[Joker44]

Shekhar Goud ne aakhri baar jaldi ki, aur jaldi uski aadat nahi, uski majboori thi. Jahaaz ke dikhne ke do din baad, bandargaah wali jeet ke baad, sheher mein ek shaant si nazar aati thi, jo shaant nahi thi. Posters ab bhi deewaron par the, Srivalli ka chehra, pallu theek, lekin raston par nazar zyada thi, jeep zyada, aur Pushpa ji raat ko bhi ek kaan bahar rakhte the, jaise jungle mein soya jaata hai, sheher mein nahi.

In do dino mein campaign chalti rahi, chhoti ralliyan, mandi, gali, off-white ya simple cotton saree, mic haath mein, aur Srivalli ne paani, line, port ki baat ki, Shekhar ka naam nahi liya, jaise jeet ko shor se nahi, kaam se pakka karna ho. Bheed thi, taali thi, kabhi koi aake kehta, “Beti, ab darr nahi, tu bol,” aur woh muskurati, pallu theek karti, “Darr nahi, maa, kaam hai.” Jolly kinare par rehte, report bhejte, aur ek shaam unhone kaha, “Bhabhi, Shekhar chup nahi baitha, nazar rakhna, baap ji bhi keh rahe hain.” Usne sir hilaaya, “Nazar hai, Jolly. Aap apni report rakhie, meri file meri hai.”

Raat ko palang par Pushpa ji ne ek baar kaha tha, “Rani, tu jeep se nikalti hai to Raka aage rahe, tu peeche, ab koi rasta saadha nahi.” Usne unka haath apni kamar par thama, “Theek hai, main sambhalungi. Aap bhi akela mat nikalna.” Unhone hans kar kaha, “Tu mujhe hukm deti hai, yeh mujhe pasand hai.” *Aapko pasand hai, aur main hukm isliye deti hoon kyunki meri kursi ab aapki goli ke bagair nahi, aapki goli ke saath hai, meri marzi ke saath.*

Ek raat, do baje ke kareeb, Raka ki khabar aayi, phone ki kati hui awaaz, “Bhaiyya, campaign wale chhote ground ke peeche store-room, aur us raste par ek van dekhi, Munna ne number liya, Kesari ne do chehre pehchane, Shekhar ke aadmi hain, subah rani ki jeep nikalne wali thi usi raste se. Yeh aakhri khel lagta hai.” Pushpa ji uth baithe, palang ki karak, aur Srivalli ko jagakar, haath uske kandhe par, awaaz bhaari lekin dheemi, taaki ghar na jaage, kaha, “Rani, uth, abhi. Aaj tu rally se pehle nahi nikalegi, main nikalunga. Yeh aakhri khel hai uska, main mehsoos kar raha hoon. Van raste par hai, tere nikalne ke intezaar mein.”

Srivalli uth baithi, turant, nighty par mangalsutra, aankhein turant saaf, jaise neend uske dimag ke upar thi, andar nahi. Kamre mein sirf raat ki roshni thi, pankha, aur unki kali shirt jo kursi par padi thi. Usne unka haath pakada, dono hatheliyon mein, aur kaha, “Aap nikalie, lekin akela nahi. Main Naidu aur Venkat ko abhi uthati hoon, security officer raste par honi chahiye, sirf aapki goli nahi. Main jeep mein nahi chalungi, main yahin se file chalaungi. Aap meri jaan ko le kar mat ladie, aap us aadmi ko le kar ladie jo meri jeep ka intezaar kar raha hai. Yeh baat pakki kijiye, Pushpa ji, aap tedhe jaaiye, seedhe nahi, jaise bandargaah par kiya tha.”

Unhone uske maathe par kiss kiya, pistol uthayi, kali shirt pehni, joote, aur kaha, “Tu kamre se mat nikalna, maa ko mat jagana, phone rakhna. Main radio chhod jaaunga, Raka ke through awaaz aayegi. Tu meri rani hai, tu meri file hai, aaj tu raste par nahi, yahin hai. Theek hai na?”

“Theek hai,” usne kaha, awaaz kati, lekin saaf. “Aap jaaiye, main call karti hoon. Jaan le kar mat ladie, usko zinda chahiye, qatl nahi, meri file par khoon nahi. Yeh meri baat hai. Aap tedhe jaaiye, Munna, Raka, Kesari saath, akela koi rasta nahi. Phone, radio, dono rakhie.”

Unhone uska chehra dono hatheliyon mein liya, maathe par ek aur kiss, “Tu meri rani hai, tu meri akal bhi hai aaj raat. Main akela nahi jaaunga, tu akeli nahi baithegi, dono ka kaam alag, dono ka hisaab ek. So jaane ki koshish kariye, rani, jaagte rahi to main gussa nahi, lekin thak jaogi.” Usne sir hilaaya, “Jaaungi nahi neend mein, jab tak aapki awaaz na aa jaaye. Aap jaaiye.”

Unhone sir hilaaya, ek pal uske chehre par haath rakh kar, phir nikal gaye, darwaza dheere band kiya, aur haveli ki seedhiyon par unke joote ki awaaz kaati, phir jeep, phir shaant. Srivalli darwaze ke peeche ek pal khadi rahi, shawl kas, dil tez, phir kamre mein wapas aayi, radio table par rakha, phone haath mein, aur kaam shuru kiya, neend nahi, file. Srivalli ne maa ji ko nahi jagaya. Corridor andha tha, ek raat ki batti door se jal rahi thi, aur woh shawl odhe, nange pair, Kaveri ke kamre ke saamne se nikal kar ruki, sirf itna dekha ki unka darwaza band hai, koi awaaz nahi, jaise ghar ki yeh aurat so rahi ho, is toofan se alag, aur yeh alag rakhna uski zimmedari ho. Usne darwaza nahi khatkhataya, nazar hata li, apne kamre mein wapas aa kar hook lagaya, aur teen call kiye, pallu nahi, sirf nighty ke upar ek shawl, off-white, kandhe par, awaaz kati, lekin saaf, pair nange, payal nahi. Phone ke screen ki roshni uske chehre par padi, sindoor halka, aankhein jaagi hui, aur usne pehla number lagaya, haath thanda, faisla garam.

Pehle Prakash, do ring, teesri par uthaye, awaaz neend se nikalti hui, phir file jaisi, “Rani ji? Itni raat?” “Naidu ji, Shekhar ke aadmi campaign raste par hain, meri jeep ke intezaar mein, Pushpa ji nikal chuke hain, security officer raste par honi chahiye, abhi. Yeh aakhri aag lagti hai, aapki cover chahiye, zinda pakadna hai, qatl nahi.” Unhone ek pal saans li, phir kaha, “Patrol nikal chuki, rasta gherenge. Aap ghar se mat nikalie. Radio rakhiye, meri awaaz bhi aayegi. Baat rakhunga.”

Doosre Venkat, unki awaaz whiskey nahi, gusse aur neend ke beech, “Rani, itni raat, kya hua?” “Minister ji, Shekhar aakhri daav khel raha hai, meri jeep ke raste par, order chahiye, security officer sirf dekhe nahi, ghere. Zinda chahiye woh.” Unhone kaha, “Jo order chahiye, le lo. Tu ghar rahi, paper se lad, goli ke neeche mat ja. Main call karta hoon.”

Teesre Dave ko usne sirf itna likha, haath kaanpte hue bhi type saaf, “Last fire tonight. Keep the water quiet, the ground is ours. Don’t move the ship unless I say.” Reply kuch der baad aaya, “Water stays quiet. Call if you need a shadow, not a headline.” Usne phone neeche rakha, shawl kas liya, aur kamre ki khidki se andhere aangan ko dekha, jeep ja chuki thi, kutta door bhowka, phir chup. Radio table par rakha tha, abhi shaant, aur usne ek pal usko dekha, jaise koi hathiyaar dekhe, phir palang ke kinare baith gayi, pair nange, floor thanda, mangalsutra nighty par, sindoor raat ka halka.

Kuch der kuch nahi hua. Haveli so rahi thi, maa ji ke kamre se koi awaaz nahi, kitchen band, aangan mein sirf hawa. Srivalli ne paani piya, phir nahi piya, haath shawl ke kone par kas, aur socha ki pehli baar jab goli chali thi, woh gaadi mein thi, pallu munh par, Pushpa ji bahar, aur aaj woh kamre mein hai, radio par, file par, lekin dil wahi tez hai. *Main kaanpungi, yeh main jaanti hoon, lekin main hatungi nahi. Aap tedhe jaaiye, Pushpa ji, security officer aane dijiye, meri kursi aaj qatl se nahi, pakad se jeetegi.*

Usne apni maang mein ungli pheri, sindoor ki rekha toot na jaaye, jaise yeh chhoti si baat bhi ek mohar ho, aur radio ko god ke kareeb kheench liya, volume dheema, kaan kareeb, intezaar. Ek minute, paanch, das, jo lambe lage, aur uske dimag mein Shekhar ka naam, us kone ki awaaz jo pehli rally mein aayi thi, “Shekhar Goud zindabad,” aur bandargaah par woh van jo chhod kar bhaage the, jab jahaaz dikha tha. *Aap aaj khud aaye ho, iska matlab aapke paas waqt nahi bacha. Main waqt le kar ladungi, jaldi nahi.*

Jung sheher ke kinare, ek khaali plot aur do godown ke beech hui, jahaan Shekhar khud aaya tha, pehli baar, kaali jeep, chehra dhaka nahi, jaise koi aakhri daav khel raha ho, jaise jahaaz aur security officer ke baad uske paas jaldi ke siwa kuch na bacha ho. Srivalli yeh sab radio par sunti rahi, haveli ke kamre mein, shawl kas kar, palang ke kinare baithi, raat ki roshni, mangalsutra nighty par, aur Naidu ke through, Raka ke through, awaazen kati, tez, kabhi shaant.

Pehle Raka, “Bhaiyya, van wahi hai, store-room ke peeche, do aadmi bahar, andar nazar nahi.” Phir Pushpa ji, “Seedhe mat, peeche se ghero, Munna left, Kesari upar, security officer aane do, pehle fire mat. Rani, tu sun rahi hai? Tu kamre mein hai?”

Srivalli ne radio uthaya, awaaz dheemi, taaki ghar na jaage, “Haan, Pushpa ji, main yahin hoon, nikalungi nahi. Aap tedhe jaaiye, security officer aa rahi hai, Naidu ji ne kaha patrol nikal chuki. Zinda chahiye, yeh meri baat yaad rakhie.”

“Yaad hai,” unhone kaha, aur radio shaant ho gaya, kuch pal, jo lambe lage, uski saans jin palon mein itni tez thi ki usko khud apna dil sunai diya. Usne paani piya, glass neeche rakha, khidki ke kareeb gayi, lekin aangan se aage kuch nahi dikhta tha, sirf andhera, ek diya jo maa ji ne shaam ko jalaya tha, ab bujha hua. *Aap bahar ho, main yahan hoon, yeh meri pehli goli wali raat nahi, yeh aakhri aag hai, aur main kaanpungi, lekin radio nahi chhodungi. Shekhar, aap meri jeep ke intezaar mein the, aaj meri file aapke intezaar mein hai.*

Radio par phir awaaz aayi, Kesari ki, “Do aur aadmi peeche se, ek lambi wali jeep, chehra khula hai, bhaiyya, Shekhar khud lagta hai.” Pushpa ji, “Pakka? Distance?” “Sau gaz, khula khada hai, jaise dikhna chahta ho.” “Fire mat, ghero. security officer kahan hai?”

Srivalli ke phone par Prakash ka message aaya, “Patrol do minute, rasta dono end se. Aap ghar rahiye.” Usne type kiya, “Haan, yahin hoon. Zinda chahiye.” Phir radio uthaya, “Pushpa ji, security officer do minute, dono end se, fire mat, ghero.” Unki awaaz aayi, “Suna, rani. Tu shaant rahi.”

Woh shaant nahi thi, lekin chup thi. Shawl uske kandhe se sarakta, usne wapas kas liya, pair thande, nange, floor thanda, aur ek pal ko usko yaad aayi pehli rally, safed-lal saree, pehli goli, gaadi ka darwaza, phir bandargaah ka sheesha, jahaaz ki roshni, aur aaj yeh kamra, yeh radio, yeh aakhri daav. *Meri kursi aaj is radio par rakhi hai, raste par nahi. Main jeetungi, lekin khoon meri file par nahi chahiye, kyunki rani wahi hai jo goli se badi rahe.*

Radio par Munna ki awaaz aayi, kati, “Bhaiyya, security officer ki jeep dikh gayi, ek end se, doosri abhi nahi.” Pushpa ji, “Doosri ka intezaar, fire mat, jo khula khada hai usko nikalne mat dena, peeche ka rasta bandh karo.” Prakash ka phone phir khanakaya, Srivalli ne dheeme uthaya, “Naidu ji.” “Doosri patrol ek minute, rani ji, aapki awaaz un tak jaaye, fire hold.” Usne radio uthaya, “Pushpa ji, doosri patrol ek minute, fire hold, Naidu ji keh rahe hain.” “Suna,” unhone kaha, “tu bahadur hai, rani, tu jaagti rahi. Ab shaant, kaam hone de.”

Usne radio seene se lagaya, shawl ke neeche, jaise koi palang par bachha lagaye, lekin yeh bachha nahi tha, yeh uski jung thi, aur uske honth band the, aankhein khuli, kamre ki andheri deewar par ek poster nahi tha, sirf peeli calendar, maa ji ka, aur uske peeche sheher, rasta, godown, woh aadmi jo khula khada tha.