Chapter 5 - Sakshi Rana
Ham Chail se bahar nikle hi the ke maine us din Sharma se milne ka apna irada badal diya. Aise achanak ek din uske darwaze par pahunch jana aur ek 20 saal purane case ke baare mein sawal karne lag jana mujhe kuchh theek nahi laga. Behtar yahi hota ke main usse ek baar pehle phone par baat kar leta aur appointment lekar jata. Aur usse milne jaane se pehle ek baar police files par nazar maar lena bhi shayad theek rehta.
"Ek kaam karo, vaapis Bungalow ki taraf hi le lo" Maine driver ko kaha toh usne gaadi vaapis guest house ki taraf ghuma di.
Us din maine aur kuchh nahi kiya. Ghar betha sochta raha ke kis jagah se shuruat ki jaaye. Jab kuchh aur nahi soojha toh yahi decide kiya ke filhal sabse behtar yahi hai ke Ravi Rana ke baare mein zyada se zyada pata kiya jaaye. Vo kis tarah ka aadmi tha, kiske saath uthta bethta tha, uske dost kaun tha, kya uski zindagi mein koi ladki thi vagerah vagerah. Uske saath jo kuchh bhi hua tha uska jawab 20 saal pehle ki uski zindagi mein hi kahin tha. Agar mujhe jaanna hai ke us raat vo ghar se gaya toh lauta kyun nahi toh uske liye mujhe pehle ye jaanna hoga ke us raaat se pehle ki uski zindagi kaisi thi.
Shaam dhalne lagi toh maine ek baar phir Kaali ka Tibba ki taraf jaane ka irada banaya. Mausam mein khaasi thandak thi isliye maine apni jacket pehni aur guest house se nikal kar paida hi mandir ki aur chal pada.
Main kuchh door hi gaya tha ke pichhe ke kisi ke aane ki aahat hui. Palat kar dekha toh Sakshi Rana jogging karti hui aa rahi thi.
"Tibbe ki taraf ja rahe ho?" Vo mere kareeb aakar ruki.
"Haan, socha mandir hi ho aaya jaaye. Mata ke saath saath doobte sooraj ka ek behtareen nazara bhi dekhne ko mil jaayega"
"Well you arent dressed for jogging so i cant ask you for that. Would you mind if i walk with you?
"Ismein mind karne wali koi baat hi nahi hai, ek se bhale do" Maine muskurate hue kaha.
Vo mere saath saath hi chalne lagi. Use dekh kar andaza laga pana mushkil tha par uski umar koi 30-35 ke beech rahi hogi aur vo ek behad khoobsurat aurat thi. Shareer par kahin naam-matra bhi charbi nahi aur use yun shaam ko pahadon par bhaagte dekh charbi ka na hona samajh aata tha. Lambe kaale baal jinhein usne us waqt samet kar joode ki tarah sar par baandha hua tha, badi badi kaali aankhen, gora chitta rang, takreeban 5"6 height, kasa hua jism, halka bhaari seena, patli si kamar. In short vo ek vaisi hi aurat thi jaisi ki aksar TV magazines mein models ke roop mein nazar aati hain.
"I can tell that you like what you see" Usne shayad meri nazar bhaanp li thi.
"Ji?" Main baukhlate hue bola.
"Its ok" Vo mere baukhlane par dil khol kar hasi "I am used to that and honestly, i quite like it"
"I am sorry" Main samajh gaya ke meri chori pakdi gayi. Use saath chalte hue main uper se neeche tak dekh raha tha aur vo samajh gayi thi.
"Nothing to be sorry about, i know i am pretty and i admire an admirer"
"Still, i am really sorry" Maine phir bhi maafi maangi.
"Its ok, you were nothing. You should see the drooling eyes of other people. You were only just checking me out"
"Well i wasnt really" Maine kaha. Ham dono dheemi chaal mein mandir ki taraf badh rahe the.
"What do you mean?"
"I wasnt really checking you out. What did catch my eye actually was how physically fit you are as opposed to other women of our country. I mean by this age, they are exact opposite of physically fit"
"Not only women though"
"Yeah true, even the middle aged men" Maine haami bhari.
"Well thanks for the compliment"
"So you have lived here all your life?"
"Yeah, Well most of it"
"And if you dont mind, may i ask what you do for living?"
"Ha ha ha" Vo meri baat sunkar phir has padi "Living is not a problem actually. With a rich family like mine, i could spend my life doing nothing. But if you meant my profession,then I am a doctor"
"A doctor?"
"Yeah, a physician"
"Well that explains your physical fitness. A doctor would certainly see that she remains fit and fine"
"Not true entirely. Half of the doctors these days have a belly sticking out with a cigarette in their mouths"
"I guess" Maine jawab diya "Agar aap bura na maanein toh ek baat puchh sakta hoon?"
"Zaroor"
"Why here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you are a rich woman and a beautiful indeed. And on top of it, you are a doctor too. So why live here in such a small town?"
"Honestly i dont know, i guess it runs in the family. Ours is a family of people from the hills. Our generations have lived here and maybe that is why i like living here too. I mean i have been to cities, did my doctorate in London but i never quite felt comfortable there. Too loud and noisy for me i would say. Here on the other hand, i feel at peace"
"Interesting"
'Yeah i guess it is"
"Do you practice?"
"Yeah, in Shimla"
Baat karte karte ham dono Tibbe par bane mandir tak pahunch gaye.
"Kuchh aur bhi puchhna chahta tha main"
"Sure"
"Mrs. Rana ne bataya ke aapne unhein suggest kiya tha mera naam, for this job you know. Why?"
"What do you mean why? Kehti hui vo boundary wall ke paas ja khadi hui aur saamne doobte sooraj ko dekhti hui boli "Beautiful, isnt it?"
"It is indeed" Main bhi uske saath ja khada hua "Mere kehne ka matlab tha ke is kaam ke liye mera naam hi kyun? Paise ki koi kami nahi aapke ghar mein, aap is kaam ke liye koi achhe se achha aadmi chun sakti thi"
"Vahi toh kiya, achhe se achha aadmi hi chuna maine" Vo muskurati hui boli.
"Come on, I am serious"
"And so am i" Vo bhi meri baat sun sanjeeda ho gayi "Why do you feel you are any less than anyone else? Main kaafi arse se aapke kaam ko follow kar rahi hoon. I have read several of your articles, both in the newspaper and online. Aur jis tarah se aapne kayi aise cases ko expose kiya jinpar har koi give up kar chuka tha vo qabil-e-tareef hai"
"Thanks"
"Well you deserve every bit of the praise. And anyways, aapko toh khush hona chahiye ke maine aapka naam suggest kiya. I am pretty sure ke paise toh achhe khaase diye honge aunty ne"
"Yeah and that actually brings up another question. Jo ek baat main Mrs. Rana se bhi puchhna chah raha tha par kuchh theek sa nahi laga isliye chup reh gaya"
"Puchhiye"
"Why now?"
"Why now what?"
"I mean its 20 years that her son is missing and she herself is pretty sure ke he is not alive anymore. So why now? I mean 20 saal tak khamosh rehne ke baad ab achanak?"
"Kisne kaha ke 20 saal tak vo khamoshi thi?"
"No i mean unhone bataya ke pehle bhi koshish ki ja chuki hai par Ravi ka kahin kuchh pata nahi chala. Thats what surprised me actually. Ke ab itne waqt baad mujhe itne paise dekar phir usi raah par bhejna jahan se pehle koi bhi koi nateeja nikal kar nahi la saka? Main unse ye puchha chahta tha par phir laga ke vo kahin bura na maan jaayen"
"Wow, an investigator who is apprehensive of asking questions? Aap kabse is baare mein sochne lage ke aapke sawal ka kisi ko bura na lage?"
"Well actually jab saamne koi Mrs. Rana jaise aurat bethi ho aur itni badi family toh sochna padta hai"
"Aunty vaisi hain nahi jaisi aap soch rahe ho"
"Matlab?"
"Matlab ke vo padhi likhi hain, highly qualified hain, Foreign degree hai unke paas in business management par vo dil se aaj bhi ek hindustani seedhi saadi aurat hain, ek typical housewife you know"
"Main samjha nahi"
"Well you see hers and my uncle's was an arrange marriage. My uncle was a very dabang kism ke insaan. Har koi unse dabkar aur darkar rehta tha aur aisi hi aunty ke saath bhi hua. Ek toh unka thoda shy nature aur uper se mere uncle ka dabang kism ka nature toh vo zyada bolti nahi thi uncle ke saamne. Zyadatar baaton mein unki haan mein haan hi mila deti thi. Aur uper se all the unfortunate events added more to this nature of her's"
"Unfortunate events?"
"Yeah, didnt she tell you about her kids that were born before Ravi and Raj"
"Oh, that. Yeah she did"
"Well you after she was unable to give a health and alive kid to her husband toh vo thoda sa aur dab gayin. You know how our society is. Har koi chahta tha ke vo Rana khandaan ko ek chirag dein, ek beta jo vo nahi kar pa rahi thi toh quite obvious tha that she too somewhere in her heart started blaming herself. Jab in sabke bavajood bhi uncle ne unhein na chhoda, na sataya, na kuchh kaha aur unke saath usi pyaar se pesh aate rahe toh vo kahin dil mein unka ehsaan maanne lagi. She literally worshipped her husband you know"
"Ok"
"Phir Raj aur Ravi aaye aur sab sahi ho gaya. Raj mere uncle ka favourite tha aur aunty ki preference thodi Ravi ki taraf zyada thi"
"Yeah thats quite natural, hota hai aisa, parents picking one kid slightly more over the other"
"Uske baad phir Ravi gayab ho gaya aur vo bhi uncle se property ko lekar. Yun toh uncle ne use dhoondhne ki kaafi koshish ki par mujhe lagta hai ke aunty ke dil mein kahin ye baat rahi ke ye koshish vaisi nahi hui jaisi honi chahiye thi, you know with the intensity that should have been given to it. Par because of her loyalty towards her husband, she never questioned him"
"And now when he is no more, she is giving a try of her own. Apni ek aakhri koshish kar rahi hain, poori mehnat ke saath"
"Yes, she talked to me about it a few times. And recently jab aapne vo murder case expose kiya jise sab bhool chuke the toh maine ek din yun hi aapka naam suggest kar diya. Phir hamare family lawyer hain Mr. Mehta unse contact kiya gaya"
"And he provided more details about me"
"Correct, and here you are. Right on the case"
"Well i hope ke kuchh pata laga sakoon"
"I am sure you will"
Saamne sooraj dheere dheere ek bade ke pahad ke pichhe sar chhupane laga tha, jaise koi nayi naweli dulhan sharma kar ghoonghat mein apna chehra chhupa rahi ho. Pichhe mandir mein pujari ne shaam ki aarti ki taiyyariyan shuru kar di thi.
"I always feel at peace when i come here you know. Main aur Ravi aksar aaya karte the yahan par aur us waqt toh itna achha bhi nahi tha kuchh. Sirf ye purana sa ek mandir bana hua tha aur charron taraf ped. Ye naya mandir aur ye compound toh haal filhal mein hi banaya gaya hai"
"Aap aur Ravi?"
"Yeah, we were quite good friends you know. Bahut masti karte the ham log aapas mein"
"Aap aur Ravi?" Maine phir vahi baat dohrayi.
"Yeah, why?" Vo apne maathe par shikan daalte hue boli.
"You must be quite young then"
"No, i was as old as he was"
"Oh my god !!!" Maine hairat mein kaha "Really?"
"Oh i get it" Vo meri baat samajhte hue boli "How old did you think i was"
"Honestly, early thirties"
"Well thank you for the compliment par aapne meri umar takreeban 10 saal pichhe kar di. I am in my early forties. Main Ravi aur Raj same age group ke the. Main Ravi se sirf 2 mahine chhoti thi"
"Wow, its really hard to tell"
"Thanks again"
"Agar aap bura na maanein toh kya main aapse bhi kuchh sawal kar sakta hoon case ke mutaabik?"
"Zaroor, fire away"
