Mitti Ki Khushboo

Tum mujhe aksar bolti thi ke main ghar aakar bhi bagh ki mitti haath se nahi jhaadta. Tum naraz hoti thi. Main hans deta tha. Par sach yeh hai ke mujhe mitti se lagav tum se milne ke baad aur zyada hua. Kyunki tumne mujhe bataya tha ke ghar sirf chaar deewarein nahi hota.

Maine tumse ek baat chhupayi. Jab doctor ne kaha tha ke mere paas waqt kam hai, main dar gaya tha. Main tumse kehna chahta tha ke main tumhe akela nahi chhodna chahta. Lekin phir mujhe laga, agar main sach bol diya toh tum har pal us waqt ko ginogi. Isliye main chup raha.

Arif

Mere haath se kaghaz neeche gir jaata hai.

Teesra. Sabse mota.

Mehrunisa,

Agar tum yahan tak aa gayi ho, toh main tumse ek maafi aur maangta hoon. Main ne tumhein humesha zameen se joda dekha. Tumhari zidd bhi mitti jaisi thi—sakht, par zinda.

Main chahta tha tum mere baad sirf meri yaad sambhalo. Main chahta tha tum apni yaad bhi sambhalo.

Arif

Main wahin baithi rehti hoon. Candle ki roshni kamzor hoti hai. Bahar kutta bhaunk raha hai.

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Paanchva Rukh

Agli subah Sakeena aati hai. Woh jaanti hai—shayad Baba Jan ne bataya.

"Padh liye?" woh poochhti hai.

"Ji," main kehti hoon.

"Kya kaha usne?"

Main usse batati hoon. Har lafz. Woh sunti hai—sach mein sunti hai, beech mein nahi bolti.

Phir kehti hai, "Mard kabhi kabhi chhoti cheezon mein badi mohabbat chhupa dete hain. Bas humein der se samajh aata hai."

"Usne mujhe bataya kyun nahi?"

"Kyunki tum dono mein ek aadat thi—jo dard tha usse sambhalne ke bajaye chup karne ki." Woh rukkar kehti hai, "Main ne bhi yahi kiya tha. Apne shohar ke saath. Jab tak unki maut hui, tab tak main unse wohi baat nahi keh paayi."

Usi din shaam ko Tariq aata hai. "Madam, aap ro rahi thi?"

"Nahi."

"Jhooth," woh muskurata hai, "aapki aankhen laal thi. Main ne dekha."

Main uske baal chhoo kar kehti hoon, "Tum bahut tez ho gaye ho."

Woh serious ho jaata hai, "Madam, agar aap udaas hain toh main bagh nahi jaaunga."

Main uski taraf dekhti hoon. "Nahi, aao. Bagh mein aao."

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Chhata Rukh

Din badalne lagte hain. Dheere dheere. Tariq ab mera saathi hai bagh mein—woh seb todta hai, main usse Urdu sikhaati hoon. Baba Jan mujhe seb ki qismein batata hai—Ambri, Delicious, Golden.

Sakeena roz aati hai, kabhi noon chai lekar, kabhi bakarkhani.

Ek din main bagh mein qalam lekar jaati hoon. Maa ka qalam. Usi bench pe baithti hoon—jahan Arif baithte the—and paper par likhti hoon:

Arif,

Main tumhe maaf karti hoon. Aur shayad khud ko bhi.

Main bagh aati rahungi. Main zindagi ko bhi.

Tumhari, Mehrunisa

Main is khat ko usi darakht ke neeche dafna deti hoon. Baba Jan dekh raha hota hai, kuch nahi kehta. Bas sar hila deta hai.

Shaam ko Sakeena darwaze pe hai. "Kya kiya?"

"Jawaab diya," main kehti hoon.

Woh muskurati hai. "Theek hai. Ab chai pila do."

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Saatvaan Rukh

Aaj, jab main yeh likh rahi hoon, toh barf girne wali hai. Rajouri ki sardi apne pooray josh mein hai. Lekin mere kamre mein ek alag si garmi hai.

Tariq ab aur tez ho gaya hai. Usne ek essay likha—"Mera Bagh"—aur usmein meri aur Arif ki kahani bayaan ki hai, apne lafzon mein.

Maine faisla kiya hai ke bagh nahi bechungi. Yahan ek chhota sa school kholungi—bachchon ke liye, jo zameen se seekh sakein.

Kal main ne bagh mein ek naya paudha lagaya. Badam ka. Arif ke paudhe ke paas. Maine dono ke beech rasta chhoda hai—taake ek doosre ko dekh sakein.

Sakeena ne kaha, "Pagal ho gayi ho. Do paudhon ko kya milana hai?"

Maine kaha, "Zameen janti hai."

Woh sir hilaayi. Lekin main jaanti hoon ke woh samajh gayi hai.

Aaj shaam, jab main bagh se laut rahi thi, toh hawa mein kuch alag tha. Seb ke patton ki khushboo ke saath, koi purani yaad bhi thi—Arif ki, meri maa ki.

Lekin ab woh yaad dard nahi deti. Woh saath chalti hai, jaise koi purana dost jo raat ko chhat pe aakar baith jaata hai, bina kuch kahe.

Main ghar pahunchi. Khidki se bahar dekha—bagh ki taraf, jahan andhera tha, lekin kuch roshni bhi thi.

Mitti ab mere kapdon mein hai. Mere saanson mein hai.

Aur main pehli baar usse bhaagne nahi chahti. Main usse apna bana rahi hoon—ek raat ek din, ek saans ek waqt.

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