PART 2
UPDATE 5
Janu dheere se aage badhi, uske kadam halki si aawaaz kar rahe the. Usne ek nazar mere haathon ki taraf daali, jisme ek purana locket tha.
Janu - "Haan, aapne bulaya?" Uski awaaz me ek ajnabi si uljhan thi.
Maine bina kuch kahe locket uske saamne kiya. "Haan, yeh locket dekho jara."
Janu jaise hi locket par nazar daalti hai, uska chehra ek pal me zard pad jata hai. Uski aankhein badhti chali jati hain jaise usne koi badi tabahi dekh li ho.
Janu - "Yeh... Yeh yaha kaise aa gaya? Kya un charo ko ab khatra ho jayega?" Uski awaaz me bechaini aur dar dono the.
Maine gehri soch me do kadam aage badh kar kaha, "Haan... Mujhe bhi lagta hai aur mujhe yeh bhi pata hai yeh kaun kar sakta hai."
Kdev aur Janu dono ek saath bol pade, "Kaun?"
Maine apni aankhein uthai aur ek thandi saans lete hue kaha, "Jadunagri ka raja—Ravindra."
Kdev ne hairani se kaha, "Wahi purana raja? Jisne Samrat Pratiyogita me chunauti di thi?"
Maine dheere se sir hila diya. "Haan, wahi. Aur ab jab woh pratiyogita dobara laut aayi hai, toh uska saya bhi wapas aa gaya hai."
Ek samay ke liye waha sannata chha gaya. Hawa aur tez ho chuki thi jaise woh bhi is raaz ki shakti mehsoos kar rahi ho.
Janu ne dheere se kaha, "Ek baat kahu main aapse?"
Maine uski taraf dekha, "Haan, kaho." Fir maine Kdev ki taraf dekha aur kaha, "Tu jaa ab, tujhe udhar ka matter sambhalna hai."
Kdev bina kuch kahe sir hila kar waha se chala gaya, Ratan Singh ke roop me.
Jaise hi Kdev gaya, Janu meri taraf mudhi. "Ab batao."
Maine apni mutthi dheere se kholi aur uska chehra padne ki koshish ki. "Haan, batao."
Janu ne ek gehri saans le kar kaha, "Mujhe lagta hai hume Sabnam se baat karni chahiye... Kyunki Naaglok aur Pitaji ke Naraklok ke kaaragrah ka rasta ek hi hai."
Maine ek pal ke liye socha, fir dheeme se bola, "Janu... Main bhi yehi soch raha tha, par maine Sabnam ko in sab cheezon se hamesha door rakha hai. Uska aur mera koi mel nahi... Main antariksh me rehne wala hoon aur woh Pataalok ki. Iska mel kaise ho sakta hai? Humare rajya ke liye yeh theek nahi hoga... Yeh main samajh nahi pa raha."
Janu ne mere haath apne haathon me le liye. Uski aankhon me ek ajeeb si shakti thi. "Toh aap Devik Shakti se sab kuch seekh sakte ho, par main Kaali Shaktiyon se nahi? Jab aapko mujhse koi takraav nahi lagta, toh phir yeh kaise ho sakta hai ki humara koi mel hi na ho? Zaroori yeh nahi ki humari zindagi me kaun aata hai... Zaroori yeh hai ki na woh aapko dukh de, na kisi aur ko dukh dene ki soche. Aap hamesha yahi karte aaye hain, warna main aapse mohabbat kyun karti? Chahe janam koi sa bhi ho, jab tak aap wahi rahoge... Main har janam me aapki ho jaungi."
Maine sukoon bhari saans lete hue uski baat suni. "Main maanta hoon, par tumhe nahi lagta ki main aise karke sabka pyaar wapas se kho dunga?"
Janu ki muskurahat halki si gehri ho gayi. "Yehi baat aapke dimaag me hamesha rehti hai. Is hisaab se toh na aapko Saloni di, na Pari, na Neha... Aur na kisi aur ko bhi pyaar dena chahiye, even na mujhe bhi. Jis tarah hawa kabhi ek taraf nahi chalti, waise hi aap kisi aur ki jiyi hui zindagi dobara nahi jee sakte. Jo hai... Wahi zindagi hai. Jo mil raha hai... Usko lekar apni zindagi achi banao."
Maine hasta hua kaha, "Thik hai baba, samajh gaya! Ab tu itna serious mat ho ja, maan li teri baat. Karta hoon Sabnam se bhi baat... Aur iss locket ke saaye se ab iss ghar ki suraksha tere hawale hai."
Janu ne ek pal ke liye mujhe dekha, phir apne baalon me se ek reshmi taar toda. Usne uss baal ko apni ungliyon ke beech ghumaaya, phir ek halki si fook maar kar meri taraf chhod diya. Jaise hi woh baal mere paas aaya, woh sidha meri kalayi par chipak gaya aur dheere-dheere ek tabiz ki shakal me badal gaya.
Maine hairani se uski taraf dekha, "Yeh kis liye?"
Janu mere kareeb aayi, uska haath mere gaal par aaya aur phir usne dheere se mere gaal par ek geeli chummi chhod di. "Mere pati ko gandi nazar se bachane ke liye."
Uski yeh ada, yeh narmi, jaise saari sardi hawaon ko ek pal me garm kar diya ho. Ek ajeeb si sukoon bhari garmi mere andar phel gayi.
Maine apna haath uske gaal par rakha aur dheere se uski taraf jhuka, "Main aaj raat Pratiyogita ke liye apni patrika dene ja raha hoon."
Janu ne bina kisi jhijhak ke sir haan me hila diya, "Ji, main yaha sab dhyaan rakhungi. Aap araam se jaaiye aur bina kisi dikkat ke laut kar aaiye."
Uski aankhon me ek vishwas tha, ek prem bhari shakti. Maine phir se uss locket ko dekha jo ab mere haath me tha, aur dheere se apni aankhein band ki. Jaise hi maine apni saari urja uss vichar me lagayi, aankhein kholte hi main Raj Mahal ke samne khada tha—wahi jagah jaha Pratiyogita hone wali thi.
Thandi hawa ke jhoke chal rahe the, lekin mere mann me sirf ek cheez thi—Ajay.
Maine mann hi mann usse yaad kiya, aur turant ek awaaz gunj uthi.
Ajay - "Aap aa gaye?"
Maine sir hila diya, "Haan, meri patrika tayaar hai."
Ajay ne ek patrika mere haath me dete hue kaha, "Yeh rahi aapki patrika... Aur yeh raha aapka ghoda."
Maine uske diye gaye ghode ki taraf dekha. Kala ghoda, tez hawaon ki tarah, uski aankhon me ek alag hi tej tha.
Ajay ne aage badh kar kaha, "Aapko yaha se akele apne ghode par pravesh karna hoga."
Maine ek gehri saans li, patrika apni kamar ki peti me daali, aur ghode ki lagam mazbooti se pakad li.
Aaj ki raat sirf ek safar nahi thi, ek ladaai thi. Ek purani duniya ka darwaza dobara khul raha tha... Aur main uss darwaze ke uss paar jaane ke liye tayaar tha.
"Kyuki main pichle 100 saalon se apne bhavishyalaya ko badalne ki koshish kar raha hoon... Aur yeh wali koshish ab tak ki sabse aage ki khoj hai. Yaha tak jo main pahunch gaya hoon, tabhi toh main aapko apni yeh kahani bata raha hoon... Na ki woh baaki 99 safar jo adhure reh gaye..."
Meri aawaaz ek ajeeb si thakan se bhari thi, par uske peeche ek jazba tha. Har baar jab main kisi naye mod par aaya, laga shayad iss baar kuch badal sakta hoon, par sab kuch phir se ek jaise chal pada.
"Kai jagah maine wahi cheeze baar-baar ki jo bina kisi matlab ki thi… Par unhe karna mere liye zaroori tha."
Maine ek pal ke liye ruk kar saans li, mann me un saari yaadon ka bojh mehsoos kiya jo maine itne saalon me ikattha kiya tha.
"Jab maine pehli yatra ki thi... Jab main bilkul nasamajh tha... Tab bhi maine yehi harqat ki thi."
Us waqt mujhe laga tha ki main samay ke bahaav ko tod sakta hoon, kuch alag kar sakta hoon. Par har baar yeh duniya mujhe ussi mod par laakar chhod deti thi.
"Kyuki main samay ke bahaav ko todna nahi chahta tha..."
Mujhe pata tha ki agar maine kuch galat kiya, toh yeh pura samay chakra toot sakta hai. Shayad main hi
khatam ho jaoon, shayad yeh safar bhi.
Lekin iss baar… iss baar sab kuch alag lag raha tha.
