~~~~~~~Part 11: Lost in Words~~~~~~
In her bedroom balcony, Nupur is as usual gazing at the night sky. She is recalling..or shall we say analysing each and every word that Mayank wrote…but in her own way.
"Mayank ki humsafar! woh kiski baat kar raha tha? kahi hamare taraf hi to ishara nahi kar raha tha na! kya woh humse kuch poochna chah raha hai? shayed kuch batana chah raha ho. nahi yaar…aisa kahan likkha hai…shayed bas yun hi in general likkha ho. per woh humain Europe kyun bula raha hai? kya woh waqai me chahta hai hum usske saath rahe..usske paas rahe? kya woh bhi wohi soch raha hai jo hum soch rahe hai…kya woh bhi aisa hi mehsoos kar raha hai jaise hum?"She smiles at herself as she walks back into her room and picks that printed email from her table.
"kyun Mayank Sharma…kya chal raha aap ke dimagh me? hum aapse khul ke to tab hi baat kar payenge jab aap kuch khul ke kahe.."She takes her chair and starts replying..
hum soch rahe hai k 10 saal k baad koi apne dost ko dhoondh ke nikaala aur usse paate hi hairaan hoke kaha..itni bari hogayi ho? (she smiles as she writes). waqt apne raftar se apne salikhe se guzarta hai..usse kisika rok tok nahi. waqt ke lehron me behta hua zindagi ki daur me agar aap kisiko dhoondhenge to woh aapko kahi nahi milne wale. agar dhoondhna hai to usski dil ko..usske jazbon ko dhoondhiye..shayed koi jaana pehchaana chehra aap ke saamne aajaye.
Humain Europe nahi tour karna. humain apne iss chote se sheher se itna pyaar hai k isske daairay k bahar koi aur duniya bhi hai iss khayal se bhi humain aitraaz hai. hum jahan pe hai khush hai..yeh bari bari shehre aur yeh aap ka "fast-food generation" aap hi ko mubarak. humain baksh dijiye.
aap ne hamare baare me poocha…ilzaam lagaya k hum "closed" hai. ilzaam ghalat hai janab. batane layek kuch hai nahi khud ke baare me. hum aap jaise nahi hai jisse apne manzil ki… apni raah ka saaf saaf pata hai… jisse aur bhi oonche maqam paane ki hasrat hai. hamari zindagi bas aaj ki aur usski pal ki hai. kal se na humain koi ummeed hai aur na usski intezar. aayi to kismet… na aayi to gham nahi koi kyunki humnain apne aaj me hi apni poori zindagi jee liya. hamari zindagi kaafi saada si hai..graduation ki 1st year me hai ab. parhayi me itne kammal ki nahi k koi noble prize jeet ley per itne bure bhi nahi k maa baba ko sharmindagi ho. hum aasani se logo se dosti kar lete hai iss liye doston ki kami nahi. per hamari sabse pyari dost (maa k baad) hum khud hai. ermm…aur kya? saari baatein khaton k zariye hi pata karna hai kya? aap k Europe tour me hum bhale hi na aa sakay per aap to apne poorane sheher me jahan pe aap paida hue wahan aasakte hai na? hum vaada karte hai hum khud aapko apne hi iss sheher se naye sirhe se pehchaan karayenge.
apna khayal rakhiyega. sach kaha aap ne…bohat baatein karni hai. saalon ki baatein aap per udhaar hai hamara aur ab aap hi ko chukana hai. aap se zyada humain intezar hai.
aap ki jawab k muntazir..
-Nupur
She puts the pen down and re-reads the letter and goes to bed feeling a bit nervous.
Next day…as she wakes up and gets ready to go to college, she picks up the letter and on her way to college..she starts mumbling to herself…as usual
N: zyada to nahi likh liya na? kya sochega woh? ……..
N: arre yeh teri wahem hai Nupur. dil me laddoo phoot rahe hai to lagta hai saare duniya ko dikh raha hai. koi nahi..sahi hai sab.
N:kya khaak sahi hai? yeh kya likkha..khud ki dost. woh kya sochega…maa ki tarha woh bhi mujhe paghal samjhega aur bhaag jayega
N: bhaagna hai to bhaag jaaye…meri bala se. huh..usse Nupur ko janna hai to asli Nupur ko hi jaane. jaisi hain hum waise hi hai, ab kisiko accha lage ya na lage..kya farq parta hai!
N: accha? koi farq nahi parega. dekhte hai…While she is smiling at herself, unknowingly she bumps into Tanmay.
T: subhe subhe takraaney k liye aur koi nahi mila aapko..(he smiles)
N: arre Tanmay kaise ho?
T: fine per tumhe yeh doosre logon se takrane ka beemari hai ya shaukh?
N: matlab? main hamesha logon se takraati rehti hoon?
T: logon ka to pata nahi…per pichle 2 hafte me tum 4 baar mujh ghareeb se takra chuki ho aur har baar nuksaan mera hi hota hai
N: accha? to aisa kya nuksan kar diya humnain? batao..
T: (he indicates towards the ground where there is a plastic cup with spilled coffee..)
N: ohh…I am sorry. pata hi nahi laga. I am so sorry. hum tumhe abhi doosri coffee la dete hai
T: arre laane ki kya zaroorat hai. class me thori dair hai, chalo canteen. but your treat
N: haan bhai pata hai. treat nahi kiya to saari zindagi iss nuksaan k taanay sunne parengeThey head towards the canteen.
As days and weeks pass by, not only the email communication between Mayank and Nupur takes off but also the friendship between Tanmay and Nupur blossoms as well. While Nupur makes no delays in responding to Mayank's emails, she also doesn't hesitate to spend almost all her time with Tanmay especially now that she is getting regular tuition on computing from him. From emailing to chatting to Facebooking to Tweetting…allz been taught over the past few days. Not that Nupur is enjoying all this..she is still eagerly waiting for the day when Mayank returns from his trip and she can get back to her good old style pen and paper mode. Although all these technical interactions between Tanmay and Nupur have brought them closer to each other but they have purely been intended as tutorial as Nupur has not yet revealed anything about Mayank to anyone…not even to Diya. She wasn't exactly sure as to where this was all leading to and hence was not ready to share this information with anyone yet. Although not sure in one hand, in the other hand she was interpreting Mayank's emails in her own way…each and every email she found a new hint where she thought Mayank was trying to confess to her. To this date, she still awaits the clear message when he will propose to her.
One day, when Nupur and Tanmay have come to the lab, they find all computers available. Nupur was over the moon as she could have some privacy in checking her inbox. Tanmay saw that excitement on her face and said..
T: tum apna kaam nipta lo, main chalta hoon
N: arre ruko na…bas emails check karne hai. phir saath me chalte hai
T: thik hai ..phir main bhi apna emails check kar leta hoon. per jaldi se..ok?
Nupur logs in to check her mail. In few seconds, she receives an instant message.
M: aaj Khuda se kuch aur bhi maang leta to mil jata. kaisi ho Nupur?To Nupur's biggest surprise, it was Mayank online!! She is startled!!! Its Mayank!!! Live…there are various kinds of feelings that are running thru her head right now.
" kya karoon! kya karoooonn…" she looks around where Tanmay is busy typing.
With trembling fingers..she types..
N: kaise ho Mayank?
M: accha hoon. tum?
N: haan thik hai hum. kahan se bol rahe ho
M: filhal to kuch bol nahi raha, type kar raha hoon woh bhi apne ungli se. tum kahan se bol rahe ho Nupur..hehhee
N: nahi woh hum pooch rahe the k aap kaise hai
M: woh tum pooch chuki Nupur aur maine jawab bhi dey diya hai.
Nupur stops typing..she is feeling very nervous and doesn't feel like she can face him like that. So she quickly types..
N: humain ghar jaana hai…dair horahi hai. Bye!and she logs off and almost forcibly drags Tanmay out of the lab and returns home. On their way back, Tanmay notices Nupur being unsually quiet. He cannot help but ask..
T: sab theek to hai na Nupur?
N: (comes out of her lost thoughts) haan…nahi hum theek hai
T: to itni khamosh kyun ho? hamesha to bakbak karke dimagh khaati rehti ho. yeh achanak kya hogaya hai tumhe?
N: Tanmay…ek baat pooche tumse?
T: haan poocho..
N: humain apne zindagi me aanewale morr ka andaza kyun nahi hota?
T: kyah!!
N: (smiles as she notices Tanmay's face) kuch nahi. chalo ab..dair horahi hai.
They walk home together…both lost in their own thoughts, completely silent…completely quiet.
-Neela
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har zakhm ko la-ilaaj kar diya
har aansoo ko bezubaan kar diya
kya khoob nibhaya hai dosti yaara
pal bhar me humain tanha kar diya
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Edited by sharneel - 14 years ago
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