Halim

Baab 1

Baab :1

       "Gadlay Paaniyon Ka Sangam

Uss ne khwaab mein dekha ke woh gadli hi jagah hai...
Do daryaaon ka sangam...
Baarish tar-antar baras rahi hai.... Keechar mein khulay aasmaan talay do log khaRay hain....
Aik sunahray baalon waali Ladki hai.... baarish ne uss ko bhigo diya hai....
uss ke baal geelay ho kar gaalon se chipak gaye hain aur woh gardan uThaaye upar dekh rahi hai.... Aasmaanon ko...
Aasmaanon ke paar jahaanon ko.... Saamnay aik aadmi khara hai.....
Keechar se uss ke pair lutt-putt hain... Woh daraaz qad aur kasrati baazuon waala hai....
Uss ke geelay baal maathay par bikhray hain...
Woh apnay girebaan pe haath Daalta hai....
aur tie noch ke utaarta hai....
Phir woh aasteenein morta hai peechhay aur peechhay...

Ladki abhi tak upar dekh rahi hai.... Aadmi jhukta hai, keechar se mutthi bharta hai.....
Seedha khaRa hota hai.....
Mutthi Ladki ki taraf baRhata hai...
"Mere saath raho....
Hum dono ko aik doosray ki zaroorat hai."
Woh baarish aur toofaan mein buland aawaaz se kehta hai....
Woh chaunk ke ussay dekhti hai... Phir upar nigaah uThaati hai...
Door aasmaan par aik parinda uRta hua aa raha hai.....
Apnay parr phailaaye uss aadmi ke sir ke upar fizaa mein aa rukta hai... Chakkar kaaTta hai. KaaTta hai. KaaTta hai...

Ladki ungli uTha kar ishaara karti hai, alfaaz uss ke labon se nahi nikal paatay magar woh honT hilaa kar kehti hai aawaaz... "Woh dekho." Aadmi mutthi barhaaye hanooz khaRa rehta hai. Uss ki mutthi mein keechaR hai aur keechar mein dehakti aik sonay ki chaabi hai..... "Mere saath raho... mere saath raho..." woh hanooz keh raha hai. Parinda unn ke sir pe chakkar kaaT raha hai... Sunahray aur surkh rang ka parinda-uqaab jaisa, neelay heeron jaisi aankhon waala parinda.... Aik jhatkay se Haalim ki aankh khuli....
Kuala Lumpur, jazeeron ke mulk Malaysia ka sab se mash-hoor shehar hai. Mukhtalif tehzeebon aur adyaan ka markaz... Yahan Musalmaanon ki aksariyat thi. Samundar aur oonchay pahaar, sabza aur khulay baaghaat... Woh Jannat ke tasawwur jaisa khoobsurat shehar tha aur uss subah woh maamool ke mutabiq aawaazon, shor aur befikr qehqahon se goonj raha tha. Log masroofiyat se apnay roz marra ke kaam nipTaa rahay thay. SaRkon par, daftaron mein, gharon mein.... KL (Kuala Lumpur ko urf-e-aam mein KL kaha jaata tha) ke masroof kaarobaari maraakiz ke ilaaqay mein aik oonchi imaarat be-niyaazi se khaRi dikhaai deti thi. Uss ke baarhwein floor pe aao toh office cabin banay thay aur workers masroof dikhaai detay thay. Typing ki aawaazein, phone ki ghanTiyaan... Yoon dikhaai deta tha ke uss office mein har din ki tarah kaam jaari-o-saari thay... Aisay mein aik naujawaan haath mein file pakaRay tez tez chalta jaa raha tha. Cheeni nuqoosh ki soorat ka haamil, woh darmiyanay qad ka tha aur chehray pe daba daba...

...josh tha. Aik office ke darwaazay ke saamnay woh ruka, khushi ko qaaboo karte huay muskaraahat dabaayi aur dhaRallay se darwaaza khola. Andar office table ke peechhay aik thaka maanda sa adheR-umar shakhs baiTha tha. Tie dheeli kiye, bigray taassuraat liye uss ne aankhein uThaa ke uktaa-haT se andar daakhil hotay naujawaan ko dekha.
"Muliya, main iss waqt koi baat nahi sunna chahta. Main saari raat so nahi paaya. Abhi mujhe disturb na karo."
"Anwar Sahab... acchi khabar hai." Muliya suktay chehray ke saath kursi kheench kar saamnay baiTha toh Anwar Sahab ne haath jhalaaya. "Kiya tumhein lagta hai iss waqt mujhe koi khabar khush kar sakti hai? Meri laa-parwaahi se Boss ka laptop chori ho gaya hai aur tumhein apnay kaamon ki paRi hai?" Woh naraaz Cheeni aankhein Muliya par jamaa ke zor se bolay. "Abhi tak toh Boss ko maaloom hi nahi hai ke unka laptop jiss mein humaray business ke khufiya dast-awezaat hain, aur jo unhon ne mujhe virus se paak karne ke liye diya tha, main gum kar chuka hoon. Jaao khuda ke liye..."
"Zara tahammul se meri baat sunein. Muliya ne laptop ko trace kar liya hai." Woh cheekh kar bola. (Malaysia ke log umooman "Main ne yeh kar liya hai" ki jagah apna naam le kar kehtay hain ke "Muliya ne yeh kar liya hai").
Anwar Sahab ka jhuka utra chehra tezi se seedha hua. Aankhein phailin. Bohat se rang chand lamhon mein badlay. "Kiya matlab? Kaisay?" Woh tezi se aagay huay.
"Haalim!" Muliya ne josh aur fakhr se woh file saamnay rakhi. Anwar Sahab ne chaunk ke ussay dekha, phir siyaah file ko. "Tum ne Haalim ko hire kiya?" Unki aawaaz sargoshi mein badal gayi. Dilchasp sargoshi mein. Aankhon mein chamak ubhri.
"Jee. Muliya ne raat ko hi ussay call kar di thi. Aur subah tak uss ne saara khoj laga liya hai."
"Itni jaldi?" Unko khushgawar be-yaqeeni hui.
"Woh Haalim hai, Sir. Haalim yaani khwaab dekhnay waala magar khwaab woh humaray pooray karta hai. Hum jaisay log police ke paas jaa nahi saktay kyunkay police laptop ko 'evidence' mein shaamil kar ke ussay dekhegi zaroor aur humaray corporate secrets compromise ho jaayenge aur Boss ko bhi ilm ho jaayega. Iss liye humaray paas Haalim jaisay private Scam Investigator se accha koi option nahi tha."