Lahore ke ek posh ilaqe mai, jahan barsaat ke baad mitti ki khushbu har taraf phail rahi thi, aur amaltaas ke peele phool sadkon par bikhrey thay jaise kisi ne puri duniya ka sona ura kar sadkon par daal diya ho wahan Malik Ahmad Pasha ki haveli thi.
Shaam ka waqt tha.
Suraj abhi dooba nahi tha, lekin uski roshni sunehri rang le chuki thi jo sirf kuch pal ke liye aati hai…na sara din, na puri raat. Darmiyan ki woh kaifiyat jo insaan ko rok deti hai, ek lamhe ke liye sab kuch bhula deti hai.
Haveli ke baahir, bougainvillea ki lal-gulabi bailein diwar se lipti hui thi. Andar, baray aangan mein neem ka ek ghana darakht tha jis ki chhaon itni ghani thi ke barish mein bhi wahan zameen sukhi rehti. Aur us neem ke neechay ek jhoola.
Aur usi jhoole pe, us sham, ek choti si larki baithi thi.
Hoorain Ahmad Pasha.
Umar sirf saat saal. Chhoti si, gol-matol, peele rang ka kapda pehne hue kamiz jis par safed phool bane thay. Baal do chhoti chhoti chuttiyon mein bandhe aur kuch maathe par bikhre huye. Aankhen bari-bari, bilkul kaali, jinme ek masoom si chamak thi. Nannhi si naak, aur honth jo baat karte waqt aksar phulte thay.
Abhi woh jhoola jhol rahi thi aur saath saath kuch gaa bhi rahi thi koi dheemi si lori jo shayad usne apni dadi se suni thi, ya shayad khud banai thi. Alfaaz saaf nahi thay, lekin sur mitha tha.
Jhoola aage jaata, woh gati. Jhoola peechay aata, woh ruk jaati.
Ghar ke andar se ek aawaz aayi:
“Hoorain! Beta, andar aao tumhare baba ane waly hain!”
Yeh Begum Nadia Ahmad ki aawaz thi. Hoorain ki dadi. Bachpan se hoorain ko uski dadi ne paala tha kyun k hoorain ki maa uski paidaish k kuch maah baad hi dunia se chali gai thi.
Hoorain ne ek lamhe ke liye jholy ko roka, phir muh bana liya.
“Abhi nahi, dado!” usne seedha jawab diya bina hichkichahat ke.
“Bohot ziddi ho gai hai ye.” Begum Nadia ne ukhre lehje mai kaha. “Kuch kehna bekar hai jab tak woh khud na chahe.”
Kuch hi minton mein ghar ka bahari darwaaza khula.
Aik bari car andar dakhil ho kar ruki. Darwaza khula
Sardar Zafar Ali Khan nechy utre. woh ek aisay insaan thay jinhein dekhte hi ehsaas hota tha ke saamne koi chota admi nahi khara. Lamba qad, grey color ki sherwani mein. Chehra sakht lekin aankhein mehrbaan. Moochain kuch badi thi, jab woh muskuratay toh aur bhi upar ho jaati thein. Unki aawaz mein wo wazn tha jo aksar bade buzurgo ki awaz mein hota hai.
Unke saath thay unke bete.
Shahzain Khan.
Aaath saal ki umar, lekin thora lamba kadd jo umar se bada lagta tha. Gehra sawla rang, baal kaale aur thode ulajhe hue jese subah se nahi sanware thay. Aankhein halki bhoori jis mein ek gehri thandak thi. Maatha thoda aage nikla hua, chehra gol nahi tha, thoda lamba. Kapdon par kuch silwatain thi, joote mein kuch mittti ke nishaan.
Shahzain ki aankhen seedha jholay ki taraf gayin.
Aur phir wahan baithi Hoorain ki taraf.
Uske honthon par ek muskaan aayi woh muskaan jo chupaney se nahi chhupti.
Malik Ahmad Pasha andar se nikle tall, slim, safed shalwar qameez mein, haath mein aik kitaab jis ka title tha “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
Chehra shafaaf aur aankhen intelligent. Jo log unhe nahi jaante thay woh samjhtay thay yeh shayd koi professor hain. Par jo log unhe jaante thay unhe pata tha wo aik zahin tareen businessman hain.
“Zafar bhai!”
“Ahmad bhai!” Dono ne aik dosre ko dekh kar khushi se kaha.
Do doston ki mulaqaat jaise hamesha hoti thi, is mein koi formality nahi thi, koi takkalluf nahi tha. Aik dosre se galy mily aur dono andar ki taraf chale gaye jaise yeh ghar dono ka tha.
Shahzain bahar aangan mein hi ruk gaya.
Aur jholay ki taraf chal para.
Hoorain ne nazar uthayi samne shahzain khara hai, “Kya kar rahi ho?” usne pucha.
“Jhool rahi hoon,” Hoorain ne bilkul seedha jawab diya. “Aankhein hain tumhari? Dekh nahi sakty”
Shahzain ne halka sa sar hilaya. “Mujhe pata tha tum yahi keh do gi.”
“Toh kyun pucha?” hoorain ne mun phula kar kaha.
“Baat karne ke liye.” shahzain ne mun bana kar kaha.
Hoorain ek second ruki. Phir dobara jhoolna shuru kar diya. “Theek hai. Baat karo.”
Shahzain jholay ki rassi pakad kar Hoorain ke peechay aa khara hua. “Dhaka lagaon?”
“Haan.” hoorain ne kaha.
Shahzain jhooly ko dhaka lagane laga.
Hoorain hasne lagi.”Aur zor se!”
“Gir jao gi.” shahzain ne kaha.
“Nahi girungi.” hoorain ne kaha.
“Pichli baar giri thi.” shahzain ne taana dete huye kaha.
“Woh accident tha.” hoorain ne mun phulate huye kaha.
Shahzain ko halki si hansi ai jo ruk nahi payi. Aawaaz nikal gayi. Hoorain ne peechay mur ke ghora.
“Haso mat.” us ne chirhte huye kaha.
“Main nahi hans raha.” shahzain ne hansi ko rokty huye kaha
“Hans rahe ho.” hoorain ne kaha
“Nahi.” shahzain ne kaha jese wo hoorain se darr raha ho.
“To woh kya tha phir?” hoorain ne aur gusse se kaha.
“Woh… Khansi aayi thi.” shahzain ne shararat se kaha.
Hoorain ka muh phula. “Jhootay.”
Shahzain ne phir dhaka lagaya thoda aur zor se. Hoorain ki hansi ki awaz pure aangan mai gonj rahi thi aur woh hansti hansti jhoolti rahi.
Baray darwaze ke paas baith ke Malik Ahmad Pasha aur Sardar Zafar Ali Khan aapas mein batain kar rahe thay. Karobar ki, Lahore ki, guzre huye waqt ki. Aur Sardar Zafar Ali Khan ki begum Shaheen Aara, Begum Nadia k pas bethi thi unki nazar aangan ki taraf thi.
Jahan Shahzain aur hoorain khail rahe thy.
Begum Nadia ne chai ka ghunt liya. “Dekh rahi ho un dono ko?”
Shaheen Aara ne muskurate hue nazar ghumaayi. “G bilkul.”
“Bohot ziddi ho gai hai ye bachi” Begum Nadia ne thoda ruk kar kaha, “bin maa ki bachi hai ladd pyar diye bina raha bhi nahi jata”
“Allah hamare bacho k naseeb ache kare amma g”. Shaheen Aara ne begum nadia ka hath pakar kar kaha.
“Ameen……Ameen” Begum Nadia ne muskurate huye kaha.
Suraj thoda aur jhuk gaya.
Sunehri rung jo pehle tha, woh ab laal hone laga tha. Neem ki parchhaiyaan aangan mein lambi ho gayi thein. Hawa chalne lagi.
Hoorain thak gayi thi. Jhoola ab aahista chal raha tha.
Shahzain saamne zameen par donon pair phaila ke baitha tha haath peeche zameen par tike hue. Woh aasman ki taraf dekh raha tha jahan ek akela taara nikal aaya tha.
“Shahzain,” Hoorain ne dheemi aawaz mein kaha.
“Hm?”
“Woh taara dekh rahe ho?” hoorain ne taare ki taraf ishara kar k pucha
Shahzain ne nazar uthayi. “Haan.”
“Yeh taara hamesha pehle kyon nikalta hai?”
Shahzain ne socha sachi waali soch, jaise woh sach mein jawaab dhoondh raha ho. “Hmmm… shayad usy akelapan pasand nahi. Jaldi nikal aata hai takay andhere se pehle aa jaye.”
Hoorain ko yeh jawab pasand aaya. Woh thodi der usi taare ko dekhti rahi.
“Mujhe bhi akelaapan pasand nahi,” usne kaha bilkul seedha, bilkul saaf, jaise yeh koi badi baat nahi.
Shahzain ne nazar ghumaayi. Hoorain ki taraf dekh kar kaha “Main hoon na,”
Bilkul seedha. Bilkul saaf.
Hoorain ne muh phulaya phir muskurai. “Haan. Tum ho.”
“Ajao bacho! Khane ka waqt ho gya hai” andar se Shaheen Aara ki awaaz ai.
“Aye mama” Shahzain ne jawab diya.
Andar table par khana lag chuka tha lazeez khano ki khushboo puri haveli mai phail rahi thi.
Sab khamooshi se khana kha rahe thy. Achanak Hoorain ko taiz mirchi lagi aur aankhain bhar aayin, shahzain ne foran apna paani ka glass Hoorain ki taraf khiskaaya.
Hoorain ne piya, Thoda sakoon aaya.
“Shukriya,” usne dheere kaha.
“Hm,” Shahzain ne sirf itna kaha.
Shaheen Aara ne sab khamoshi se dekha. Us ne aik nazar hoorain ko dekha or aik nazar shahzain ki taraf par kuch kaha nahi us k honton par muskurahat aai.
Raat ke khaney ke baad, Sardar sahab aur Malik sahab baithak mein chale gaye. Chai aur baatein shuru ho gai.
Shaheen Begum ne koi puraani yaad sunaayi, Begum Nadia hasti hasti kursi se thodi aage jhuk gayi.
Aangan mein ab sirf dono bache thay.
Chand nikal aaya tha poora, gol, safed. Jholy par chandni pard rahi thi. Neem ka saya gehri raat mein chup gaya tha lekin hawa mein us ki mahak thi.
Hoorain jholay par dheere se jhool rahi thi Shahzain paas hi dewar par tangain latka kar baitha tha.
Kuch der khamoshi rahi.
Woh khamoshi jo sirf un logon ke darmiyan hoti hai jo ek saath khamoosh rehna jaante hain.
Phir Hoorain ne jhoola roka aur woh Shahzain ke paas aayi. Chhoti si aankhein uper uthaaye, woh seedha uski taraf dekhti rahi.
Shahzain ne neeche dekha. “Kya hua?”
Hoorain ne ek second liya.
“Tum mere dost raho ge na… hamesha?”
Lafzon mein koi drama nahi tha. Koi natak nahi. Sirf ek saat saal ki larki ka seedha sawal jese wo shahzain ko kabhi khona nahi chahti ho.
Shahzain ko hansi bhi nahi aayi. Mazaaq bhi nahi sujha.
Kuch tha is sawal mein halka, lekin wazni. Masoom, lekin gehra.
Woh thodi der us ki aankhon mein dekhta raha.
Phir dheere se kaha:
“Haan.”
Bas itna.
Hoorain ne kuch pal k liye us ke chehere ko parha jaise woh confirm kar rahi ho k wo hamesha ki tarha mazak to nahi kar raha.
“Chalo jhola jhulte hain” ye kehty huye shahzain ne dewar se chalang lagai or dono jholay ki taraf dourne lagy, dono jhooly par beth gye aur dheere dheere jhoolna shuru kar diya.
Tabhi Sardar Zafar Ali Khan ki awaaz aayi. “Shahzain! Beta chalo, ghar jane ka waqt ho gaya hai.”
Hoorain ka chehra utar gaya. “kya tum yahan nahi ruk sakty” usne masomiyat se hont phulate huye kaha.
“Kal milenge na,” Shahzain ne jhoolay se utarte huye kaha.
“Pakka?” Hoorain ne uski shirt ka kona pakar kar poocha.
Shahzain ne ruk kar uski aankhon mein dekha. “Pakka. Waada baba.”
Aur wo apni car mai ja kar beth gaya. Main gate khula aur wo chala gaya.
Hoorain khari bas dekhti rahi jese wo phir se akeli ho gai ho us ne aasman ki taraf nazar uthayi.
Woh pehla taara ab tanha nahi raha tha aasmaan par ab kai aur sitaray bhi jagmagane lage thay. Aur neechay, us bary aangan mein, ek choti si bachi khari thi… jise abhi andaza bhi nahi tha ke yeh dosti, yeh ek chhota sa “haan”, unki zindagi mein kitne rang bharne wali hai.