Venerate
Worli, Mumbai, 9th August 1999
Early morning, Chris had no idea how to pacify Anna - he had been visiting her place but she refused to meet him - he called her but no one answered - he tried to contact Jannet and Daniel but they were too not ready to help him - Sharon had tried to help but he knew even she won't be able to help and now he had just one day left and had no idea how to mend what his father had destroyed ... He sighed and turned to see the sacred place of Haji Ali standing still in the blue water and smiled but soon his eyes traveled to a girl standing too close to the border and he felt his heart race as he thought she was about to jump and rushed towards her ...
Saba was looking at the ever so peace-giving Haji Ali's Darga - a place she had often visited with Ali - she remembered how together they used to walk towards the Darga while holding hands and their prayers used to be the same - to be together always ... A smile crept on her lips while some tears rolled down her cheeks - she had no idea what she was doing as she drowned herself in her past while the wind played with her dupatta and hair ...
Before she would walk any further, he held her wrist and stopped her, she furrowed her eyebrows and turned around to see him standing next to her and looked at his hand which was holding hers ... He released her hand and glared at her, "Aap kya kar rahi thi, marne ka irada hai kya? Aur koi jagah nahi mili marne ke liye?" She turned to look where she was heading and closed her eyes to control her senses, "Mera dhyaan nahi tha ... shukriya ..." And headed to sit at the place from where she could clearly see Haji Ali ... He had no idea what to do and decided to go and join her ... He noticed her shift a little as he took the seat next to her and joined her in staring at the place of God - in his mind praying to show him some way to get back with Anna ... He sat still for sometime before speaking up, "Kabhi kabhi aisa kyun hota hai ki jinse hum sabse zyada pyaar karte hain - unhe hi sabse zyada chhot pahunchaate hai ..." She turned her face towards the stranger who was sitting beside her and could sense some kind of a pain in his voice ... She shook her head and smiled turning back to the Darga, "Tumne apne sawaal ka jawaab khud hi de diya ..." He turned towards her with confusion, "Matlab?" "Ajnabeeyon ko hum chhot nahi pahunchaate - pyaar hai tabhi to dard de jaate hain - hum haq se unhe chhot pahunchaate hai jinse hum pyaar karte hain - unhe hum apna maante hai - gairon ko kaun dard deta hai ..." He lowered his head as tears were welling up in his eyes and replied, "Wo mujhse naraaz hai ... aur hona bhi chaahiye ... maine us par bharosa jo nahi kiya ... aur ab wo kal kisi aur se shaadi kar rahi hai ..." Saba's tears rolled down her cheeks and she took a deep breath before replying, "Naraaz hai to use manaao, bataao ki wo kya khone jaa rahi hai - ehsaas dilaao apni mohabbat ka ... Apni mohabbat par bharosa rakho - wo kahin nahi jaayegi, agar tumse mohabbat karti hai to koi use tumse alag nahi kar paayega ... Wo lautkar aayegi agar tum apna haath uski taraf badhaaoge, samjhe?" He looked at her with confusion and she could not help but giggle, "Is tarah yahaan baithe rehne se kuch nahi hoga - agar usse miloge nahi to use ye ehsaas kaise dilaaoge ki wo kitni badi galti karne jaa rahi hai ..." He looked at her with hope and despair in his eyes, "Par wo mujhse milna nahi chaahti ..." She smiled, "To tumne haar maanli? Mohabbat mein haar nahi maani jaati - koshish karte raho jab tak wo maan nahi jaanti - mohabbat karti hai tumse, zyada der tumse juda nahi reh paayegi ..." He stared at her as she slowly removed the taweez she had been wearing since childhood and kept it in his hand, "Allah tumhaari madad zaroor karenge ..." He smiled at her with tears in his eyes as she blinked her eyes with assurance ... He cupped her hand in his and replied, "Thank you ... thank you so much and I am sure jisse aap pyaar karti hain wo aapko zaroor milega ..." She looked at him with confusion as he wiped the lingering tears from her eyes, making her smile and immediately took a taxi while she kept looking at the taxi till it was out of sight and smiling got up and started towards her own search with a new energy and a new hope instilled in her ...
Dushwaar tere bin, hai ye saara jahaan ...
Ye dil khol dun, kambakht kar ishaara ...
Church Gate Station, Mumbai, 9th August 1999
He was travelling in the train in the afternoon, tired of his constant search yet his hopes were high - staring at the fan above and remembering how they had shared the most beautiful moments of togetherness in many such trains - life had brought them to such a stage where they lived each moment; they died each moment ... One moment of hope of seeing her; another moment of despair of not getting her ...
She slowly walked into the compartment and sat near the window ... All the tears she had been holding in her eyes flowed down her cheeks as she remembered Chris's tear-filled eyes but she just couldn't understand how to break all the boundaries and reconcile with him ... She just could not forget what his father had said and neither could forget the moment he did not trust her - she could not do this to herself and to her father - how could she? How could she so easily break the promise, she had made to her father?
He realised that the girl beside him was in tears and turned to look at her but couldn't understand what to say and without saying anything started staring at the fan again ... With the sudden jerk of the train, she started falling off but he held her hand and prevented her "great fall" ... She turned towards him and softly whispered, "Thanks ..." He mildly smiled and gave her, her handkerchief ... She softly took it and started staring out of the window but he could not hold back himself, "Kya hua?" She turned towards him and said, "Kuch nahi ..." He shook his head and said, "Ajnabee se dard baatne mein koi nuksaan nahi hai - main tumse phir milunga bhi nahi aur kya pata shayad tumhaare kaam aa sakun?" She looked at him with tears and said, "Main ... main ... meri shaadi hai kal ..." He nodded and assured her to continue, "Par main samajh nahi paa rahi mujhe kya karna hai ... jisse shaadi kar rahi hun; usse pyaar nahi karti aur jisse pyaar karti hun usi ne mujhe sabse zyada chhot pahunchaayi hai ..." He looked at her inquisitively, "To bhool jaao use ... usne tumhe dard diya hai na, to bhool jaao use ..." She was horrified, "Par wo pachta raha hai ... wo ... use misunderstanding ho gayi thi ... wo mujhse bahut pyaar karta hai ..." He smiled and replied, "To phir use maaf kyun nahi kar deti?" She lowered her head, "Kyunki uske dad ki wajah se mere papa ki aankhon mein aansun aa gaye the ... main papa ko aur dukh nahi dena chaahti ..." He shook his head and replied, "Mera station aane waala hai par main tumse bas ek baat kahunga - pyaar bahut mushkil se milta hai, use itni aasaani se khona nahi chaahiye ..." He removed his locket and gave it to her, "Allah tumhaari madad karenge, sahi raah chunne mein - bas apne dil ki sunna aur haan ek baat mat bhoolo ki tumhaare Abbu ki khushi tumhaari khushi mein hai ... samjhi?" She took the locket and nodded, he smiled and was about to go when she held his hand ... He turned towards her with confusion - she smiled and hugged him ... He was shocked while she pulled out and said, "Thank you ... thank you so much!!" He smiled and walked out of the train praying to Allah to help him find his destination while she held the locket tightly in her hand and smiled before picking her phone ...
Mere paas, tum sada ... Waapas aa jaao ... Edited by -jaee- - 14 years ago
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