peeche hat gaye the.

Maine apna mobile nikala aur uski screen par nazar daali.

Main (man hi man): "Ab aakhir kiske paas jaaun? Kaun hai jo is waqt meri baat sunega? Kya meri zindagi mein koi ek insaan bhi nahi bacha, jise main apna keh sakoon?"

Kuch der tak main khamosh raha. Phir achanak mere dimaag mein teen chehre ubharne lage.

Mere do jigri dost aur Papa ke ek purane wafadaar naukar.

Riyadh, Amarjeet aur Jamil Chacha.

Mere paas ab bas yahi teen aakhri ummeedein bachi thi.

1. Riyadh — Mera Jigri Dost

Sabse pehle mujhe Riyadh ki yaad aayi.

Riyadh mera bahut kareebi dost tha. Humne saath mein kai achhe aur bure waqt dekhe the. Main jaanta tha ki wo meri baat zaroor sunega. Agar uske bas mein hua, toh wo meri madad karne se peeche nahi hatega.

Maine turant uska number milaya.

Phone ki ghanti bajne lagi.

Ek baar...

Do baar...

Teesri baar call uth gayi.

Riyadh: "Haan bhai, bol! Kahan hai tu? Teri awaaz aisi kyun lag rahi hai?"

Uski awaaz sunte hi mere andar daba hua dard jaise bahar aane ko bechain ho gaya.

Main: "Bhai, main bahut buri tarah phans gaya hoon."

Riyadh: "Kya hua? Aaram se bata. Koi dikkat ho gayi hai kya?"

Maine use subah se lekar ab tak ki saari baat bata di. Mahendra ke saath hui behas, uske aadmiyon ki maarpeet, bungalow se nikaale jaane aur mere bank account ke khaali ho jaane tak—sab kuch.

Riyadh kuch der tak khamoshi se meri baat sunta raha.

Phir uski awaaz mein gussa saaf sunai dene laga.

Riyadh: "Bhai, ye Mahendra Tau apne aap ko samajhta kya hai? Tere saath aisa kaise kar sakta hai? Tu fikar mat kar, main hoon na!"

Uske ye shabd sunkar mujhe pehli baar laga ki shayad main abhi poori tarah akela nahi hua hoon.

Main: "Bhai, mujhe abhi samajh nahi aa raha ki main kahan jaaun. Mere paas paise nahi hain, rehne ki jagah nahi hai. Sharir mein itna dard hai ki theek se chala bhi nahi ja raha."

Riyadh: "Tu mere paas aa ja. Hum kuch na kuch intezaam kar lenge."

Mere chehre par halki-si ummeed aayi.

Main: "Sach mein, bhai?"

Riyadh: "Haan, bilkul. Tu mera dost hai. Main tujhe aise kaise chhod sakta hoon?"

Lekin kuch hi pal baad uski awaaz badal gayi.

Riyadh: "Ek minute ruk, main Ammi se baat karta hoon. Unhe bata deta hoon ki tu kuch din hamare yahan rahega."

Usne phone par mujhe hold par rakha.

Main shade ke neeche khada baarish ko dekhta raha. Dil mein pehli baar ek chhoti-si rahat mehsoos hui. Mujhe laga ki ab kam se kam aaj ki raat guzaarne ke liye ek chhat toh mil jaayegi.

Lekin kuch der baad Riyadh call per wapas aaya.

Riyadh: "Bhai..."

Uski awaaz mein ab pehle jaisa bharosa nahi tha.

Main: "Kya hua?"

Riyadh: "Ammi keh rahi hain ki abhi tujhe yahan nahi bula sakte."

Main kuch pal chup raha.

Main: "Kyun? Kya hua, bhai?"

Riyadh: "Unhe darr hai ki Mahendra Tau tere chakkar mein hamare ghar tak aa sakte hain. Unka kehna hai ki hum kisi ke parivaar ke jhagde mein nahi pad sakte. Tu samajhne ki koshish kar."

Maine apne honthon ko bheench liya.

Main: "Riyadh, main tere ghar koi jhagda karne nahi aa raha. Mujhe bas kuch din ka sahara chahiye. Main kisi ko pareshan nahi karunga."

Riyadh: "Bhai, main samajhta hoon. Main khud chahta hoon ki tu yahan aa jaaye. Lekin Ammi bilkul nahi maan rahi hain. Main unke khilaaf jaakar tujhe nahi bula sakta."

Uski baat sunkar mere andar kuch toot gaya.

Mujhe Riyadh se shikayat nahi thi. Main jaanta tha ki wo meri madad karna chahta tha. Lekin uski chahat aur uske haalaat ke beech uski Ammi ka faisla khada tha.

Main: "Theek hai, bhai. Tu pareshan mat ho. Main kuch na kuch kar loonga."

Riyadh: "Bhai, bura mat maanna. Agar koi aur tareeka mila, toh main tujhe bataunga."

Main: "Haan, theek hai."

Maine phone kaat diya. mene usse kuchh paise bhi nhi mange, kyun ki meri ummeed jawab de rhi thi..

Riyadh mera dost tha. Usne mera saath chhodna nahi chaha tha, lekin wo bhi mere liye apne ghar ke darwaze nahi khol saka.

Maine ek gehri saans li aur doosre dost ka number dhoondhne laga.

 2. Amarjeet — Doosri Aakhri Ummeed

Amarjeet mera ek aur azeez dost tha.

Uske saath bhi mera rishta sirf dosti tak simit nahi tha. Hum ek-doosre ki pareshani samajhte the aur mushkil waqt mein ek-doosre ke liye khade hone ki baat karte the.

Maine uska number milaya.

Amarjeet: "Oye Jay! Kya haal hai, veere?"

Uski awaaz mein wahi apnapan tha, jo mujhe hamesha achha lagta tha.

Lekin meri awaaz sunkar wo turant gambhir ho gaya.

Amarjeet: "Oye, tu theek toh hai? Awaaz kyun kaanp rahi hai teri?"

Main: "Yaar, kuch bhi theek nahi hai."

Maine use bhi apni poori kahani suna di. Jaise-jaise main batata gaya, meri awaaz bhaari hoti gayi.

Amarjeet: "Ki? Mahendra ne tenu ghar ton bahar kadd ditta? Te tere naal maarpeet vi karwayi?"

Main: "Haan, yaar. Ab samajh nahi aa raha ki kya karun. Sabse madad maang li, lekin kisi ne saath nahi diya."

Amarjeet kuch pal ke liye khamosh ho gaya.

Phir usne kaha—

Amarjeet: "Veere, tu tension na lai. Main haan na tere naal. Tu mere ghar aa ja. Baaki gallan baad vich dekhange."

Uski baat sunkar mere dil ko thoda sukoon mila.

Main: "Yaar, main tere ghar aa sakta hoon? Main sach mein bahut buri haalat mein hoon."

Amarjeet: "Bilkul aa sakda ae. Tu mera veer ae. Main tenu aise thodi chhad sakda haan!"

Uski awaaz mein sachcha apnapan tha.

Mujhe laga ki shayad meri mushkilein ab thodi kam ho jaayengi.

Lekin phir Amarjeet ne kaha ki wo apni Mummy se baat karke mujhe bataata hai.

Main phir se intezaar karne laga.

Kuch der baad uska phone aaya.

Amarjeet: "Jay veere..."

Main: "Haan, bol."

Amarjeet: "Yaar, Mummy nahi maan rahi hain."

Mere chehre par aayi halki-si muskurahat dheere-dheere gayab ho gayi.

Main: "Kya matlab?"

Amarjeet: "Mummy keh rahi hain ki tere Tau se panga lena theek nahi hoga. Unhe darr hai ki tere yahan rehne se hamare ghar mein bhi koi dikkat aa sakti hai. Main unhe samjha raha hoon, par wo sun nahi rahi."

Main: "Yaar, main toh bas kuch din tere paas rehna chahta hoon. Main tere ghar mein koi dikkat nahi hone doonga."

Amarjeet: "Main jaanta hoon, veere. Main khud chahta hoon ki tu mere paas aa jaaye. Par Mummy ne saaf mana kar diya hai."

Uski awaaz dheemi ho gayi.

Amarjeet: "Tu bura mat maanna. Main tere naal haan, par ghar mein rehne ke maamle mein main kuch nahi kar paa raha."

Maine aankhein band kar li.

Main: "Theek hai, yaar. Tu fikar mat kar. Main dekh loonga."

Amarjeet: "Jay, je kise cheez di lod hove, mainu dassin. Main apni tarafon jo ho sakega, karanga."

Main: "Haan, bhai. Shukriya."

Call kat gayi.

Maine mobile apni jeb mein rakh liya.

Mere dono dost meri madad karna chahte the. Dono ne meri baat samjhi thi, dono ko meri haalat ka dukh tha. Lekin unke gharon mein mere liye jagah nahi thi.

Ab mere paas na koi rishtedaar bacha tha, na koi dost jiske ghar main jaakar raat guzaar sakoon.

Lekin tabhi mere dimaag mein teesra naam ubhra.

Jamil Chacha.

 3. Jamil Chacha — Papa Ke Purane Wafadaar Naukar

Jamil Chacha mere Papa ke bahut purane naukar the.

Wo saalon tak Papa ke saath rahe the. Unhone hamare parivaar ko kareeb se dekha tha aur mere bachpan ki kai yaadon ka hissa bhi the.

Papa un par bahut bharosa karte the. Wo unhe sirf ek naukar nahi, balki apne ghar ka wafadaar insaan maante the.

Mujhe yaad aaya ki Papa ne ek baar Jamil Chacha ko das acre zameen unke naam par dilwayi thi. Ye zameen hamare shehar se lagbhag 150 kilometer door ek gaon mein thi.

Us waqt main Papa ke saath wahan picnic manane do baar gaya tha.

Mujhe wahan ka raasta poori tarah yaad nahi tha, lekin us jagah ki kuch tasveerein mere dimaag mein ab bhi basi hui thi—gaon ki taraf jaati sadak, kheton ke beech ka raasta aur Jamil Chacha ka ghar.

Sabse badi baat ye thi ki Tau Mahendra ko is zameen ke baare mein pata nahi tha.

Na hi use maloom tha ki Jamil Chacha wahan rehte hain.

Aur shehar se itni door hone ke kaaran, Mahendra ke liye aasaani se wahan pahunchkar mujhe dhoondhna bhi mushkil hota.

Lekin ek badi pareshani thi.

Mere paas Jamil Chacha ka phone number nahi tha.

Maine apne mobile ke contacts mein unka naam dhoondha. Purane messages dekhe. Papa ke kuch purane contacts mein bhi nazar daali.

Lekin unka number kahin nahi mila.

Maine niraash hokar mobile neeche kar liya.

Main (man hi man): "Jamil Chacha, aapka number hota toh main abhi aapko phone kar leta. Pata nahi aap ab bhi usi gaon mein rehte hain ya kahin aur chale gaye. Lekin mere paas ab aapke siwa koi aur raasta bhi toh nahi hai."

Maine apne dimaag par zor diya aur us gaon ki jagah yaad karne ki koshish ki, jahan main Papa ke saath gaya tha.

Mujhe yaad aaya ki Papa gaadi se mujhe lekar gaye the. Raaste mein humne ek bade mod se gaon ki taraf rukh kiya tha. Aage kuch door tak kheton ke beech se sadak guzarti thi.

Uske baad ek chhota-sa gaon aata tha.

Wahin Jamil Chacha ki zameen thi.

Mujhe raaste ki har baat yaad nahi thi, lekin itna zaroor yaad tha ki agar main us taraf pahunch gaya, toh shayad logon se poochhkar unka ghar dhoondh sakta tha.

Main (man hi man): "Papa ne unhe das acre zameen dilwayi thi. Wo itne saal hamare saath rahe. Unhone Papa ka achha-bura waqt dekha hai. Shayad wo hi ek aise insaan hain, jo mujhe dekhkar darwaza band nahi karenge."

Maine ek baar phir apne bheege kapdon aur dard se bhare sharir ki taraf dekha.

Mujhe pata tha ki 150 kilometer ka safar aasaan nahi hoga.

Wo bhi paidal. yaa kisi se lift lena...

Wo bhi is tez baarish mein.

Lekin mere paas koi doosra raasta nahi tha.

..........