Purani Diary
Us raat hawa kuch alag thi.
Pahadon se takra kar aati thandi hawa purane ghar ki deewaron se seeti jaisi awaaz nikaal rahi thi. Aasmaan par kaale badal chhaye hue the, aur kabhi-kabhi bijli chamak kar poore aangan ko ek pal ke liye roshan kar deti thi.
Arjun ne khidki band karne ke liye haath badhaya hi tha ki achanak uski nazar aangan ke kone par padi.
Wahan… koi khada tha.
Safed kapdon me lipta ek lamba saaya.
Bilkul seedha. Bilkul chup.
Arjun ka gala sookh gaya. Uske haath thande pad gaye.
"Kaun hai wahan?" usne zor se awaaz lagayi.
Lekin saamne khada woh saaya hila tak nahi.
Bijli dobara chamki… aur is baar aangan bilkul khaali tha.
Arjun ek pal ke liye jam sa gaya.
"Shayad meri aankhon ka dhokha hai…" usne dheere se khud se kaha.
Lekin uske dil ki dhadkan kuch aur hi keh rahi thi.
Arjun teen din pehle hi Shimla ke paas apne purkhon ke purane gaon Devgarh aaya tha.
Shehar ki bheed-bhaad aur awaaz se door, Devgarh pahadon ke beech basa ek chhota sa gaon tha. Yahaan har cheez me ek ajeeb sa sannata tha — aisa sannata jo kaanon ko nahi, seedha dil ko chubh jaaye.
Arjun ke pita ji ke guzar jaane ke baad, uski maa ne is purane khandaani ghar ko bechne ka faisla kiya tha. Isi liye Arjun ko kuch din ke liye yahaan bheja gaya tha, taaki woh purana samaan dekh sake aur ghar saaf karwa sake.
Lekin ghar me kadam rakhte hi usse ajeeb ehsaas hone laga tha.
Jaise ye jagah usse pehchanti ho.
Jaise deewaron ke andar koi chupkar use dekh raha ho.
Usne pehle do din khud ko samjhaya — purana ghar hai, ajeeb awaazein to aayengi hi.
Par aaj raat…
Aaj kuch alag tha.
Arjun ne khidki zor se band ki aur peeche mud gaya.
Kamre ke beech me purani lakdi ki mej par ek lantern jal rahi thi. Uski halki peeli roshni deewar par hilti hui parchaiyan bana rahi thi.
"Bas ek raat aur…" Arjun ne thandi saans lete hue kaha, "kal subah samaan dekhunga aur kaam khatam."
Usne mej par pada apna phone uthaya. Network phir gayab tha.
"Wah," woh halka sa hans pada, "na insaan, na network… kya jagah hai."
Jaise hi woh bistar ki taraf badha, uske pair kisi cheez se takra gaye.
Thak!
"Ah!"
Neeche jhuk kar usne dekha. Zameen par ek purana lakdi ka box pada tha — aadha dhool me daba hua.
Arjun ki bhaein sikud gayin.
"Ye pehle yahan tha?"
Use yaad tha ki subah usne poora kamra dekha tha. Wahan koi box nahi tha.
Usne dheere se box ko uthaya aur mej par rakha.
Lakdi purani thi. Kinare ghise hue the. Upar ajeeb se nishaan bane the — jaise kisi ne jalti lohe ki sariya se kuch symbol bana diye hon.
Arjun ne ungli se dhool hataayi.
Beech me ek chhota sa nishaan bana tha —
ek aadha chandrama… aur uske andar ek aankh.
Arjun ke shareer me halki si sardi daud gayi.
"Creepy…"
Box par tala nahi tha. Bas ek zang lagi kundi lagi hui thi.
Usne ek pal ke liye ruk kar socha.
Phir dheere se box khol diya.
Crrrkkk…
Dhakkan khulte hi ek basi, purani kagazon aur mitti ki boo hawa me fail gayi.
Andar bas ek hi cheez thi.
Ek diary.
Kaale rang ki, purani, moti diary.
Uska cover chamde ka tha, aur us par wahi nishaan bana tha —
aadha chandrama aur aankh.
Arjun ne diary ko bahar nikala.
Uske haath jaise hi cover se takraye, uske shareer me ek ajeeb si jhankaar daud gayi.
Jaise kisi ne uske kaan ke paas dheere se phusphusaya ho—
"Mat khol…"
Arjun ka haath jhatke se peeche hat gaya.
Woh seedha khada ho gaya aur kamre me idhar-udhar dekhne laga.
"K-kisne kaha?"
Kamra khaali tha.
Sirf lantern ki lau hil rahi thi.
Aur bahar tez hawa chal rahi thi.
"Main pagal ho raha hoon…" usne zor se kaha, jaise apni hi awaaz se khud ko himmat dena chahta ho.
Usne diary dobara uthayi.
Is baar usne bina soche pehla panna khol diya.
Pehle panne par sirf ek line likhi thi.
"Agar tum ye padh rahe ho, to andhera tum tak pahunch chuka hai."
Arjun ki saansen ek pal ke liye ruk gayin.
Usne aankhen sikod kar line dobara padhi.
Neeche ek naam likha tha.
"Raghunath Dogra"
Arjun ka dil zor se dhadka.
"Dadaji…?"
Usne kabhi apne dadaji ko nahi dekha tha. Maa ne bas itna bataya tha ki unki maut bohot ajeeb haalat me hui thi — aur uske baad se ye ghar hamesha ke liye band kar diya gaya tha.
Arjun ne agla panna palta.
Is baar likha tha:
"Humne ek galti ki thi."
"Ek aisi galti, jiska bojh hamare khoon ko har peedhi tak uthaana padega."
Arjun ne bina palak jhapkaye padhna jaari rakha.
"Agar mere vansh ka koi bhi insaan ye diary khol raha hai, to samajh lo waqt aa gaya hai.
Andhera phir laut raha hai.
Aur is baar… woh apna waaris lene aayega."
Arjun ke haath kaanp gaye.
Usne diary ko dheere se band kar diya.
"Ye sab kya bakwaas hai…"
Lekin uski awaaz me bharosa nahi tha.
Usne phir diary kholi.
Agla panna aadha phata hua tha. Syahi kahi-kahi faili hui thi, jaise likhte waqt kisi ke haath kaanp rahe hon.
Us par bas kuch tukde hi padhne layak the:
"Purane mandir ke neeche…"
"darwaza…"
"khoon ka nishaan…"
"usse kabhi azaad mat karna…"
"agar Ar—"
Line wahi par toot gayi thi.
Arjun ka gala sookh gaya.
"Ar…?"
Kya likha tha?
Arjun?
Usne diary ko aur kareeb laakar dekhna chaha.
Tabhi—
ठक… ठक… ठक…
Kamre ke darwaze par teen dheemi dastak hui.
Arjun ka shareer ekdam tan gaya.
Usne dheere se sar ghuma kar darwaze ki taraf dekha.
Raat ke baarah baje ka time tha.
Is sunsaan ghar me.
Aur woh bhi upar wale kamre me.
Darwaze ke us paar kaun ho sakta tha?
ठक… ठक… ठक…
Is baar dastak zyada saaf thi.
Arjun dheere-dheere darwaze ke paas gaya.
"Kaun hai?"
Koi jawaab nahi.
Usne hichkichate hue kundi pakdi.
Uska haath paseene se geela ho chuka tha.
Dheere se darwaza khola.
Crrrkk…
Bahar andhera tha.
Lambi, khaali gallery.
Lakdi ka purana floor.
Hawa ki seeti.
Aur…
Koi nahi.
Arjun ne halki si saans chhodi.
"Pagal bana diya is ghar ne…"
Jaise hi woh darwaza band karne laga, uski nazar neeche padi.
Zameen par kuch pada tha.
Geela… laal…
Arjun ka dil uchhal kar gale me aa gaya.
Woh jhuk kar dekhne laga.
Floor par ek laal nishaan bana hua tha.
Bilkul naya.
Jaise kisi ne abhi-abhi ungli se kheench kar banaya ho.
Aur woh nishaan…
ek aadha chandrama aur uske andar ek aankh tha.
Arjun ka dimaag sunn pad gaya.
Usne turant gallery me aage-peeche dekha.
Koi nahi.
Lekin usse saaf mehsoos ho raha tha—
Koi yahaan tha. Koi usse dekh raha tha.
Usne jhat se darwaza band kiya aur peeche hatt gaya.
Uski saansen tez chal rahi thi.
"Ye mazaak nahi ho sakta…"
Tabhi kamre ke kone se ek awaaz aayi.
Sarr… sarr…
Arjun ne dheere se mudkar dekha.
Diary ke panne apne aap hil rahe the.
Hawa band thi.
Khidki band thi.
Phir bhi diary ke panne tez-tez palat rahe the.
Frrrpp… frrrpp… frrrpp…
Arjun dheere se uske paas gaya.
Achanak panne ruk gaye.
Diary ek page par khul kar thamm gayi.
Us page par sirf ek line likhi thi —
"MANDIR MAT JAANA."
Arjun ne dheere se peeche kadam liya.
Uske honton se awaaz tak nahi nikli.
Aur phir…
Lantern ki lau ek pal ke liye bujh gayi.
Kamra andhere me doob gaya.
Sirf bahar bijli chamki—
Aur us ek pal ki roshni me Arjun ne dekha…
Kamre ke sabse andhere kone me
wahi safed saaya khada tha.
Is baar woh pehle se zyada kareeb tha.
Uska chehra andhere me chhupa hua tha.
Lekin uski do kaali, khaali aankhen seedha Arjun par tiki hui thi.
Arjun ke pair zameen se jaise chipak gaye.
Woh chillana chahta tha…
Lekin awaaz gale me atak gayi.
Safed saaye ne dheere se apna haath uthaya…
Aur ek sardi bhari, phati hui awaaz me kaha—
"Der ho chuki hai…"
DHAAAM!
Darwaza apne aap band ho gaya.
Aur Arjun ki cheekh poore purane ghar me goonj uthi.