Suno Uday Mein Pyaar

[aries]

Yaaron ke baad, Ravi ne mujhse pucha ki Maya aur main hamesha itna kyun baatein karte rehte hain.

"Usse baat karna aasaan hai, aur uska sangeet ka taste bahut accha hai."

"Tum dono to baatein karte rehte ho! Main to lunch mein kuch keh nahi pata."

"Tum karte ho. Tum sirf samose khane par dhyaan dete ho."

Ek din, Maya ne mujhe ek kavita ki reading mein bulaya.

"Um, mujhe nahi pata," maine thoda hichkichahat se jawab diya.

"Anita Desai. Usne pichle saal Sahitya Akademi Award jeeta tha."

Main bahut jaana chahta tha, par ab jab main Maya ko itna ajeeb nahi samajhta tha, mujhe nahi pata tha ki kya main uske saath ek shaam guzaarna chahta hoon.

"Uske baad, main tumhe kuch street food khilaoongi. Tumhe chaat pasand hai?"

"Mujhe bahut pasand hai," maine maan liya.

"Perfect! Toh yeh tay hai," usne apni chamakdaar muskurahat ke saath kaha.

Reading aur mazedaar khane ke baad, maine Maya ke living room mein kadam rakha, jo rang-birangi paintings aur kitabon se bhara hua tha. Maine kuch kitabon ke naam dekhne shuru kiye.

"Khud dekho," usne kaha.

"Shukriya, par agar main ek padh loon, toh main ise rakhna chahta hoon."

"Main bhi aisa hi karti hoon," usne muskurate hue kaha. "Par dekho, meri jagah kitni bekar ho gayi hai."

"Main bina kitabon ke nahi reh sakta. Yeh mere liye parivaar ki tarah hain."

"Thoda akela lagta hai," Maya ne kaha, aankhein upar uthakar.

Maine uski taraf dekha.

"Main kya?" usne pucha.

"Akela?"

Maine kandhe hilaaye.

"Zyada nahi."

"Zyada nahi, par...?"

"Main apne doston ko chuninda rakhta hoon. Mere paas zyada nahi hain."

"Main sun rahi hoon," usne kaha, saamne ki kursi par baithe hue.

"Mera bachpan... kaafi complex tha. Mere maa-baap kaam ke liye aksar chalte rehte the. Mujhe yeh bilkul pasand nahi tha! Kitabein sirf ek constant thi, isliye main unmein kho gaya."

"Yeh sunne mein kuch kuch familiar lagta hai," Maya ne kaha, uski aankhon mein vichar tha.

"Main ek aise parivaar mein bada hua jahan bhaavnaayein kabhi nahi dikhai jaati thi," maine share kiya. "Unhone apne tareeke se mujhse pyaar kiya, par hamesha apne career mein itne busy rahe ki mujhe dhyan nahi dete the. Toh maine sahitya ki taraf rukh kiya."

"Yeh bhi akelapan hai," usne halka sa kaha.

Jab main wapas aaya, maine kuch uski kitabein le li.

Hamari dosti gehri hoti gayi, par mera curiosity ab bhi tha. Kya main usse kisi ki yaad dilata tha? Mere pita? Agar haan, kya woh uske saath kisi tarah judta tha? Meri maa ne kabhi uske baare mein zyada nahi bataya, sirf itna kaha ki woh samajhdar tha aur uski zindagi par gehra asar daala.

Ek baar, jab maine usse pucha, usne thoda khulkar baat ki.

"Wo kaisa tha?"

"Charming. Aisa aadmi jo poore kamre ko roshan kar deta tha."

"Tum dono ka kahaan mulaqat hui?"

"Market mein, main soch mein tha aur usse takra gaya. Usme ek magnetic energy thi, aur main hans pada jab usne girte hue falon ko sambhalne ki koshish ki."

"Phir kya hua?"

"Hum ghanton tak baatein karte rahe. Wo ek sapne dekhne wala tha, hamesha kuch bada paane ki koshish mein."

"Phir tum dono ek saath kyun nahi hue?" maine pucha.

"Hum jawaan the, bahut jawaan. Main tayaar nahi thi settle hone ke liye, aur usse duniya ghoomne ka shauk tha."

"Kya tumne usse pyaar kiya?" maine pucha.

"Pyaar? Yeh thoda complex tha," usne kaha, uski aankhon mein door ka ek nazar.

Ek din, maine aakhirkar himmat karke pucha ki main kiski yaad dilata hoon.

"Main use college mein mili thi," usne halka se kaha.

"Wo bhi artist tha?"

"Oh nahi, wo kaafi alag tha. Chup rehne wala, par zindagi se bhara hua."

"Aur tum?" maine pucha.

"Main ek khudgarz sapne dekhne wali thi, har waqt ummeed bhari. Wo chup tha, par usne mujhe samjha."

"Kya tumne kabhi…?"

"Haan," usne kabhi nahi, uski nazar gir gayi. "Mera ek beta tha. Mujhe laga main akeli ye sambhal sakti hoon. Main chahti thi ki uska zindagi behtar ho, isliye maine use chhod diya."

Mujhe mehsoos hua uske shabdon ka bojh, jaise ek lehar ne mujhe dhakela diya.

"Ek jagah mujhe pata hai, meri ek aisi khud se anjaan bachha hai," Maya ne aage kaha. "Yeh meri zindagi ka sabse mushkil faisla tha."

"Maine socha wo shayad ek beti hai," maine kaha.

"Beti? Nahi, wo beta tha," usne dheere se kaha. "Maine nahi chaha ki meri chunav us par bojh ban jaye."

"Toh shayad main hoon," maine chuk-chuk se kaha.

"Tumhe lagta hai ki main tumhari maa hoon?" usne hairaani se pucha, uski aankhein badi hui.

"Kitabein, hansi, hum mein kitna kuch hai," maine uljhan se kaha.

"Humare beech kuch na kuch toh hai, par main tumhari maa nahi hoon," usne halka se kaha. "Mujhe khed hai ki main tumhe niraash karti hoon."

"Par hum ab bhi kuch aur ban sakte hain," maine prastaav diya, mera dil tezi se dhadak raha tha.

"Kya?" usne curious hoke pucha.

"Dost?" maine halke se prastaav kiya.

"Dost?" usne dohraaya, muskurahat uske chehre par phir se aayi.

"Yeh humare saamne tha," maine kaha, meri hansi beech mein aa gayi.

"Mujhe kabhi yeh chhoti si kahani suna do," usne kaha, uski muskurahat abhi bhi chamak rahi thi.

"Thik hai, main tumhe bataunga, kyunki ab hum dost hain."

Aur jab main usse muskurahat de raha tha, yeh ek naye shuruaat ki tarah mehsoos hota tha—jaise Ganges ke kinare suryast ki garmi aur chamak.