man-o-salwa by Umera Ahmed

part 3

Man-o-Salwa

Woh jaanta tha, usay us se kya kehna tha. Jo bhi hua, us ke liye mujhe afsos hai. Mujhe tumhari har baat par aitbaar hai. Main ab bhi tum se pehle jaisi mohabbat karta hoon. Aao, mere ghar walay tumhara intezaar kar rahe hain. Bus mein baithe khidki se bahar jhankte hue us ne apne jumlon ko tarteeb de liya tha. Behtareen lafzon mein maazrat... munasib tareen lafzon mein izhar-e-aitbaar... khoobsurat tareen lafzon mein izhar-e-mohabbat aur bohat dramaayi tareen lafzon mein usay wapas apne ghar tak le jata. Bus ke andar seton par baithe log kya kar rahe thay aur bahar sarak par kya ho raha tha, woh mukammal tor par is se be khabar tha.

Us ne aaj tak zindagi mein jitne lafz parhe ya sune thay, woh un mein se behtareen lafzon ka intekhab chaah raha tha jo aik ghanta pehle us ke ghar mein us se kahe gaye lafzon ki badsoorati, bhayankar pan aur

azeet ko kam kar sakain.

Yeh bohat mushkil kaam hai, us ne aitraf kiya.

Be had mushkil hai. Ek million dollar banana aasan hai, be had aasan, magar zubaan se nikle hue lafzon ki azeet ko madham karna ya mita dena?

Bus ne yakdam brake lagaye, woh chonk kar apni sochon se bahar nikal aya. Us ka matlooba stop aa chuka tha. Woh itni baar us ke sath is route par safar kar chuka tha ke aankhen band kar ke bhi is raasta par us ke

ghar pohanch jata.

Bus ka darwaza khulte hi us ne be ikhtiyar jhar jhari li aur phir usay yaad aya. Woh apna long coat jaldi. Main ghar par hi bhool aaya tha. Bus se neeche utarte hue us ne haath jacket ki jibon mein daal liye. Mausam ki pehli barf bari ho chuki thi. Agar che woh bohat mukhtasir waqt ke liye hui thi magar mehkamay mausamiyat ne agle chand ghanton mein mazeed aur taweel barf bari ki peshgoi ki thi. Footpath par barf ki be had halki aur mamooli si tahbe nazar aa rahi thi jis ne filhal logon ki zindagiyon ko mafluj karna aur unhein imaraton ke andar rukne par majboor karna shuru nahi kiya tha. Woh footpath bhi us ke liye shanasa tha. Us ke ghar tak woh dono itni baar is par chalte rahe the ke is footpath par baithe paanch bhikari tak un ke shanasa ban gaye the. Woh ab baqaida bheek lete hue un se muskurahat aur greetings ka tabadla kiya karte the. Usay shakk tha, woh in dono ka naam bhi jaante the aur

na nahi toh kam az kam yeh to zaroor jaante the ke woh Pakistani hain, Indian nahi. Aur in dono ka rishta... shayad is ke bare mein bhi unhein andaza tha.

Us ka paon yak dum phaila, sochon se wapas aate hue us ne be ikhtiyar khud ko sambhala. Concrete ke is footpath par woh girta to usay kitni buri chot aa sakti thi. Woh har baar is footpath par isi jagah phisalta tha. Har baar woh saath chalte hue usay be ikhtiyar pakar kar sahaara deti. Shuru mein woh is par hashti aur woh sharminda hota. Jab us ka yeh phisla mamool banne laga to woh naraz hone lagi aur woh mazeed sharminda... aur ab kuch arse se

woh footpath par makhsoos jagah aane se pehle hi us se keh dene lagi.

"Phailne wali jagah aane lagi hai, ab dhyan se paon rakhna."

Woh be had mohtaat hone aur us ki is tanbeeh ke bawajood wahan kai baar phisla tha aur woh be ikhtiyar us ko sahaara dete hue kehti.

"Mujhe lagta hai, tum is liye yahan phailte ho ke mera haath pakad sako." "Tumhara haath pakadne ke liye mujhe phailne ki zaroorat nahi hai." Woh jhunjhla kar kehta. Woh ruk jati aur us se chand kadam door hokar be had teekhe andaaz mein us se kehti.

"Acha tumhara kya khayal hai, bina wajah ke itni aasani se haath pakra dungi tumhein?"

"Main haath pakadne ki baat nahi kar raha, haath pakadne ki baat kar raha hoon." Woh kuch aur jhunjhlaata.

"Itni himmat hai? Zara pakad ke to dikhao."

Woh be had narazgi ke aalam mein apne dono haath apne aqab mein kar ke us ko challenge karti. Woh chand lamhe usay ghoorta. Woh jaanti thi, woh us ka haath pakadne ki koshish nahi karega aur usay bhi pata tha ke woh yeh baat