[Joker44]

Teejre din subah Dave ka message aa gaya, jitna unhone kaha tha: ek short file, Shekhar Goud ke do foreign buyers ke naam, ek account ki line, aur neeche ek saaf English jumla, “Ship in seventy-two hours. She’ll sit where your commissioner points.” Srivalli verandah par thi, off-white saree mein, pallu seene par kasa, chai ki pyali haath mein, dhoop abhi naram, aur usne screen ko do baar padha, dheere, jaise koi ticket wali file padhe. Buyers ke naam uske liye naye the, lekin unke saath jo shahar, jo route the, woh bandargaah ke us hisaab se judte the jisko Pushpa ji zameen se dekhte hain, aur Dave paani se. Usne file save ki, buyers ke naam ek baar copy karke apni alag note mein rakh liye, phone lock kiya, aur verandah ki railing par haath rakh kar ek pal sheher ki taraf dekha, jahan bandargaah nazar nahi aati thi, lekin hawa mein namak jaisa ehsaas kabhi-kabhi aa jaata tha. *Yeh naam meri file mein aa gaye, yeh jahaaz meri keemat par aa raha hai, aur aaj main isko apne mard ko itna bataungi jitna unki zameen ke kaam aaye, baaki meri raat meri rahegi.* Phir woh andar gayi, chai ki pyali tray par rakh kar, aur Pushpa ji ko sirf itna kaha, awaaz ghar wali, “Investor serious hai, Pushpa ji. Ek jahaaz bandargaah ke kareeb aa sakta hai, cover ke liye, goli ke liye nahi. Main Naidu ji ko nazar dungi, aap zameen dekhiyega. Yeh meri file ka hissa hai.”

Unhone beedi sulgate hue sir hilaaya, aankhon mein wohi junoon, lekin ab us junoon ke saath ek naya sawal bhi tha, jaise unki rani ki file unki goli ke barabar uthne lagi ho. “Jo cover aaye, rani, le lena. Main zameen dekhunga, tu apni file. Shekhar ko main chhodne wala nahi. Tu is aadmi par itna bharosa kaise karti hai? Angrez hai, door ka hai.”

Srivalli ne unke liye chai rakhi, pallu theek kiya, aur kaha, “Bharosa nahi, hisaab hai. Uske ships hain, Shekhar ke buyers hain, aur meri kursi ke beech bandargaah hai. Main aapko jhooth nahi bol rahi, itna kaam aa sakta hai. Baaki meri nazar rahegi, aapki goli rahegi.” Unhone aur kuch nahi poocha, sirf uska haath pakada, ek pal, jaise koi apni rani ki baat maan le, lekin peeche sawal rakh le.

Us din campaign bhi chali, doosri chhoti si rally, mandi ke kareeb, off-white saree, chhote jhumke, mic haath mein, aur Srivalli ne paani aur line ki baat ki, goli ki nahi, jaise pehli speech ke baad bhi janata ko dar nahi, kaam dikhana ho. Bheed thi, taali thi, kuch auratein aage aa kar uska haath pakad kar aashirwad deti, “Beti, tu bolti achha, ghar bhi sambhal, sheher bhi.” Srivalli muskurati, pallu theek karti, “Maa, aapka saath chahiye, aashirwad bhi, baaki kaam mera.” Jolly kinare par the, phone par, aur Pushpa ji ek kadam peeche, lekin unki nazar bar-bar raste par jaati, jaise koi doosri goli ka intezaar kar raha ho.

Rally ke baad Jolly ne short mein kaha, “Bhabhi, baap ji ko report gayi, speech theek thi, Shekhar ka naam nahi liya, yeh achha hai. Port par nazar rakhna, khabar aa rahi hai kuch movement ki.” Srivalli ne sir hilaaya, “Nazar hai, Jolly. Aap apni report bhejiye, meri file meri hai.” Woh haveli wapas aayi, khana khaya, maa ji ke saath baithi, thali mein sabzi, roti, aur maa ji ne poocha, “Aaj bheed thi?” “Thi, maa ji, log sun rahe hain.” Unhone khush hokar uske sar par haath phera, aur shaam se pehle Srivalli ko laga tha ki aaj ka din posters ka rahega, paani ka nahi. *Teen din, Dave ne kaha tha, jahaaz aayega. Shayad kal, shayad parson. Aaj meri awaaz mandi tak gayi, yeh bhi ek hisaab hai.*

Shaam tak khabar aa gayi, tez, kati hui. Raka ne phone kiya, awaaz mein hawa aur loha dono the, “Bhabhi, Shekhar ke aadmi bandargaah ke purane pier par utar rahe hain, ek godown ko gher rahe hain, kehte hain maal unka hai, bhaiyya ka nahi. Munna already raste mein hai, Kesari doosri jeep le kar nikal chuka. Bhaiyya ko batao.” Pushpa ji usi pal uth khade hue, kali shirt, kamar par hathiyaar, joote, aur Srivalli ke maathe par haath rakh kar kaha, “Tu ghar rahi, rani. Yeh goli wali jagah nahi, tere stage ki nahi. Tu yahin baith, maa ke paas, main phone karta rahunga.”

Srivalli ne unka haath pakada, pallu ke neeche ungliyan kas kar, awaaz seedhi, ghar wali nahi, file wali. “Main ghar rahungi, lekin main khali nahi rahungi. Naidu ji ko abhi phone karti hoon, Venkat ji ko bhi, aur jo jahaaz aane wala hai, usko maine kisi khel ke liye nahi bulaya. Aap zameen lijiye, main paani aur paper sambhalungi. Phone rakhie, meri awaaz aati rahe. Aur itna: main haveli ke kamre se nahi, Naidu ji ke port cabin se baat karungi, jahan radio hai, sheesha hai, taaki meri file andhere mein na rahe.”

Unki aankhein ek pal kadi hui, “Cabin? Tu bandargaah jaayegi? Rani, wahan goli chalegi.”

“Cabin gate ke andar hai, pier par nahi,” usne kaha, unki aankhon mein dekhte hue, pallu kaste hue. “Main goli ke neeche nahi jaaungi, lekin main yahan baith kar sirf intezaar bhi nahi karungi. Aap meri jaan ho, meri file bhi ho, dono ko ek saath nahi chhodungi. Aap mujhe ghar baitha kar mat jaaiye, aaj meri pehli asal jung hai.”

Unhone dekha, ek pal, jaise pehli baar samajh rahe hon ki unki rani ab sirf bahon mein nahi, file mein bhi ladti hai, phir sir hilaaya, maathe par ek baar aur haath rakh kar, aur kaha, “Theek hai. Cabin se mat nikalna, meri kasam. Phone rakhna. Main zameen leta hoon.” Phir woh nikal gaye, jeep ki awaaz aangan se kaati, aur Srivalli andar gayi, off-white ko kas kar, maa ji ko kaha ki Pushpa ji kaam par hain, late ho sakte hain, khana garam rakhna, zyada poochna mat, aur apne kamre mein jaa kar teen call kiye, haath kaanpte hue bhi awaaz saaf.

Pehle Prakash, “Naidu ji, pier par gher hai, Shekhar ke log, meri file aapki zabaan maangti hai, security officer aur port security abhi. Main aapke cabin aa rahi hoon, pier par nahi. Radio chahiye, sheesha chahiye, cover chahiye.” Unhone ek pal ke baad kaha, “Ja rahi hai, rani ji. Cabin aapke naam par khul jaayega, do aadmi darwaze par rahenge. Aap raste mein rukiyega nahi, seedha gate se andar. Main wahan hoon.”

Doosre Venkat, “Minister ji, aaj bandargaah par meri kursi ki pehli asal jung hai, aapki industries ki bhi, cover chahiye, order chahiye, taaki security officer sirf dekhne na aaye, kaam kare.” Unki awaaz whiskey jaisi nahi, office jaisi thi, “Order nikalta hoon. Tu khud goli ke neeche mat ja, rani. Paper se lad, yeh maine kaha tha, aaj bhi kehta hoon.”

Teesre Dave, short, type saaf, haath kaanpte hue bhi, “Point the water. I’m watching. Pier location attached.” Usne location bheji, phir phone bag mein rakha, pallu theek kiya, chhote sandals, mangalsutra bahar, sindoor saaf, jaise koi asal meeting ko nikal rahi ho, jung ko nahi, aur driver se kaha, “Port commission gate, seedha, rukna nahi. Raste mein koi sawal aaye to meri party ka naam dena, main andar jaaungi, aap gate par rukiye.” Driver ne sir hilaaya, “Haan, rani ji,” aur jeep nikal gayi, haveli ka aangan peeche, maa ji darwaze par ek pal ke liye khadi, phir andar chali gayi. Srivalli ne pallu god mein liya, phone haath mein, teen call ho chuke the, ab sirf rasta tha, lohe ki taraf, paani ki taraf, aur uske dil ki dhadkan jeep ke engine ke saath mil kar tez thi, lekin uske honth band the, faisla khula, aur mangalsutra uski chhati par har speed-breaker par lagta raha, jaise ghar ki nishan bhi is jung mein saath ho. *Aaj meri pehli asal jung hai, stage wali nahi, paper wali, aur main isko ghar baith kar nahi ladungi.*

Raste par bandargaah ki hawa gaadi ke sheeshe se andar aayi, namak, loha, mitti, aur Srivalli ne pallu seene par aur kas liya. Gate par guard ne unka naam suna, sir hilaaya, aur jeep andar chali gayi, containers ki line ke beech, lights toot-toot kar jalti hui. Prakash khud gate ke kareeb khade the, usko cabin tak le gaye, darwaza khola, aur dheeme kaha, “Andar, rani ji. Sheesha mota hai, lekin phir bhi ek kadam peeche. Aapke aadmi west se aa rahe hain, yeh radio unki frequency par hai.”

Shaam ke andhere mein bandargaah ki lights toot-toot kar jal rahi thi, container, lohe ki gandh, paani ki namak bhari hawa, aur goli ki pehli awaaz usko raste mein nahi, cabin ke sheeshe ke peeche se sunai di, paani par se aati hui. Cabin chhoti thi, saaf, radio table par, do phones, ek nakshe jaisa kaagaz, ek pyali chai jo thandi pad chuki thi, aur sheeshe se purana pier, containers ki line, aur woh khula lohe ka rasta jo beech mein tha. Pallu tight, phone haath mein, Prakash ke do aadmi darwaze par, khaki, chup. Woh khud goli ke neeche nahi thi, lekin har awaaz uske kaan tak aa rahi thi, aur uski choodi ek pal ke liye khud baj uthi jab pehli goli lohe se takrai. *Yeh meri pehli speech wali goli nahi, yeh meri file ki goli hai, paani ke kareeb. Main yahan se nahi hatungi.*

Prakash uske bagal mein the, khaki suit nahi, aaj ek dark formal jacket, radio haath mein, awaaz file jaisi, lekin tez. “Rani ji, aap sheeshe se ek kadam peeche, light kam, aur radio par meri baat sunte rahiye. Jo order Venkat ji ka hai, woh gate par pahunch chuka hai, security officer paanch minute mein andar hogi. Aapke aadmi west se aa rahe hain, yeh meri nazar hai.”

Srivalli ne ek kadam peeche liya, lekin sheesha nahi chhoda, aankhein pier par. Pushpa ji ke aadmi west se ghus rahe the, kaali jeep, chhoti si roshni, Shekhar ke log containers ke peeche se, aur beech mein woh khula loha ka rasta tha jahaan koi bhi gir sakta tha. *Aap bahar ho, main yahan hoon, aur meri kursi aaj is lohe par rakhi hai. Main kaanpungi, lekin phone nahi chhodungi, radio nahi chhodungi.*

Radio par Raka ki awaaz kati, “Bhaiyya, daaye munt, do van, ek scooter. Godown ke peeche se nikal rahe hain.” Pushpa ji ki awaaz uske peeche thi, bhari, saaf, “Seedhe mat nikalna, peeche se kaato, Munna left, Kesari upar, main beech se nahi jaaunga, tedha jaaunga. Rani sun rahi hogi, rani, tu cabin se mat nikalna.”

Srivalli ne radio uthaya, awaaz kaanpti, lekin saaf, “Main yahin hoon, Pushpa ji, nikalungi nahi. Aap tedhe jaaiye, main paani dekhungi. Naidu ji saath hain.” Ek goli cabin ke door sheeshe se nahi, bahar ke lohe se takrai, aur uski choodi ek baar aur baj uthi, pallu usne munh ke kareeb nahi, seene par kas liya, taaki saans seedhi rahe. Prakash ke ek aadmi ne darwaze ki taraf kadam badhaya, unhone haath uthakar rok diya, “Andar hi rahiye, zaroorat nahi.” Cabin ki roshni unhone aur kam kar di, sirf radio ka chhota sa bulb aur sheeshe se aati hui floodlight ki jhalak.

Srivalli ne table ke kareeb kursi li, lekin baithi nahi, khadi rahi, kyunki baithne se usko laga ki woh intezaar mein hai, ladai mein nahi. Off-white pallu uski kalai par atka, usne chhudaaya, mangalsutra ungli se ek baar chhua, aur radio ki kati hui awaazon ko ginti se sunti rahi, kaun khada hai, kaun nikal raha hai, kaun chup hai. *Munna left, Kesari upar, aap tedhe, aur main yahan, yeh meri party ki jung hai, sirf aapki nahi.*

Usne Prakash ko dekha, jo radio par apni uniform ko order de rahe the, aur kaha, “Naidu ji, paani ki taraf floodlight daaliye, jo jahaaz aane wala hai, usko dikhna chahiye, sirf humko nahi, unko bhi. Agar Shekhar ke log paani par nazar daalen, to unko ek naya hisaab dikhna chahiye, sirf goli nahi.”

Prakash ne uski taraf dekha, ek pal, jaise koi file mein naya paragraph padh raha ho, phir sir hilaaya, call kiya, do short jumle, aur kaha, “Floodlight ja rahi hai. Jahaaz ki nazar aapke investor ki taraf se hai, yeh main record par nahi likhunga, lekin paani par dikhegi. Aap shaant rahiye.”