Last Stop Tak Saath

Ramesh ne table par ungli tap ki. “Matlab yeh hai ki zindagi sirf marks se nahi chalti.”

“Main yeh nahi keh rahi,” Dipti ne kaha. “Main bas jaana chahti hoon. Bas ek chance.”

Sangeeta ne uske chehre ko dekha. Woh chehra, jismein bachpan abhi poori tarah gaya nahi tha aur jawani ne abhi poori tarah jagah nahi li thi. Usne us din pehli baar mehsoos kiya ki Dipti ka sapna sirf stubbornness nahi hai. Woh ek saans ki tarah hai—agar roka gaya toh andar hi andar suffocate karega.

Phir bhi Sangeeta ne wahi kiya jo woh hamesha karti thi: protect. Lekin uska protect karna us waqt control ban gaya. Usne Dipti ko alag le jaake kaha, “Itna emotional mat ho. Baba gusse mein hain. Thoda time de. Abhi decide mat kar.”

Dipti ne uski taraf dekha, aur uski aankhon mein disappointment saaf tha. “Aap bhi?”

Sangeeta ka dil jaise ek second ke liye ruk gaya. “Main?” usne dheere se kaha.

“Ha, mausi. Aap bhi mujhe rokogi?” Dipti ki awaaz mein dard tha, gussa kam tha, dard zyada. “Mujhe laga aap samjhogi.”

Sangeeta ne kuch nahi kaha. Bas palat kar chali gayi. Us raat usne khana bhi theek se nahi khaya. Courtyard mein baithi rahi, aur tea garden ki thandi hawa uske chehre se takraati rahi. Door kahin ek dog bhonk raha tha. Sangeeta ke haath mein Dipti ka scholarship letter ki photocopy thi, jo usne bina bataye sambhaal ke rakh li thi. Uske andar ek purana zakhm hil gaya tha.

Agli subah bus mein Dipti chup thi. Sangeeta bhi chup thi. Bittu ne un dono ko dekha aur aadat ke hisaab se bol diya, “Arre, aaj mausi-bhanji ki team mein commentary off hai kya? Koi fight hui hai kya?”

Kisi ne jawab nahi diya. Bittu ne apni hi baat pe halki hansi ki, par phir usne dekha ki mazaak ka waqt nahi hai. Bus aage badhi, tea garden se nikal kar town ki taraf. Khidki se dhoop andar aa rahi thi, par dono ke beech ka silence us dhoop se bhi zyada tez tha.

Last stop se pehle ek chhota sa turn aata tha, jahan bus thodi der ke liye slow hoti. Dipti ne tab achanak bola, “Mausi, aap sach batao. Aap mujhe jaana nahi dena chahti ya aapko dar lag raha hai?”

Sangeeta ne uski taraf dekha. Itni seedhi baat usne expect nahi ki thi. “Darr lag raha hai,” usne bahut dheere kaha.

Dipti ki aankhen thodi naram hui, par woh abhi bhi hurt thi. “Kis baat ka?”

Sangeeta ne khidki ke bahar dekhte hue kaha, “Maine zindagi mein bahut log dekhe hain jo sapna leke gaye the aur phir wapas toot ke aaye. Ladkiyon ke saath toh aur bhi bura hota hai. Log support kam, taana zyada dete hain. Main bas… tujhe toot-te hue nahi dekh sakti.”

Dipti ne kuch pal tak kuch nahi bola. Phir usne bahut dheere se poocha, “Aapko lagta hai main toot jaaungi?”

Sangeeta ke gale mein kuch atak gaya. “Nahi,” usne sach bol diya. “Mujhe lagta hai duniya tujhe todne ki koshish karegi.”

Bus ne ek aur jhatka liya. Bittu ne rear-view mirror se dono ko dekha, aur pehli baar usne bina mazaak ke seat pe thoda seedha baith kar hoshiyari se bus chalayi, jaise samajh gaya ho ki abhi hawa ka route nahi, dil ka route important hai.

Usi din Dipti ko ek aur cheez pata chali. School ke principal ne casually mention kiya ki Sangeeta ne kabhi apni padhai aage nahi badhayi thi, jabki woh school ke time mein kaafi sharp thi. Family circumstances, ghar ka pressure, aur early responsibilities ne uski padhai rok di thi. Dipti ko yeh sunkar jhatka laga. Usne socha tha mausi bas conservative hai. Par sach kuch aur tha—mausi ne khud apne sapne ko daba diya tha, aur ab woh kisi aur ko usi dard se bachana chahti thi.

Raat ko Dipti ne mausi ke kamre ke bahar khade hokar dheere se kaha, “Mausi?”

Sangeeta ne andar se bola, “Aa ja.”

Dipti andar gayi. Kamra simple tha—ek charpai, ek steel almari, aur kone mein neatly folded sariyan. Sangeeta chulhe ke paas baithi thi, chai bana rahi thi. Dipti ne bina baithे hi poocha, “Aapne kabhi padhai chhodna nahi chaha tha?”

Sangeeta ke haath ruk gaye. Phir usne chai ki patti ko spoon se hilaaya aur bola, “Chaha tha.”

“Phir?”

“Phir zindagi aa gayi,” Sangeeta ne kaha. “Aur zindagi ne permission nahi maangi thi.”

Dipti ki aankhon mein aansu nahi the, par awaaz soft ho gayi. “Toh aap mujhe kyun rok rahi thi?”

Sangeeta ne lambi saans li. “Kyuki main dar gayi thi. Main chahti thi tu safe rahe. Simple rahe. Apne logon ke paas rahe. Par sach yeh hai… main tujhe usse bhi bada dekhna chahti hoon. Bas darr lagta hai ki duniya tujhe woh freedom nahi degi jo tu deserve karti hai.”

Dipti kuch der chup rahi. Phir woh mausi ke paas jaakar baith gayi. “Mausi, main bhi darrti hoon,” usne kaha. “Par agar main nahi gayi na, toh main zindagi bhar sochti rahungi ki kya hota agar gayi hoti.”

Sangeeta ne uski taraf dekha. Is baar uski aankhon mein control kam tha, acceptance zyada. “Toh jaana hai?”

Dipti ne sar hila diya. “Haan. Par aapke bina nahi.”

Sangeeta ki hansi bahut halki thi, almost aansuon ke saath. “Main tere saath hoon. Bas pehle baba ko facts se samjhana padega, emotional speech se nahi.”

Agle do din Sangeeta ne kamaal ka kaam kiya. Usne scholarship ke papers dobara check kiye, college ke hostel ka contact nikala, town ke ek trusted family friend se baat ki, aur Ramesh ke saamne saare kharche aur safety details rakh diye. Usne zor se nahi, par itne confidence se baat ki ki Ramesh ko bhi sunna pada. Ramesh abhi bhi fully convinced nahi tha, lekin usne pehli baar resistance ko thoda soft kiya.

“Main bas itna chahta hoon,” Ramesh ne akhir mein kaha, “ki ladki safe rahe.”

Sangeeta ne turant jawab diya, “Safe rahegi. Aur padh bhi legi.”