Aisa koun karta hai?
Aaj tak kitne shayar padhe... kitne hi writers ka kayal raha main... par kissi ko bhi kagaz ke panno pe aise dhadakte huye zakhm chhodte nahi dekha... siyahi ki kalikh se kai zyada kali... Raat ke andheron se bhi zyada veeran... isse shayari kahe toh kaise... diary ke panno mein Zindagi ki Razdaar aur Dard ki Humdard kaha usne apne aapko...
Aisa koun karta hai bhala?
Uski aankhen uff! Aisi bhi aankhen hoti hai ke jisme hazaron cheekhe dafn ki hui nazar aati ho... aise ke zaise har ek cheekh ko bada sanjoh ke rakha ho usne... Hothon pe aksar ek adhuri si muskan rehti hai... ke jaise hothon ko yakeen hi na ho ke kab muskurane ki wajah chheen jaye unse... Uske aanchal se badi der talak lipta raha woh masoom sa bachcha, jaise yakeen ho use, ki har toofan laut jayega uske aanchal ke dayre ke bahar se...
Aisa kab hota hai?
Ke koi tumhe dekh ke muskuraye aur tumhe woh muskurahat chubh si jaye Gulaab mein jade kante ki tarah... Uske sawalon se ab bhi pareshan hun main... jaise duniya dekhne ka chashma hi galat number ka pehna ho maine. Uske kharch kiye huye paise medal ki tarak seene pe liye ghumta raha din bhar... ajeeb si baat haina?
Uska haath ghumake bade beparwahi se bikhre huye balon ko samet lena... jaise keh rahi ho... abhi waqt nahi mere paas tumhare nakhre uthane ke... Ek baar bhi use apni sari pe lage khoon ke nishano se pareshaan hote nahi dekha... jaise ki useh hi nahi uski cheezon ko bhi aadat ho zakhmo ka saath dene ki...
Manjaree ne kuchh bhi nahi kaha par Janki woh kuchh bina sune hi jaise sab jaan gayi ho.. Useh kab lavzon ki darkar rahi...Manjaree ko sherni ke bachche ki tarah apni nigrani mein rakha tha usne pure waqt... Uske papa jab use lene aaye toh mujhe ek pal ko laga ke jaise unko Manjaree ko sopne ke liye bade kashmakash se guzri woh... lekin phir jab man bana liya toh uski aankhon ne jaane kya kaha ki thodi der ke liye thahar se gaye Mr. Jha.
Ajeeb si ladki hai... aur na jaane mere zehen se kab jayegi uski yeh Beparwah si adayen...
Bada hi confused sa...
Raghav
Janki had come to see him off... and she had this envelop with all the money she had spent from his wallet. That somehow pissed him off real good. What actually concerned him was that she had somehow managed to hurt herself within few minutes he had been waiting for her... she had taken bath and her hair hung in their wet and dishevelled avtar around her face... her cut on the lips and bump on the head were troubling him to no end damn it... this girl was a walking disaster. After a day from hell she had to get herself knocked on the beds corner and hit her face this bad on the table in her room...
But more than anything else he was really angry about the prank Imran and Janki had played on him... For a moment there he had actually felt that someone had cheated him off a beautiful dream... he had actually believed in Jahnvi... He had somehow been able to connect to her, that he had never felt with anyone this fast in life... and for Janki it had all been a prank was creating havoc with his temper and emotions... oh how she must have had fun at his expense...
Raghav was well aware that he should keep quite when he was still reeling from the fact that there is no Jahnvi but if there was one thing he has gotten from his Zamindaar ancestors then it's that temper, which when came knew no bounds of time, place and situation... so as usual he just let it go...
Raghav: What the hell is that envelop for? (they were standing near his car)
Janki: The money we spent in the hospital... Manjaree's papa gave it to me to give you... aaand he said Thanks to you...
Raghav: Achha? I never saw him talking to you at length so when did he manage all that... You know I should have known how necessary it is to you to look all important and attract attention... I
Janki: Thakur Sahab, I did tell him it was you who spend all the money... i ..i (he could hear a slight hitch in her voice but she stopped talking then)
Raghav: And did you tell him that you play roles of your twin sister to make fool of people too... so what did you say your name was to Mr. Jha - JANKI or JAHNVI huh? ( By now Raghav was hissing and gritting his teeth and literally breathing fire)
But among all the haze of anger he noticed that his Dragon stood there helpless and quite with her head bowed and eyes downcast... he noticed he didn't like to see her like this... she has been fighting always with anything that she thought was wrong. But she stood in front him in a very faded kurta and salwar which were a little too loose on her. He knew she must be dead tired, hungry and now hurt too, but she didn't utter a word... and that did not sit well with him too. So as it frequently happens with Raghav, his guilt made him even more ruthless...
Raghav: So was it a new technique to trap The RAGHAV THAKUR the topper of the college and the most popular guy or was it to prove to your fellow students how you can easily fool the gullible Raghav Thakur, huh? Tell me, why don't you? I am a big boy and believe me I have had girls and their families falling at my feet since my 8th grade so nothing new there...
Tinana: Janaa, baby aajao ab... you have had enough for a day... (she was looking very sternly at Raghav now)
Janki : Tinana, Raghav had very kindly payed for everything in the hospital so... I was just
Tinana: Thanking him?
Janki: Ye..yess, I will be inside in a moment (did her voice had that hoarse texture always or was it his imagination.. it sounded as if she was trying hard not to cry... and then he saw her blink a few times before fully turning to him... she offered for him to take the envelope silently and he took it quietly realizing that she had swallowed twice before offering the money to him)
Suddenly, a tiny lizard fell on head and Janki went totally still not even breathing she was shit scared Raghav could see and removed the lizard from her hair and threw it away... incidentally touching her cheek which was chilled as if someone had been holding an ice pack to the side of her cheek... he saw her release her breadth slowly and then moved away from him waiting for him to sit in the car and go. Raghav was intending to do just that when he noticed figure prints on her cheek near her mouth where it was cut... and that shocked him like hell. In few moments that he kept staring at her he never found her looking up at him but there was a slight wobble on her chin which she brought under control immediately...
Raghav realized anything he said after the fiasco he has just pulled off will sound only fake so he left... only to see her standing in the same position in his back view mirror for the longest of time and then the road had to end and lead him away...
SOMEONE HAD HIT HER!! REAL BAD!!
Raghav's hands were shaking with a kind of rage and confusion he couldn't fathom to understand... He felt ashamed of himself, while she stood there coping with pain and humiliation of God knows what kind, all he had been capable of doing was vent it out on her and pile up more shit on her head just because he had wanted to see her as Jahnvi... It was just a bloody prank damn it. That too, a prank in which she played no role except keeping quiet and taking in embarrassment of being compared to a phantom...
BLOODY EVERLASTING HELL AND DAMNATION!!!
How much of a pigheaded Buffoon can one be? He will have to talk to her tomorrow, at any cost, if she managed to come to college tomorrow... What if she got unwell and didn't come to college at all? ... she didn't look very well right now...
Next day morning...
Janki saw Raghav's car at the bus stop... he must be waiting for someone... may be one of his girlfriend stays here. She just turned around and took an auto to her college...
Raghav kept waiting and at last gave up thinking she must be unwell to come to college... good she should rest... she worked like ten horses put together and was too thin for her own good... But when she danced she looked just perfect like some apsara entertaining herself in the abundance of letting a part of her go... that he had never seen her doing otherwise... She kept strict control on her emotions even when thrashing a guy double her age and size. The thrashing was meant for humiliation than actual hurt, he had noticed that much.
In the college he found her by chance sitting under a tree reading some book... and then making notes in it, when Manjaree came to her and Raghav just managed to go near enough to listen to their conversation...
Manjaree: What did you do now? Damn you to hell Janki, what did you tell my dad? Did you threaten him or something?... Till yesterday he was stealing my wedding jewellery and expensive designer Saris for his new wife, my stepmother and today he gave me this preloaded credit card to shop for my wedding...returned my Jewellery along with the one's he had of my own mother's, which he had been trying to steal from me... So just tell me you witch what the hell you did?
Janki:(Got up from her sitting position and tentatively just held Manjaree by her upper arm) Manjaree please yaar, aaj toh aaram kar leti, teri shadi hai in a month's time... aur maine kuchh nahi kiya yaar... he is your father why will he not pamper his only daughter for her wedding? you simply misunderstood him yaar...
Manjaree: (pushing Janki away hard) I know him okay... he married within 1 month of my mom's death who died of childbirth which was 12th pregnancy of her life when I was 16 year old just because I am not the son he wanted from her... Do you even know why am I getting married at the age of 19... just because my stepmother on her wedding night told my dad that she can't share a roof with a 16 year old stepdaughter... she has been staying in a separate house since then. And now my Dad wants to save the money of maintaining two households and also so he can go live with his new family and his precious son without looking bad in the society. He is a businessman you see his image is his asset...
Manjaree was crying and sobbing by now and Janki very quietly held her in her arms shielding her from the eyes of the others... After a few moments Janki just held a bottle of water to her lips and then took out some medicine from her wallet and put them in Manjaree's mouth and gave her some more water once again...
Manjaree: Kya medicines khilai tune mujhe...(taking the medicines from Jankis hands... and checking the names) Tu meri medicines liye kyun ghum rahi hai... mere paas hai ghar pe yeh sari medicines... Oh Miss Mother India ko laga hoga kahi main apni medicines miss na kar jau haina?
When Janki kept quiet and kept on writing notes in her diary... Manjaree peeped in... and was shocked... Janki had been making notes about her wedding along with invitation card matter on one page... Dress designers...Beauty parlors... Caterers and Banquet Halls... Flower Vendors and Gifts for her Shagun to her In laws... everything was jotted down on pages after pages... and she was sitting with a book with blouse and bridal suit designs folding pages along with writing the page numbers she liked...
Manjaree was aghast and also pained... she has been one of the rare people in the college who actually detested Janki for having a better singing voice than her own... but this WITCH had done for her what her own mother also could not do, that is to stand up to her Dad for Manjaree's dignity. Life taught us all bitter truths through such incidents...
While Manjaree was feeling relieved that the witch has taken up with her marriage as her project so nothing could go wrong now, the whole of the college knew her ability to throw the best organised events in a moment's notice and the evidence of her thoroughness was there in front of her ... Raghav could only search the face of his dragon slayer for the remnants of yesterday's incidents, but as usual she was busy showing Manjaree some of her notes adding few more things and cutting a few...
Later...
Raghav: Janki... Mujhe aap se kuchh..(her eyes had gone wary of him for a moment and then the shutters were down... she looked all calm and ready to take any shit... she was expecting that from him, he could see that, and that pained him much more)
Meri Imran se baat huyi... main.. mera matlab..usne mujhe bataya ki aapne usse usi din kaha tha confusion clear karne ko, par woh bhul gaya...i mean Jahnvi...
(he couldn't speak anymore Janki was looking down now but there was a moment when he saw pain flit through her face... he has let her down somehow... and he didn't know how to even make up or apologise)
I mean... i should not have...
Janki: (smiled broadly but it never reached her glassy eyes) It's okay... not a big deal... thanks for your help at the hospital again...(and before Raghav could say something or react she just left him there and went away)
One thing Raghav learned that day is being recipient of no complain for the wrong you have done is one hell of a punishment...
Manjaree's Wedding day...(one month later)
Raghav was just getting tired of watching this girl damn it... she just kept on working as if it was a wedding of her own family...whereas the Assh*** Manjaree's Dad was flitting around from Buffet table to eating tables laid down for the guests feeding his new family...
He had managed to get involved in the marriage preparations somehow, by consistently pestering Manjaree, but he hardly ever got the chance to talk to Janki... just watching her rush around with her diary of lists gave him headache... all the relatives thought that she was some cousin of Manjaree... and he heard few busybody mummas looking at Janki as their prospective daughter-in-law he could see... These Auntys had nothing to do with their silly useless lives after all...Raghav was fuming when he again saw Janki get up suddenly to get some Samagri and swaying a little then holding herself straight for a moment to again rush to do the bidding of someone... He was really done with being annoyed... right now he was ready to punch someone or shake that fool Janki to get some sense into her... what the hell was wrong with her... she could at least delegate some of the work damn it.
Raghav was waiting to get Janki alone... He found her putting last touches to the Shagun Baskets and Manjaree's trousseau...and then counting the sweet and dry fruits boxes while all the while holding onto one bag full of Manjaree's Jewellery because she could not take the chance of leaving the jewellery in a room for which the hotel staff might have master key... She behaved more like mom than her 19 years... and somehow that bothered him... there was a carefree air which she very deliberately cultivated... but when alone there were no care freeness to be found in her... she carried a burden much beyond her years it seems...
Raghav entered the room where the Shagun Baskets were kept, with a plate of starters with every intention of force feeding her if required...
Raghav: Janki please sit...
Janki was a little startled to see him... and couldn't understand what was he doing here... she wanted to check on the things that were supposed to go with Manjaree... Not knowing anything about the Rajasthani culture beyond their preferred food and dressing had been a great hurdle in arranging things to her satisfaction... But Manjaree's Mother in law has been a darling in helping her as much as she could... Now that Manjaree's Captain is gonna take over her care for a lifetime... Janki just hoped she didn't make any mistakes in making her special day more special for her...
Raghav lost patients and held a bite for her to eat... Janki was so surprised by the gesture that she could only shake her head to a no...
Raghav: What is wrong with you? pure din se kuchh nahi khaya aur ab bhi khane se problem hai... maine aapko ek ghut pani peete huye bhi nahi dekha hai... Dimaag kharab hai kya? Dus logon ka kaam khud hi karna hai aur phir khana bhi nahi khana hai... bimar padna hai kya? (Raghav had lost it completely by now, and was quite voluble in his anger)
Janki smiled took the plate from him kept it on the table and gave Raghav a newly opened bottle of water to drink.. it took two deep breaths for him to calm down enough...
Raghav: Ok fine, khana kyun nahi khana hai? I know there must be some great logic to it but i am sorry, it has managed to elude me completely...
Janki felt a little awkward to talk about it, and was sure Raghav will make fun of it...
Janki: Aaj Manjaree ki shaadi hai...aur aaj uska kanyadaan bhi. uske Daddy kanydaan toh kar rahe hai but unke liye fast rakhna mushkil tha... Isliye.. ( and she looked at him nervously)
Raghav: Isliye aapne fast kiya? Kya ho jata agar koi fast nahi rakhta toh?... What kind of foolishness is this?... Uske Daddy kanyadaan karenge aur aap fast karengi as a proxy...( he saw her face losing the excitement at his lecture) Ok explain it to me how does it work?
Janki: To tell you the truth I myself don't know... But Manjaree ke maike se koi bhi fast nahi karega uske kanyadaan ke liye, aisa sochke mujhe achha nahi laga... mere liye yeh sirf fast nahi hai par dua hai gharwalon ki apni laadli ke liye, jo woh apne saath leke jayegi, yeh sara shagun ka samaan kabhi na kabhi khatam ho jayenge par uske maike se uske saath chalne ke liye har ek kadam pe duya saath rahe, pyari pyari bachpan ki yaden sath rahe, yeh ehsaas sath rahe ke use iss ghar se nikalne ke liye nahi, sirf bojh samajhke utarne ke liye nahi balki uske liye jholi bhar bhar ke zindagi bhar ki khushiya denewale uske pati aur uske sasuralwalon ke hawale kar rahe hai use hum...
Raghav: Yeh sab Manjaree ko pata hai kya?
Janki shook her head and looked at him pleadingly...
Raghav gave a tight nod of acquiescence and then they both joined everyone at the mandap...
Though they all had immense fun during the marriage, but Raghav could only hear Jahnvi's words in his head ...
yeh sirf fast nahi hai par dua hai gharwalon ki apni laadli ke liye, jo woh apne saath leke jayegi, yeh sara shagun ka samaan kabhi na kabhi khatam ho jayenge par uske maike se uske saath chalne ke liye har ek kadam pe duya saath rahe, pyari pyari bachpan ki yaden sath rahe, yeh ehsaas sath rahe ke use iss ghar se nikalne ke liye nahi, sirf bojh samajhke utarne ke liye nahi balki uske liye jholi bhar bhar ke zindagi bhar ki khushiya denewale uske pati aur uske sasuralwalon ke hawale kar rahe hai use hum...
Raghav was scared for Jahnvi's health so he kept a watch on her from far... but what also kept on niggling in his mind was did she not believe that she will get all those blessings for herself when her time came... because her eyes had misted while she said those things, her voice had that yearning laced into it and she had worked so hard to give it to a friend that it actually drew his immense respect for this girl...
What was it her Doodlu had called her?... oh yes, Tinker Bell(the tinkering fairy), who managed to fix everything with her mechanical and designing genius, who collected wasted and broken pieces to make something beautiful and useful...who couldn't sit still till she won the last drop of good, right, happiness, laughter, love, respect and all for everyone around her... but did this Tinker Bell keep some of her Pixie dust (the magical powder, that when sprinkled on someone, it made them fly) for herself... coz if anyone deserved to fly it was this Tinker Bell...
Raghav watched over his Tinker Bell while she just slumped after all the rituals were done and everyone took the much needed rest before the Vidayi ritual started early morning... she would want to take care of her last minute things that needed her attention.
When the Bride and Groom were fed Sweets and curd before they started their journey Manjaree asked for Janki to come and feed them as a sister would do in the end... Raghav could see that Janki was much abashed and touched by the honour of being given the role so important as this last ritual was done by the mother of the bride...
When Manjaree started to feed Janki a sweet in return she just took it and said i will have it after you are gone not right now... Raghav could see Manjaree was hurt... she wanted to do this much before she left so she started to cry quietly... Janki too was besides herself for hurting Manjaree ... So Raghav came forward and told what Janki had told him few hours ago... he couldn't bear it, if after all Janki did for the happiness of Manjaree's future, Janki were to be misunderstood, he couldn't bear it by God...
Manjaree got up and just rushed in Janki's arms and Janki held her like a mother would or a elder sister would even though she was younger than Manjaree but for today she held that stature in everyone's eye.
Manjaree: Tu chalna mere saath Harsh Kisi ke saath tujhe wapas bhijwa denge...unse baat hogayi hai meri...
Janki: Han bas kuchh hafto ke liye saath ho tum dono usme bhi main kabab mein haddi banke chalu tere saath haa? Pagal kahiki... Tu ja khub enjoy karna aur apne Shahad-Chand ki tasveeren bhejna hum sabko (wiping her face with tissue) aur agar tujhe tere Captain Sahab ne Tang Kiya na Toh mujhe batana...
Imran : Haan Janki ko batana wohin aake court marshal kar degi Jijaji ka...
In the end when everyone was sitting in the car and Janki was ensuring that all the things were loaded properly and then Manjaree's hand bag, dupatta n all were with her, water bottle and some of her favourite snacks and chocolates are in the car with her. Capt. Harsh took her by elbow to a side made her stand there and some seven of his friends and he himself gave her a salute worthy of the Prime Minister of any state...
Capt. Harsh: Har jung sarhad pe nahi jeeti jaati ... kuchh yahi pe humare aaspaas jeeti jaati hai... aur woh bhi humare soldiers hote hai...bas unhe arms and ammunition ki zarurat nahi hoti... woh khud hi kafi hote hai...
Janki was so embarrassed and touched that few tears just spilled through unknowingly... and Raghav just went and stood by her, handing her a handkerchief...
Capt. Harsh: (looking at Raghav) You will take care of her for me, won't you? Please...
Raghav : Yes, yes i will..
They shook hands and then Harsh had to come and hug Janki before he and his entourage left with their friend...
CID
Music Corner
