part 10

                                    

                                          
"Ab itna parh kar kya commissioner lag jaate?" Naseem ne shauhar ki himayat ki.
"Commissioner na lagte, commissioner ke daftar mein clerk lag jaate. Naya chacha ki tarah. Meze kursi wali naukri toh hoti."
"Zia ne clerk ban kar kaun se teer maar liye hain? Tumhara baap meter reader zaroor hai, magar tumhare chacha se acha khilaya pilaya hai usne apni aulaad ko. Zia ne kaun si jaagirein bana li hain clerk ban kar?" Naseem ne tanqeed karte hue kaha.
"Jaagirein kahaan se bana lete. Is khandan ke saare mard bazzidil hain. Kachhuay ki tarah apne kohl mein sakday sumtay baithay rehtay hain. Kisi ko aage barhna hi nahi aata. Ek se doosri, doosri se teesri nasal clerk aur meter reading kar ke khatam ho rahi hai. Par maajal hai kisi ke kaan par jhon tak reenge. Is mohale mein paida ho kar yahin mar jaayenge yeh sab log."
Shiraz ka andaaz be-had zehri la tha. Woh in tamam sochon ko raat ke is peher apni maa ke samne zubaan de raha tha jo chubis ghante uske zehan mein kalbilati rehti thi aur Naseem is ki zubaan se yeh sab kuch sunay ki aadat rakhte thi. Khandaan ki aklauti laiq faiq aulaad unke ghar paida hui thi. Woh is baat par jitna ghuroor karti, kam tha.
Woh bachpan se sarkari school mein imtiaz position ke saath scholarship par padhta raha tha. Primary se Masters tak usne har imtihan mein top kiya tha aur university mein Economics mein Masters karne ke baawajood Shiraz achi tarah jaanta tha ke job market uske liye kis qeemat ki aur kaunsi job ke liye baithi thi. University mein chand hazaar ki ek lectureship ya kisi office mein us tanakhwaah ki ek aur mez kursi wali naukri, jis par subah se shaam tak baith kar files ke anbaar dekhte dekhte pehle uski aankhein jawab deti phir reedh ki haddi mein dard hone lagte lekin uski maali haalat mein koi tabdeeli nahi aati. Woh raat ke baasi saalan ka tiffin carry-yer ke liye le kar jaata aur baaqi saara din badmazah siyah chai ke cup apne andar indail indail kar apne andar udti bhook aur khwahishat ke sailand ke jhaag ko bithata rehta ya phir apne paas aane wale kisi mulaqati se chai paani ke naam par kuch paisay leta aur file paas hone ki khushi mein kisi se mithai maangta.
Woh chaudah saal ki umar se apni zindagi ke aglay mutawaqqe 54 saal ka ek ek din dekh raha tha. Aur har tasawur uske jism mein jhar jhari aur kapkapi daurata deta. Usse zindagi bheer ka hissa ban kar nahi guzarna thi. Usse sab se aage hona tha. Sarpat bhagna tha aur bas bhagte hi jana tha. Itni raftaar se ke usse apne peeche kisi ka saaya tak nazar na aaye.
"Raat ke is waqt kyun aa kar baith gaye yahan? Kal Islamabad jana hai tumhein, safar karna hai." Akbar Shiraz ke kamre se nikal kar baahar sahan mein aa gaye the.
"Kya baatein kar rahe ho is waqt tum dono?" Woh bhi Neem ke paas aa kar chaar pai par baith gaye.
"Yeh pareshan ho raha hai paisay na milne ki wajah se," yeh hua, Naseem ne unhein bataya.
"Main subah ek do aur logon se bhi baat karunga, tum fikar mat karo," Akbar ne Shiraz ko tasalli di.
"Ma'atil na hua hota toh main toh do minute mein log paisay de dete mujhe," bas hasad karte hain, log khata nahi dekh sakte kisi ko. Naseem be-ikhteyar khafgi se burburaayi.
"Main jaanta hoon, yeh sab mere apne department ke logon ki sazish hai. Unhone hi is aadmi ko keh kar mere khilaaf rishwat ki shikayat karwai, warna is aadmi ki kahaan yeh jurrat thi ke aisa kuch karta," Akbar jaise apni safai de rahe the.
"Koon nahi leta rishwat aaj ke zamaane mein? Baaki meter reader kya doodh ke dhule hue hain? Mahkama walon ko woh nazar kyun nahi aate? Har baar aapko hi ma'atil kar dete hain," Neem jaise bulbulayein.
"Main kamzor hoon na, mere aage peeche koi nahi, is liye," Akbar ne talkhi se kaha.
"Koi baat nahi, bas ab beta officer banne wala hai. Ek baar mera beta officer ban jaaye, phir main dekhunga, kaun mere baare mein zubaan kholta hai," Akbar ne aik dum Shiraz ko dekh kar baray fakhray andaaz mein kaha.
"Main officer ban kar sab se pehle toh aap se yeh job chhudaunga. Behtareen zalalat kamai aap ne is kaam mein. Chaar paison ke liye maare maare, ghar ghar phirna," Shiraz ne be-had bezaari se kaha.
"Aray tum kya chhudaoge, mujhe khud yeh kaam nahi karna. Main koi paagal hoon ke khwah-makhwah zalil hota phirun? Phir toh officer ka baap hoon ga. Aaram se ghar baith kar raaj karunga," Akbar ne be-had serkhushi aur shikayat ke ilm mein kaha.
Us se pehle ke woh kuch aur kehte, Shiraz uth kar khada ho gaya. "Mujhe sona jaa raha hoon, subah jaldi uthna hai mujhe."
"Haan haan, beta! Tu ja, ja kar. Main toh pehle hi keh rahi thi," Naseem ne be-ikhteyar kaha. "Tum ne Zainab se paison ki baat ki?"
Shiraz ne Akbar ki baat par aik dum palat kar unhein dekha.
"Arein, college nahi jana kya?" Rabi'a ne usay kitchen mein masroof dekh kar kaha, woh college ka uniform pehene hue nahi thi.
"Zainab ne baray itminan se Zia ke liye tiffin tayar karte hue kaha, "Nahi, aaj kuch aur kaam tha."
"Khala ke paas jana hai," Zainab ne muskurate hue kaha.
"Shiraz bhai se milne?" Rabi'a ne foran andaza lagaya.
"Woh toh kahin seher ko Islamabad jayenge, tum milne chali aati. College se chhutti karne ki kya zarurat thi?"
Rabi'a ko aitraaz hua, woh khud aaj kisi test ki tayari ke liye ghar par thi.
"Bas aise hi. Mujhe kuch aur bhi kaam tha," Zainab ne gol mol andaaz mein baat ki aur tiffin uthakar khadi ho gayi. "Abu ko de aaoon, tum nashta kar lo tab tak. Maine chapatiyan bana di hain."
Zainab ne usse kaha aur is chhote se kitchen se bahar nikal gayi.
"Shiraz kitne baje ja raha hai?" Zia ne Zainab se tiffin lete hue kaha.
"Sah peher mein," Zainab ne bataya.
"Main phir Akbar bhai ki taraf se hota hua jaoonga," Zia ne apni cycle darwazay se bahar nikaalte hue kaha.
"Utni subah subah unhain jaga denge abu! Aap ko pata hai, woh saari raat baith kar padhte hain," Zainab ne be-had tashweesh ke saath kaha.
"Nahi, usse jagaunga nahi. Agar uthay hoay milay toh Khuda hafiz keh doonga usay, warna Akbar bhai aur bhabi se mil kar chala jaoonga," Zia ne jese usse tasalli di.
Woh uski har cheez ka kitna khayal rakhti thi, woh jante the.
Woh matric mein thi jab Shiraz ke saath uski nisbat tay hui thi aur is nisbat mein dono khandanon ke sath sath Shiraz ki pasand ka bohot zyada dakhil tha. Zainab ko Shiraz mein dilchaspi is nisbat ke tay hone ke baad hui thi. Woh uska khala zaad aur taya zaad tha. Dono ke ghar ek hi gali mein the aur chobis ghanto mein kai baar woh ek doosray ke ghar jate.
Woh khandan ki sab se khoobsurat larki thi aur Shiraz khandan ka sab se zehin larka. MA Economics mein university mein top karne ke baad usne abhi haal hi mein CSS ka.