Woh Qareebi
Baarish tez hoti ja rahi thi…
aur faaslay dheere-dheere ghat rahe thay.
Usne ek qadam meri taraf badhaya.
Itna qareeb
ke agar main chahti bhi
to peeche nahi ja sakti thi.
"Tum ab bhi wahi ho,"
uski awaaz halki thi,
magar asar gehra.
"Mujhe dekh kar bhi
mujh se nazar churaane wali."
Maine hont bhinch liye.
Dil zor se dhadak raha tha.
Uske qareeb hona
abhi bhi utna hi khatarnaak tha
jitna pehle.
"Tumhein yaqeen hai,"
maine dheere se poocha,
"ke kuch jazbaat ko jagana
theek hota hai?"
Woh muskuraya—
woh muskurahat jo hamesha
mere har faislay ko kamzor kar deti thi.
"Jazbaat jagaye nahi jaate,"
woh jhuk kar bola,
"woh khud jaag uthte hain
jab do roohen
saamne hoti hain."
Meri saans ulajh gayi.
Uska haath dheere se
mere haath ke qareeb aaya—
chhua nahi…
bas itna paas
ke main uski garmi mehsoos kar saku.
"Bas ek baar,"
usne kaha,
"mujhe jhoot ke baghair dekho."
Mainne uski aankhon mein dekha.
Aur us pal
saari deewarein
jo maine saalon mein khud ke gird khadi ki thi
hilne lagi.
✨
"Kuch lamhe gunah nahi hote,
par unka khayal bhi
imaaan ka imtihaan ban jata hai."
✨
"Mujhe dara lagta hai,"
meri awaaz laraz rahi thi,
"kyunke main jaanti hoon
agar main ruki…
to phir poori tarah ruk jaaungi."
Woh aur qareeb aaya.
Itna ke baarish bhi
hum dono ke darmiyaan
koi rukaawat na rahi.
"Toh ruko,"
woh sirf itna hi bola.
"Is baar bhaago mat."
Mera dil cheekh raha tha,
aur dimagh khamosh tha.
Ye ishq phir se
mera imtihaan lene aaya tha—
aur mujhe nahi pata tha
is baar jeet sabr ki hogi
ya phir jazbaat ki…
Woh Faisla
Baarish ab sirf shehar par nahi gir rahi thi—
woh mere andar bhi baras rahi thi.
Mainne ek qadam peeche liya,
shayad khud ko yaad dilane ke liye
ke har qurbat ka anjaam
sukoon nahi hota.
"Tum jaanti ho,"
usne meri is harkat par dheere se kaha,
"tumhari ye doori bhi
mujhe utni hi paas kheenchti hai."
Maine palkein jhuka li.
Uska saamne hona hi kaafi tha
meri saari tayyariyon ko bikherne ke liye.
"Hum pehle bhi is mod par aa chuke hain,"
maine khud ko mazboot banate hue kaha.
"Aur har baar
kisi ne tootna hi likha."
Woh kuch der mujhe dekhta raha,
jaise meri har baat ke peeche
chhupa dard padh raha ho.
"Is baar tootna zaroori nahi,"
uski awaaz me aitmaad tha.
"Shayad is baar
sirf maan jana hi kaafi ho."
Mera dil zakhmon se bhara tha,
par ab bhi dhadakna usi ke liye jaanta tha—
yeh sach tha,
chahe main jhutlaana chahti rahun.
Usne apni jacket utari
aur bina pooche
mere kandhon par daal di.
Wo chhota sa lamha…
magar itna qareebi
ke meri saans ruk si gayi.
"Tum aaj bhi mujhe
apni tarah bhoolne ki koshish kar rahi ho,"
usne dheere se kaha.
"Par tumhari aankhein
abhi bhi sach bolti hain."
Mainne nazar uthai.
Is baar bhagna mushkil tha.
"Tum meri kamzori ho,"
meri awaaz sach ke bojh se bhar gayi.
"Aur har kamzori
har baar jeet nahi jaati."
Woh halki si muskaan ke saath jhuka,
itna qareeb
ke hum dono ki saansein
ek doosre ki mehmaan ban gayi.
"Magar kuch kamzoriyan,"
usne mere kaan ke paas kaha,
"jeene ki wajah ban jaati hain."
Mera dil
aur dimagh ke darmiyaan
jung chhid chuki thi.
Train door ja chuki thi.
Platform dheere-dheere khaali ho raha tha.
Aur main…
ab kisi aur safar par khadi thi.
Ye faisla sirf
ek train ka nahi tha—
ye faisla tha
apne ishq ko phir se chune ka
ya hamesha ke liye
khud ko kho dene ka.
Baarish thamne lagi…
par mera imtihaan
abhi shuru hua tha.
Qurbat aur Jazbaat
Baarish ab dheemi pad chuki thi,
magar hum dono ke darmiyan jo toofan tha
woh khamoshi mein bhi cheekh raha tha.
Woh mere bilkul saamne tha.
Itna paas
ke main apni saans uski saans se takrati mehsoos kar sakti thi.
Ye qurbat nayi nahi thi—
bas bhooli hui thi.
"Tum kaanp rahi ho,"
usne dheere se kaha,
jaise meri rooh par haath rakh diya ho.
"Thand ki wajah se nahi,"
maine sach bol diya.
"Tumhari wajah se."
Uski aankhon mein ek chamak ubhri—
hairat ki nahi,
pehchan ki.
Usne aahista se
mera haath pakda.
Zor se nahi…
bas itna
ke mera haath uske haath mein
apni jagah dhoondhne laga.
✨
"Kuch lamhe sirf qurbat se nahi,
pehchan se jalte hain."
✨
"Mujhe chhod kar jaana tumhari majboori thi,"
usne kaha.
"Magar tumhein bhoolna
meri haar."
Mera dil dhadak uthta.
Uski ungliyon ka halka sa dabao
meri poori jism mein
ek sargoshi si phaila raha tha.
"Tumhein yaad hai,"
usne dheere se poocha,
"jab hum yun hi
kuch kahe baghair
sirf ek doosre ko mehsoos karte the?"
Yaad tha.
Sab yaad tha.
Aur shayad isi liye
ye qurbat khatarnaak thi.
Mainne apna haath chhudane ki koshish ki—
kamzori se,
ya shayad jaan bujh kar aadhi.
"Is baar mat bhago,"
usne kaha,
meri kalai par uski pakad
ab bhi narm thi,
magar yaqeen se bhari hui.
Uski nazar
mere chehre se hoti hui
honton par thahar gayi.
Ek pal ke liye
waqt ne saans lena bhool diya.
Mera dil cheekha—
yeh had hai!
Aur meri rooh ne jawab diya—
yeh ishq hai.
Mainne aankhen band kar li.
Bas ek lamha.
Sirf ek.
Usne koi jaldi nahi ki.
Na koi zabardasti.
Bas qurbat—
jo ijazat ka intezaar karti rahi.
✨
"Asal jazbaat woh hote hain,
jo chhoo kar bhi sabr sikhayein."
✨
"Dekho,"
usne meri peshani ke qareeb
ruk kar kaha,
"main wahi hoon…
par is baar tumhara imtihaan banne nahi,
tumhara sahara banne aaya hoon."
Mainne aankhen khol kar
uski taraf dekha.
Aankhon mein jazbaat the—
beqarari bhi,
aur qadr bhi.
Shayad qurbat sirf paas aane ka naam nahi,
shayad woh pal hota hai
jahan koi tumhein
toodne ke bajaaye
samajhne lage.
Aur isi lamhe mujhe ehsaas hua—
ye ishq sirf mera imtihaan nahi raha.
Ab sawal ye tha…
kya main is qurbat ko
apna banane ki himmat rakhti hoon
ya phir jazbaat ko
ek baar phir
khud se juda kar doon?
Gehri Qurbat — Woh Awaaz
Platform ab khaali ho chuka tha.
Baarish ki boondein dheere-dheere
lamhon ko chhoo rahi thi,
jaise humein akela chhod dena nahi chahti hon.
Woh ek qadam aur qareeb aaya.
Itna ke mere aur uske darmiyaan
sirf saansen reh gayi thi—
aur woh saansen bhi
ab ek hi raaz bol rahi thi.
"Tumhare liye kuch kehna tha,"
usne dheere se kaha.
"Magar alfaaz hamesha kam pad jaate hain…
is liye aaj main gaunga."
Main kuch keh na saki.
Bas uski aankhon mein dekhti rahi—
woh aankhein
jin mein aaj shor nahi,
sirf ehtaram aur talab thi.
Usne aankhen band ki,
aur awaaz ne khamoshi ka haath pakad li.
(Uski Ghazal — Uske Liye)
Barish ki tarah tum meri rooh pe barso,
Main mitti hoon, mujhe khud mein bhigo lo.
Tumhari ek nazar se hi sambhal jaun main,
Gar toot jaun kabhi, mujhe phir se jodo lo.
Na poochho mere ishq ka andaaz kya hai,
Main chup reh kar bhi tumhein sab keh doon to bolo.
Meri har dua ka bas ek hi matlab hai,
Tum paas raho… baqi sab Allah pe chhod do.
Uski awaaz rukhi nahi thi,
magar kampan thi—
woh kampan
jo sirf us dil mein hoti hai
jo sach bol raha ho.
Mera seena bheeg gaya.
Aankhon mein aansu nahi aaye,
shayad is liye
ke rooh pehle hi bheeg chuki thi.
"Tumhein chhoone ki ijazat nahi maangunga,"
usne aankhen khol kar kaha,
"tumhari raza ke baghair
main sirf qareeb rehna chahta hoon."
Uske alfaaz
meri gardan ke paas
hawaa ban kar thehar gaye.
Mainne apna haath aage badhaya—
pehle se zyada nahi,
sirf itna
ke uski ungliyon ne
meri ungliyon ka sach pehchan liya.
Qurbat ab jism ki nahi rahi.
Yeh do dilon ka
ek hi dhadkan par
raazi ho jana tha.
"Ab bhi darr lagta hai?"
usne poocha.
Mainne sach kaha—
"Lagta hai…
par achha lagta hai."
Usne koi daad nahi maangi,
koi wada nahi thamaaya.
Bas mere haath ko
apni saans ke saath
ek lamhe ke liye jod liya.
Aur us lamhe mujhe samajh aaya—
gehri romantic intensity
chhoo lene ka naam nahi hoti,
woh ruk jaane ka hunar hota hai.