Ankahe Dastan (ON HOLD)

Dard-E-Dil (Part II)

It was 3 AM at night. He climbed up the stairs to reach the terrace of his home in search of fresh air, as the air around him was no less than suffocation. He had just walked up to the plinth of the staircase when he stopped and rested his head on it for some time. He closed his eyes, everything was over now. Everything got an endpoint today; just one thing was left... his Swati. It seemed like someone pierced his heart. His body went cold. When he opened his eyes, he resumed walking upstairs. When he reached the open terrace roof, the breeze was blowing but it could not soothe his heart. He slid his back to one of the walls, where the terrace light glew. The tears were not flowing from his eyes; it seemed like he was going through a trauma. If it wasn't a trauma, then it was no less too. Whatever he heard today, neither his ear nor his heart was ready to listen. He wanted it to be the nightmare... a horrible nightmare. But sad as hell... it was all true. He half bent his leg to which a rustling sound came out of his pocket. He dabbed his pant and then took his hand up to there to get the thing. All he got was a shrunken paper which he had torn from one of the diaries someone had gifted him ages ago. He had grabbed the paper pen involuntarily and made his way up to here. He gave out a bitter smile. How cool his days are, isn't it? He has to speak to be a piece of paper out of nothing. He uncrumpled it and started writing whatever his heart asked him to.

Dear Diary,

Kaise shuru karun? Aur Kya kehke suru karun? Kahun bhi toh kaise kahun? Kehneko bohot kuchh bhi hai, aur kuchh nahi bhi hai. Dil bohot kuchh bolna chahta bhi hai aur baar baar mana bhi kar raha hai. Kya karun? Beech mazjhdhaar mein phans gayi hai aaj iss Munna ki naiyaa. Jo Munna, itni bakaiti karte karte thak ta nahi tha, aaj wahi Munna hichkicha raha hai kuchh bhi bolne se. Badal gaya... sab kuchh badal gaya mera, aaj se. Usi waqt se badal gaya jis waqt maine "uske" muh se wo suna, jisne mere dil ko andar se chir ke rakh diya. Aise mein kis tarah apne man ki baat zaahir karun tumse? Ab tum bologe ki likh ke keh do. Tum bhi achha mazak kar lete ho yaar. Likh ke toh keh hi deta lekin itna asan nahi hai mere dost... itna aasan nahi hai. Aaj pehli baar dil ro raha hai mera. Aur wajah kya hai, main khud nahi jaan paa raha hun. Socha tumse baat karte karte mujhe bhi pata lag jaaye.

Aaj tak jo Munna kabhi exam ke baad copy aur pen ki oor dekhta bhi nahi tha, wo Munna aaj apna dard ek panne pe utaarne aaya hai. Unhi shabdon ko istemaal karke apne dil ka dard tumhe batane aaya hai. Janta hun...tum soch rahe hoge ki aaj iss haste khelte Munna ko tumhare jaise kore kaagaz ki yaad kaise aa gayi? Meri baaton se tum andaaza laga hi chuke hoge. Hai na? Haan... wo isliye, kyunki aaj ye Munna khud hi kora ho gaya hai. Apni zindagi ke khaalipan ko toh bhar nahi paya, isiliye socha iss kore kagaz ko hi apne shabdon se bhar dun. Kuchh toh sukoon milega, aane bhar hi sahi. Tumhe pata hai? Pehle mujhe papa ki dukan nahi sambhalni thi par socha aise bhi kuch karna nahi hai toh yahi kar lete hain. Isme kharabi hi kya hai? Par uss waqt bhi apna sapna chod diya tha maine jaise aaj chhod diya. Aaj fir se mujhse mera ek sapna chhin raha hai... ya kahun chhin gaya hai. Aur maine itni si bhi mehnat nahi ki use haasil karne ke ki. Aur wo sapna hai "MERA FROCK WALA PANDIT". Sapna nahi, hakikat banana chahta tha main use... apni zindagi ka sabse khubsurat hakikat.

Aaj mera aur meri Swati ka rishta wo nahi reh gaya, jo pehle hua karta tha. Ab wo sirf "Swati" hai.... sirf Swati, mera frock wala pandit nahi. Shayad kuchh galtiyan maine ki, kuchh usne, par ab unn galtiyon ko yaad karke apne itne pyaare rishte ki yaadon ko bekar bhi nahi karunga main. Wo saari pyaari pyaari yaadein, mera uske saath bitaya hua har wo waqt, mere aakhon ke samne jhalak jata hai. Jab main usse school mein frock wala pandit kehke bulata tha aur wo chidh jaya karti thi aur badle mein mujhe bhi bandar keh deti thi. Par mujhe kabhi bura nahi laga. Kaise lagti? Uski kahi hui har baat chaasni jaisi meethi lagti thi mujhe. Main toh itna baawra tha uske liye ki Mt. Abu jaane ke time Sameer ka kaan kha gaya tha uske saath ek photo dilaaneke liye. Kitne sundar pal the na humare? Jab use Pehli baar bike ke pichhe bithake ice cream khilane le gaya tha, Jab humne campa ki ek hi bottle se campa piya tha, main thoda sharmata tha, wo thoda sharmati thi aur aise hi pehle aap pehle aap kehte kehte din kat jaate the. Ab toh shayad uska chehra dekhna bhi naseeb nahi hoga. Shayad aaj aakhri raat thi jab maine use dekha tha... uske shaadi se pehle. Uski shaadi horahi hai yaar... shaadi. Kitne saare sapne bune the hum donon ne humari shaadi ki. Jab bhi Sameer ki shaadi ki tayyariyan karte the hum, lagta tha ki ek din jab main dulha rahunga, mere dost bhi aisa hi karenge mere liye... socha tha meri shaadi mein bhi ye sab hoga. Haan ye sab hoga... zaroor hoga, par ab meri dulhan meri "frock waali pandit" nahi rahegi. Mere naam ki mehendi wo apne haathon mein nahi lagaegi, Mere naam ka sindoor aur mangalsutra, Swati nahi pehnegi. Kyunki... ab meri dulhan meri frock wali Pandit nahi hogi.

Sochta hun toh khyaal aata hai ki, Romeo Juliet, Heer ranjha aur jitni bhi prem kahaaniyan humne suni hai, lagbhag sabki kahani adhuri hai. Toh jab itihaash ke pannon mein likhe huye inn premiyon ki prem kahaani puri nahi ho paayi, toh hum kis khet ki muli hain? Haan... Ho sakta hai ki kisi din humari prem kahani bhi amar ho jaaye.

Shayad humara pyaar, pyaar toh tha, sachcha bhi tha, magar humare pyaar mein wo taqat nahi thi ki use safal bana sake. Humare andar bhavnayein to thi, magar unn bhavnaon ko thik se vyakt nahi kar paye hum. Humne bohot koshish bhi ki apni muskan ke piche apna dard chupa lein. Par shayad humare doston ko thodi bhanak lag gayi. Preeti aur Kamya ko toh Swati ne khud sab kuchh bataya tha. Sameer aur Naina ko bhi jhut bolke chup kara diya humne. Par pandit...Pandit toh pagalon ki tarah baatein karne lag gaya aaj. Kehta hai ki jaise Sameer, Naina ko bhaga ke le gaya tha, waise hi hum bhi Swati ko bhaga ke le chalte hain. Jab tak donon ke mata pita maan nahi jaayenge, tab tak wapas hi nahi jayenge. Ab tumhi bolo. Yeh toh galat hai na? Haan... mujhe pata tha ki tumhara bhi yahi jawab hoga. Par kya karein, Ye na Ponga Pandit hi rahega humesha. Har baat mein majak karte rehta hai. Lekin mera dil halka karne ke liye hi kar raha tha jo kar rha tha. Ya, maine hi uske uske baat ko mazak samajh liya? Wo kuchh bhi karta hai, pagal hai wo toh. Par jo bhi ho, sach ho ya mazak... maine saaf mana kar diya. Aisa karna naa toh mujhe sahi laga, aur naahi Swati ko sahi lagta. Par mera jigri dost hai wo. Mera ponga hai. Meri hi khushi chahta tha. Aakhir, Swati ke baad ab Sameer aur Pandit hi toh bache hain jinhe main dil se apna keh sakta hun jinse mera Dil ka Rishta hai. Wo dost, jo mera sath kabhi nahi chhodenge... kabhi nahi. Aur ye baat mein kisiko bhi likh ke de sakta hun.

Khair, bohot bak diya aaj maine. Kya karun? Aadat hai na, suru hota hun toh rukna bhul jaata hun. Waise bhi jo hagaya, ab uss baat pe ro ke kuchh haasil nahi ho payega...Naa mujhe aur naahi use. Ab jo ho gaya so ho gaya. Inn baaton pe rone se wo ab wapas toh nahi aayegi na? Bas, dua karunga ki 'woh' jahan bhi rahe, jiske saath bhi rahe.. khush rahe, sukhi rahe.

Aur waise bhi, roke inn yaadon ko dhundhla nahi banana chahta main. Kyuki ab yahi ek yaadein hi toh hain, jo mera jine ka sahara hai. Mana hum ek nahi ho paaye, par humari rooh humesha ek dusre se judi rahegi. Aur, Iss dil mein humesha ek hi naam rahega... FROCK WALA PANDIT.

He crumpled the paper in his tight fist and got lost in his Swati... again...

To do dilon ka dard to bayan ho gaya jo shayad kabhi mil nahi paaye... Magar unke beech ka Pyaar humesha zinda raha.

Ab hum chalte hain fir milenge ek aur ANKAHI DASTAN ke sath.

Tab takk ke liye alwida.

-Anushka and Issabella ❤️