UPDATE-49
palak jhapakte hi un sabki aankhen band ho gayin aur aisaa prtit hone lagaa, jaise vah sachamuch gahri nind main hon ।
baahar se ab sardaar ke chalne ki aavaajen aa rahi thi । phir dobaaraa darvaajaa khulne ki aavaaj । shaayad vo badi bekraari se sardaarni ko talaash kar rahaa thaa ।
“Kramer saahab !” phir vo jor-jor se chikhtaa huaa usi taraf bada- “Kramer saahab !”
vo andar aa gayaa ।
“Kramer saahab !”
“k... kyaa ho gayaa ?” Jack Kramer ne thodaa hadabadaakar aankhen kholin aur vah uthaa ।
“grandy kahaan gayi ?”
“grandy !”
“meri bivi ।”
“oh !”
to ‘grandy’ us sardaarni kaa naam thaa ।
“kyaa grandy tumhaare saath budhe ke antim sanskaar main bhaag lene nahin gayi thi ?” Jack Kramer bolaa ।
“nhin, main to use yahin chhodakar gayaa thaa । raat ke samay agar koi jaruri kaam aa jaataa hai, to vo kabhi bhi mere saath baahar nahin jaati ।”
“phir to vo baahar jhompede main hi kahin hogi ।”
“baahar hi to nahin hai Kramer saahab !”
usi kshan baaki yoddhaaon ne bhi apni aankhen malte hua is tarah uthne kaa upakram kiyaa, jaise unki baatchit se unki nind main bhi vighn ped gayaa ho ।
“kyaa ho gayaa ?” Havaam thodaa kupit bhaav se bolaa ।
“grandy gaayab hai ।”
“grandy, kaun grandy ?” Rony chihunkaa ।
“are sardaarni, aur kaun !”
baaki yoddhon ke chehre par bhi hairaani ke bhaav tair gaye ।
vah sab laajvaab abhinay kar rahe the ।
“vo bhalaa kahaan gaayab ho sakti hain ।” Abu Nidaal bolaa- “jrur basti main yahin kahin chali gayi hongi । yah bhi mumakin hai, vah usi budhe ke ghar chali gayi hon, jiski maut hui hai ।”
“haan !” Jack Kramer ki gardan bhi svikriati main hilli- “yah sambhav hai । varnaa bhalaa grandy aur kahaan jaa sakti hai ?”
“lekin usi budhe ke ghar se to main aa rahaa hun ।”
“shaayad aisaa huaa ho !” Master ne ek nayi sambhaavnaa vyakt ki- “tum udhar se aaye ho aur vo idhar se gayi ho ।”
sardaar ko baat kuchh jam nahin rahi thi ।
pahle to kabhi grandy etni raat ko jhompedi se gaayab nahin hui thi ।
yah is tarah kaa pahlaa vaakyaa thaa ।
aur vo vaakyaa uske dil main dahashat paidaa kar rahaa thaa । sardaar ko lag rahaa thaa, jarur kahin-n-kahin kuchh gadabad hai ।
“thik hai ।” sardaar paraast lahje main bolaa- “main grandy ko us budhe ke ghar bhi dekhakar aataa hun ।”
“main bhi tumhaare saath chalun ?” Master fauran apni jagah se uthakar bolaa । phir vo hansiye ko apni kamar ke saath baandhne lagaa ।
“nhin, tumhaari jarurat nahin hain ।”
“phir bhi main chaltaa hun, shaayad tumhaari kuchh madad ho jaaye ।”
“jaisi tumhaari ichchhaa ।”
Master, sardaar ke saath grandy ko dhundhne ke liye jhompede se baahar nikal gayaa ।
“dekho to saale ko !” Jack Kramer , Master ke jaate hi phumphkaaraa- “sardaar ke saamne kaisaa bhalaa banke dikhaa rahaa hai । grandy ko dhundhne gayaa hai, jaise abhi sach main hi use dhundhakar laayegaa ।”
“main to ek dusri baat soch rahaa hun ।” Mike ne kahaa ।
“kyaa ?”
“sardaarni ki maut ki yah baat aakhir kab tak chhupegi ?”
“dekho, kab tak chhupti hai । jab nahin chhupegi, tab koi dusraa raastaa khojenge ।”
sardaar aur Master, vah donon puri basti chhaanakar koi dadh ghante main vaapas laut aaye ।
tab tak din kaa ujaalaa dhire-dhire chaaron taraf failne lagaa thaa । iske alaavaa tab tak yah baat bhi puri basti main fail chuki thi ki grandy gaayab hai । sardaarni ke gaayab hone ki us khabar ne tamaam jungleiyon ko ghor aashchary main daal diyaa । vah sab dhire-dhire ab sardaar ke jhompede ke baahar jamaa hone lage ।
un jungleiyon main vah yuvak bhi shaamil thaa, jisne raat grandy ke saath freestyle kushti ladi thi ।
vah us samay kuchh jyaadaa bhaybhit thaa ।
“grandy ke baare main kuchh maalum huaa ?” un donon ke lautte hi Jack Kramer ne puchhaa ।
“nhin, ham saari basti chhaan chuke hain ।” sardaar kaa shushk svar- “lekin uskaa kahin kuchh pataa nahin ।”
sardaar us vakt bahut jyaadaa pareshaan najar aa rahaa thaa ।
“phir kahaan gayi grandy ?”
“kuchh samajh nahin aa rahaa, vo kahaan gayi । main to jitnaa soch rahaa hun, utni hi meri parishaani baad rahi hai ।”
“sardaar !” tabhi jhompede ke baahar khade kuchh jungli nojvaan bole- “hmaaraa khyaal hai, hamain sardaarni ko jungle main bhi dhundhne jaanaa chaahiye ।”
“jungle main kyon ?”
“shaayad vo raat kisi kaam se jungle main chali gayi hon aur vahin kisi jungli jaanavar ne unke upar hamlaa kar diyaa ho ।”
“lekin savaal to ye hai mere bhaai !” sardaar avsaadpurn lahje main bolaa- “grandy bhalaa raat ke samay basti chhodakar jungle main jaayegi kyon ?”
“phir jungli nojvaanon kaa ek badaa group grandy ko dhundhne ke liye jungle main bhi chalaa gayaa ।
☐☐☐
commander Karan Saxena jungle main ‘chitaa chaal’ se daudtaa-daudtaa jab thak gayaa, to vah ek ped ke niche etminaan se baith gayaa ।
uske baad usne ‘milk powder’ ko thode se paani main gholakar piyaa aur kuchh sukhe meve khaaye ।
commander Karan Saxena ki chintaayen ab baadne lagi thi ।
use mahsus ho rahaa thaa ki shighr hi vipdaaon kaa pahaad uske upar tutne vaalaa hai ।
sabse jyaadaa fikr use khaady saamagri ko lekar thi, jo dhire-dhire khatm hoti jaa rahi thi । isiliye vo uskaa kam pryog kar rahaa thaa । parantu phir bhi pet ki agni shaant karne ke liye uskaa kuchh-n-kuchh sevan karte rahnaa to jaruri thaa ।
isiliye commander Karan Saxena ke sharir main ab kuchh kamjori bhi aane lagi thi ।
puraa din use yoddhaaon ko talaashte-talaashte ho gayaa ki vah headquater se pharaar hone ke baad jungle main kis jagah jaakar chhipe hain ।
magar yoddhaaon kaa use kahin kuchh pataa n chalaa ।
commander Karan Saxena ne vahin baithe-baithe jungle kaa puraa nakshaa kholakar apne saamne failaa liyaa aur phir un chhoti-chhoti bastiyon ko talaashne lagaa, jo jungle ke bich main bani hui thi aur jahaan Burma ke jungli log rahte the ।
“yoddhaa enhi main se kisi ek basti main hone chaahiyen ।” commander hontho-hi-honthon main budbudaayaa ।
uski aankhen nakshe par daudti rahin ।
jald hi use jungle main aisi koi das basti najar aa gayin, jahaan jungli log rahte the ।
“das basti । enmain alag-alag jaakar yoddhaaon ko talaash karnaa bhi koi aasaan kaam n hogaa ।” commander ne sochaa- “kyonki saari basti ek-dusre se kaafi-kaafi faasle par bani hui hain ।”
“phir kyaa kiyaa jaaye ?”
commander ke dimaag main ulajhnen baad rahi thi ।
vah un yoddhaaon ko jitnaa jald-se-jald khatm kar denaa chaahtaa thaa, utnaa hi uske aur yoddhaaon ke bich faslaa baad rahaa thaa । commander ne nakshaa fold karke vaapas apne Haversack bag main rakh liyaa ।
kuchh kshan vo vahin baithaa-baithaa apni aagaami yojnaaon par vichaar kartaa rahaa aur uske baad usne najdik ki hi ek basti ki taraf daudnaa shuru kiyaa ।
uske paas pine kaa paani bilkul khatm ho chukaa thaa । isaliye daudte hua uski nigaahen paani ko bhi talaash rahi thi, jahaan se vo apni cainen bhar sake ।
commander daudtaa rahaa ।
daudtaa rahaa ।
dimaag main naye-naye vichaar janm lete rahe ।
vo abhi thodi hi dur gayaa hogaa ki use ek jharnaa dikhaai pedaa, jo pahaad ki ek unchi attaalikaa se hokar niche gir rahaa thaa । us jharne kaa paani kaafi svachchh aur nirmal thaa ।
commander fauran us jharne ke karib pahunchaa aur usne apne Haversack bag main se nikaalakar do cainen bharin ।
phir usne thodaa paani piyaa bhi ।
paani pite hua commander Karan Saxena ko military kaa ek niyam yaad aayaa । agar ranbhumi main koi sainik apni laaparvaahi se paani ki botal nahin bhartaa hai, to vah chaahe kitnaa hi achchhaa sainik kyon n ho, use court marshal karke military se nikaal diyaa jaataa hai । uske baare main kahaa jaataa hai, jo soldier apni jindgi ki sabse badi jarurat kaa dhyaan nahin rakh saktaa, vah apne desh kaa dhyaan kyaa rakhegaa ।
baat vaakaayi thik thi ।
paani jidangi ki sabse badi jarurat thi ।
paani pine ke baad commander ne apnaa aage kaa safar dobaaraa shuru kiyaa ।
paanch din aur gujar gaye ।
vah paanch din commander ke upar had se jyaadaa bhaari gujre ।
tisre din hi uski khaady saamagri puri tarah samaapt ho chuki thi । sukhe meve se lekar milk powder tak uske paas kuchh nahin bachaa । aagaami do din usne sirf ek khargosh ko khaakar gujaare, jise usne jungle main se pakad liyaa thaa aur sukhi lakadiyon par uskaa maans bhunakar khaayaa ।
us maasum jaanavar ko marte hua uske haath kaampe ।
magar majburi thi । iske alaavaa dusraa koi raastaa n thaa ।
en paanch dinon main vo bahut chori chhipe jungle ki chaar bastiyon ko bhi dekh chukaa thaa, parantu assault group ke yoddhaa use vahaan kahin najar n aaye ।
udhar !
vah yoddhaa jis basti main thahre hua the, paanch din vahaan bhi badi sanasnikhej sthiti main gujre ।
jabse grandy gaayab hui thi, tabse jungleiyon kaa sardaar to lagabhag bilkul hi paagal ho gayaa thaa ।
vah aksir raat ko bhi sote-sote chikhakar uth jaataa aur phir ‘grandy’ ko jor-jor se aavaaj detaa huaa use dhundhne nikal jaataa । vah jungle main dur-dur tak nikal jaataa ।
ek baar to vah raat ke samay grandy ko dhundhtaa-dhundhtaa ek jungli gurille ki maand main hi jaa ghusaa, jahaan gurille ne uske upar hamlaa bol diyaa ।
us raat sardaar bas marne se baal-baal bachaa ।
grandy ke baad un yoddhaaon ko bhi bhojan ki killat kaa saamnaa karnaa pedaa thaa ।
yun to kayi jungli aurten unke lia bhojan pakaane ko taiyaar thi, lekin unkaa pakaayaa bhojan yoddhaaon ko pasand n thaa । tab Havaam ne vo jimmadaari sambhaali ।
Havaam !
jo ek chini thaa ।
vaise bhi chini bhojan pakaane main maahir hote hain ।
alabattaa unke kapede vagairaa abhi bhi jungli aurten dhoti thi ।
☐☐☐