Kyun Utthe Dil Chhod Aaye

7. Randheer Raizada

"Sharfu miyan, kahan hain aap?" I called my beloved friend. Sharfu miyan was the son of my caretaker who used to live with us when we were in London. Both of them were like a family to us but last year when his father died, we got closer than ever. He was a really carefree man. The type of men who could lighten up your mood in just seconds. Although he was a year elder to me, it felt like I was the older one among us.

"Randheer saab, hum kahan ho sakte hain? Ab aapko toh khaana bana na aata nahi toh kisi toh khaana bana na padega na!" He said from a small area of the room that was given to us by the lodge. He was cooking a delicious breakfast for both of us because I didn't know cooking.

"Arey Sharfu miyan, aap toh naraaz hogaye!" I laughed coming near him.

"Janab, kab tak hum aise hi lodge mein rahenge aur yahaan vahaan khaayenge? Main toh kehta hun ki Lahore ke liye nikal chalte hain!" He said which pissed me off a little. I just couldn't leave like this. One year. One whole year I've waited to come to Calcutta. I can't just leave like this.

"Nahi Sharfu miyan, hum jab tak unhe dhund nahi lete, hum kahin nahi jaayenge. Haan agar aapko jaana ho, toh beshak chale jaayiye!" I said and was about to leave but he held my arms.

"Kab tak bina naam aur pata unhe dhundte rahenge? Hume toh yeh bhi nahi pata hai ki Heer koi ladki hai ya ladki ke naam se koi ladka." He asked me.

"Sharfu miyan, main ek mard aur kavi dono hun isiliye iss baat ki toh guarantee hai ki vo lafz kisi mard ke ho hi nahi sakte." I said thinking about the words written by her. "Aur rahi baat dhundne ki toh ek baat tay hai. Chahe zameen tute ya aasmaan gir jaaye, dhund toh main lunga hi unhe."

"Randheer saab aisa na ho ki Heer ki khoj mein aap Ranjhan bankr reh jaayen?" He joked and I couldn't help but smile a little. I went away from him to the room and started rummaging in my luggage when the bracelet that I had found yesterday fell out of one of my trousers. This bracelet and those eyes. I swear to God I've never seen such a beautiful pair of eyes ever. They were the prettiest shade of brown that I've ever seen. I'm sure there's no such colour discovered yet. It was only her eyes that held that colour and nobody else has noticed it yet.

While I kept smiling like an idiot holding the bracelet, Sharfu miyan came and took it from my hands.

"Sharfu miyan, ye kya kar rahe hain aap? Laaiye, dijiye hume vo bracelet!" I said forwarding my hand to catch hold of the bracelet but he moved his hands further away.

"Pehle aap hume ye batane ki zehmat kijiye ki ye bracelet aur aapki muskurahat ka kya maajra hai?" He said in a teasing manner.

"Koi bhi baat nahi hai! Aap khaamakha zyaada soch rahe hain!"

"Nahi nahi Randheer saab! Koi baat toh zarur hai. Hum aapko tabse jaante hain jabse aap paida hue hain. Aur itna toh hum aapko jaante hi hain ki hum ye bata saken ki iss muskaan ki koi wajah hai ya nahi. Aur jahaan tak meri samajh keh rahi hai, ye wajah thodi zyada hi sundar lag rahi hai tabhi toh aapke gaal bilkul gulaab ke phul ki tarah laal hogaye hain! Kyun sahi kaha na maine?" He said continuing to tease me further. What should I tell him? I didn't know anything about her. I don't even know her face let alone anything about her beauty. I had just seen her eyes and they were beautiful and that was all I  knew about her. But I'm sure she is beautiful and not just beautiful. She definitely looked ethereal. It's like my mind has painted a beautiful painting of her whose face yet again, I haven't discovered.

Apart from her eyes, I knew where she lived. Not exactly but somewhere near that area. But how exactly do I explain this to him? He will not understand, will he? He will surely think that I'm some kind of lunatic mesmerized by a woman whose eyes are the only thing I know.