Tanha Shaam

Shaam ke saarhe paanch baje the jab Nasreen ne aakhri kapra rassi se utaara aur chhat ki munder par aa kar khari ho gayi. Multan ki garmi ab dheemi pad rahi thi, aur aasmaan par suraj narangi se gulabi hota ja raha tha. Neeche gali mein bachay cricket khel rahe the, kisi ghar se pressure cooker ki seeti aayi, aur door masjid ke minar par kabootar baith gaye. Sab kuch waisa hi tha jaisa har roz hota hai. Bas ek cheez kam thi, jo pichhle gyarah saal se har shaam kam hoti thi.

Chaalees saal ki Nasreen ne apne dupatte ko kandhe par theek kiya aur aasmaan ki taraf dekha. Kahin isi aasmaan ke us paar, Dubai ki kisi construction site par, Kamran bhi shayad isi waqt kaam se lauta hoga. Thaka hua, dhool mein ata hua, labour camp ki us chhoti si room mein jahan chaar aur aadmi bhi sote the.

"Ammi, chai?" neeche se Hira ki awaz aayi.

"Bana do beta, main yahin hoon," Nasreen ne jawab diya.

Hira ab pandrah saal ki thi, aur Bilal baarah ka. Jab Kamran pehli dafa gaya tha, Hira chaar saal ki thi aur papa ke jaane par itna royi thi ke Nasreen ko poori raat usay god mein le kar ghoomna pada tha. Ab Hira ko papa ki awaz sirf phone par yaad thi, aur uski shakal screen ki roshni mein.

Nasreen ko aaj bhi woh din yaad tha jab Kamran pehli dafa usay dekhne aaya tha. Bees saal pehle ki baat thi. Woh apni khala ke saath aaya tha, sar jhukaye baitha raha, aur chai ka cup haath mein itni der pakde raha ke chai thandi ho gayi. Jaate waqt darwaze par usne bas ek nazar Nasreen ki taraf dekha tha. Itni si nazar, aur Nasreen ki poori raat jaagte guzri thi.

Shaadi ke baad ke woh pehle saal kitne halke the. Kamran bijli ka kaam karta tha, paise kam the magar hansi bohat thi. Raat ko dono isi chhat par charpai bichha kar lait jaate aur taare ginte. Kamran hamesha ghalat ginta aur Nasreen hansti. "Tum se ginti bhi nahi hoti, ghar ka hisaab kaun rakhe ga?" woh chherti.

"Tum rakho gi," Kamran kehta, "main to sirf tumhein dekhun ga."

Phir Hira paida hui, phir Bilal, aur kharche barhte gaye. Ek din Kamran ne dheemi awaz mein kaha tha, "Nasreen, Dubai mein ek company electrician le rahi hai. Teen saal ka contract hai. Bas teen saal, phir wapas aa jaunga aur apni dukaan kholun ga."

Woh teen saal gyarah saal ban gaye. Pehle bachon ki school fees, phir ammi ji ka operation, phir ghar ki doosri manzil. Har dafa ek naya zaroori kaam aa jata, aur har dafa Kamran kehta, "Bas ek saal aur."

Hira chai le kar oopar aayi aur maa ke saath munder se tek laga kar khari ho gayi. "Ammi, aap roz yahan kya dekhti hain?"

Nasreen muskura di. "Suraj ko dekhti hoon. Woh yahan se doob kar wahan jata hai jahan tumhare papa hain. Socho, woh roz mera salaam le jata hai."

"Ammi, aap filmon wali baatein karti hain," Hira hansi, magar usne maa ka kandha zara zor se daba diya. Ab woh itni bari ho gayi thi ke maa ki khamoshi ka matlab samajhti thi.

Saat baje phone baja. Video call. Screen par Kamran ka chehra aaya, pehle se zyada saanwla, aankhon ke neeche thakan ke halke, aur kanpatiyon par safed baal jo pichhli Eid par nahi the.

"Assalam o alaikum, begum sahiba," usne apne purane andaz mein kaha.

"Walaikum assalam. Khana khaya?"

"Haan, daal chawal. Tumhare haath ka nahi tha, is liye pet bhara, dil nahi."

Nasreen hans padi, magar aankhein bheeg gayin. Har roz yahi baatein hoti thin. Khana khaya, dawai li, bachay kaise hain, bijli ka bill aaya. Gyarah saal se mohabbat isi chhote se screen mein, inhi chhoti baton mein simti hui thi. Kabhi network tootta to Kamran ka chehra pixel ban kar ruk jata, aur Nasreen us ruki hui tasveer ko bhi dekhti rehti.

Bilal ne phone cheen liya aur papa ko apna maths ka result dikhaya. Hira ne apni nayi drawing. Phir phone wapas Nasreen ke paas aaya, aur bachay neeche chale gaye taake maa baap akele baat kar saken.

"Thaki hui lag rahi ho," Kamran ne kaha.

"Tum bhi."

Dono kuch der khamosh rahe. Yeh khamoshi bhi unki apni thi. Is mein shikayat nahi thi, bas ek dooje ki kami thi jise koi lafz poora nahi kar sakta tha.

"Nasreen," Kamran ne aahista se kaha, "tumhein yaad hai hum chhat par taare ginte the?"

"Tum hamesha ghalat ginte the."

"Yahan taare nazar hi nahi aate. Itni roshni hai is shehar mein, magar raat ko aasmaan khaali lagta hai."

Nasreen ne kuch nahi kaha. Bas phone ko apne dil ke qareeb rakh liya, jaise is tarah faasla kuch kam ho jaye ga.

Raat ko jab bachay so gaye, Nasreen ne almari se woh purana dabba nikala jismein Kamran ke shuru ke khat the. Tab WhatsApp nahi tha, sirf mehngi calls aur khat. Ek khat mein usne likha tha: "Yahan ki garmi mein jab dopahar ko kaam rokta hoon to aankhein band kar ke tumhari chhat ka sochta hoon. Wahan ki hawa yahan nahi aati."

Nasreen ne woh khat phir se tah kiya. Kabhi kabhi usay ghussa bhi aata tha. Har shaadi, har funeral, har parent teacher meeting mein woh akeli jaati. Log poochte, "Kamran bhai kab aayen ge?" aur woh muskura kar kehti, "Bas jaldi." Bilal ka bazu toota tha to raat ke do baje woh akeli hospital bhaagi thi. Ammi ji ke aakhri dinon mein bhi Kamran sirf screen par tha, rota hua, bebas.

Magar phir woh yeh bhi sochti ke Kamran ne apni jawani ek reti ke shehar mein, doosron ki buildings banate hue guzaar di, taake uske bachon ki chhat kabhi na tapke. Usne kabhi apni thakan ki shikayat nahi ki. Har mahine ki pehli tareekh ko paise aate, aur saath ek message: "Apna khayal rakhna, sab se pehle apna."

Mohabbat shayad yahi thi. Faasle ke bawajood ek dooje ka bojh uthana.

Agle din shaam ko Nasreen phir chhat par thi. Aaj aasmaan kuch zyada hi laal tha, jaise kisi ne us mein mehndi ghol di ho. Phone mein Kamran ka message nahi aaya tha, jo ajeeb tha. Woh roz chaar baje "Kaam khatam" likh deta tha. Nasreen ne do dafa call kiya, phone band tha. Dil mein woh purana dar jaag utha jo har pardesi ki biwi ke dil mein sota rehta hai.

Saat baj gaye. Phir saarhe saat. Nasreen ne Hira ko kaha ke khana laga do aur khud munder par khari rahi, gali ki taraf dekhti hui, jaise kuch hone wala ho.

Tabhi gali ke mor par ek rickshaw ruka.

Pehle usne dhyan nahi diya. Phir rickshaw se ek aadmi utra, haath mein ek bara sa bag, sar par wahi purani bhoori topi jo Nasreen ne das saal pehle usay di thi. Woh oopar dekh raha tha. Seedha chhat ki taraf.

Nasreen ka haath munder par jam gaya. Saans ruk gayi.

"Ammi!" neeche se Bilal cheekha. "Ammi, papa! Papa aa gaye!"

Nasreen ko yaad nahi ke woh seedhiyan kaise utri. Bas itna yaad hai ke darwaza khula tha, Hira papa se lipti ro rahi thi, Bilal bag kheench raha tha, aur Kamran bachon ke sar ke oopar se usay dekh raha tha. Wahi nazar. Bees saal pehle wali, darwaze par ruki hui.

"Phone kyun band tha?" Nasreen ne bas yahi poocha, aur awaz kaanp gayi.

"Surprise kharab ho jata," Kamran muskuraya, aur uski aankhein bhi bheegi hui thin. "Nasreen, main ab wapas nahi jaunga. Contract khatam kar diya. Itne paise jod liye hain ke chowk mein apni dukaan khul jaye. Bohat ho gaya. Gyarah saal ka hisaab ab tum hi rakhna."

Us raat bohat dino baad chhat par charpai bichhi. Bachay neeche so gaye the. Aasmaan saaf tha aur Multan ke taare chamak rahe the. Kamran ne ungli utha kar ginna shuru kiya, "Ek, do, teen..." aur jaan boojh kar ghalat gina.

Nasreen ne hans kar uska haath thaam liya. "Ab ginne ki zaroorat nahi. Ab saari shaamein hamari hain."

Kamran ne uske haath par apna haath rakh diya. Hawa thandi thi, door kahin radio par purana gaana baj raha tha, aur gyarah saal ki tanha shaamein ek hi raat mein peechhe reh gayi thin.