Update-1
Kamre ke bheetar ki hawa mein seelan, paseene aur khauf ki gandh ghuli hui thi. Beech-o-beech farsh par woh chhota sa baccha pada tadap raha tha, jiski aankhon ka kaajal ab aansuon ke saath behkar uske gaalon par kaali lakeeren bana chuka tha.
"Saale! Aaj bheekh mein itne kam paise kyun hain? Sach bol, tune chhipaye hain na?" Bhaari aur karkash awaaz ke saath ek aur laat us masoom ke pet par padi.
"Aahhh! Babuji... mat maaro..." baccha tadap utha. "Meri behen mujhe bahut dategi agar main ghar jaldi nahi pahuncha toh... woh mujhse bahut pyaar karti hai, woh seh nahi payegi. Mujhe jaane do, main aapke pair padta hoon!" Aryan ne saamne wale pair pakad liye the, apna sar uske jooton mein jhuka diya tha.
Woh baccha, jo kuchh mahino pehle tak apni maa ki lori sunkar sota tha, aaj dard se bilakh raha tha. Uske kaampte hue haath jud gaye, "Nahi... nahi sahab, maine nahi churaye... aaj kisi ne paise hi nahi diye... Bhagwan ki kasam, maine nahi churaye!" Usaki awaaz mein woh masoomiyat thi jo patthar ko bhi pighla de, lekin saamne khada vyakti haivaniyat ki haden paar kar chuka tha.
"Please... chhod do mujhe... bahut dard ho raha hai," Aryan ki aawaz thar-tharayi. Uski aankhon se girte aansu gaalon par jame khoon ko dho rahe the. "Meri maa rasta dekh rahi hogi... usne kaha tha jaldi aana, aaj kheer banayi hai. Main late ho gaya toh woh rone lagegi... mujhe jaane do na. Aap…aap mere piggy bank ke saare paise le lena chhod do na."
Wahan kone mein kuchh aur ladke-ladkiyan khade the. Unki aankhon mein hamdardi to thi, par hothon par khamoshi aur shareer par jakda hua darr. Ve jaante the ki agar unhone beech-bachav kiya, to agla number unka hoga. Unmein se kisi ka haath kata tha, to kisi ki aankh fod di gayi thi—taaki sadkon par log unhe dekhkar taras khayein aur 'dhandha' achha chale.
Is bacche ki kahani kisi daravne sapne jaisi hai. Kareeb chheh mahine pehle, woh apne ghar ke bagal wale park me ek khilone wali gaadi se khel raha tha. Tabhi ek aurat, jisne chehre par nakaab odha tha, use toffee ka lalach dekar paas bulayi. Jaise hi woh kareeb gaya, usne ek nasheela rumaal uske munh par rakh diya.
Jab uski aankhen khulin, to woh apne ghar ke aangan mein nahi, balki ek andheri kothri mein tha. Us aurat ne use chand rupayon ke lalach mein in 'insaani bhediyon' ke haathon bech diya tha. Ye woh giroh hai jo bacchon ko agwa karta hai aur unhe bheekh maangne ki machine bana deta hai.
Aaj ki maar asahniya thi. Woh baar-baar apni maa ko pukaar raha tha, par uski cheekhen us kamre ki chaardiwari se baahar nahi ja paa rahi thi. Woh baccha jise kabhi kaanta chubhne par poora ghar sar par utha leta tha, aaj lahu-luhan pada tha aur use dekhne wala koi nahi tha.
Us aadmi ki haivaniyat har pal badhti hi ja rahi thi. Woh baar-baar apni nirdoshata ka saboot de raha tha, "Babu ji, mat maro... maine nahi churaye,"
Aaah…pani...pani…
Unghhhh….please jaane do..." woh ladkhadati zubaan se budbudaya. "Meri behen... woh mera intezar kar rahi hogi... woh mujhe bahut pyaar karti hai..."
uski kaampti hui awaaz aur judte hue haath bhi us patthar dil ko na pighla sake. Woh dard ke maare un darindo ke pair chumm raha tha.
Har ek laat ke saath, uski himmat aur jeevanshakti kamzor pad rahi thi. Use mehsoos ho raha tha ki ab uski saansen uska saath chhod rahi hain. Us pal, uski aankhon ke saamne uska woh janamdin ghoomne laga, jab uski maa ne uske liye halwa banaya tha. Use apni maa ki yaad aa rahi thi, "Mummy... aaj mera janamdin hai... aaj pakka kuchh banaya hoga... bhaiya chhod do, meri saans atak rahi hai."
Woh aadmi us par apni poori taakat se gale me chadh gaya. Woh begunaah, jiska shareer ab nidhaal ho chuka tha, aakhri baar tadpa, shareer neela ho raha tha ,uske haath-pair sunn ho gaye aur usne dum tod diya. Paas hi khadi ek chhoti bacchi, jo pehle hi in atyacharon se tooti hui thi, is bhayanak drishya ko sahan na kar saki aur ro-ro kar behosh ho gayi.
"Are! Tune to ise maar hi dala!" Doosra aadmi ghabrahat mein bola. Lekin woh haivan hans pada, "Jaane de! Apne paas aur bhi to bahut saare pille hain... road se koi aur utha lenge. Ise le jaakar Pawagadh ki ghatiyon mein phenk de."
admi ne bacche ko gadi ke diggi me dala lash ko uthaya aur ghat ke uper se fek diya
Laas ghati ki dhundh mein kho gayi, aur neeche sirf andheri khai aur khamosh maut uska intezar kar rahi thi. Upar khade ve cheh log ab bhi hans rahe the, jabki pahadon ki chotiyan is zulm ko dekhkar kaali pad gayi thi.
Ghati ki us bhayanak raat se door,
shehar ki chakachaundh ke beech Lilavati Hospital ke galiyare sishkiyon aur daudti pad-chaapon se goonj rahe the. Stretcher ke pahiyon ki 'charmarahat' sannate ko cheer rahi thi.
Sunaina stretcher par leti thi, paseene se tar-batar aur dard se behaal. Samar ne uska haath kaskar thaam rakha tha, jaise woh use maut ke saaye se kheench lena chahta ho.
Samar: (Phone par, haanfte hue) "Bhai! Sunaina ko achanak labor pain badh gaya hai... main Lilavati hospital mein hoon, jaldi aa ja yaar!"
Usne phone kaata aur Sunaina ki taraf jhuka. Uski aankhon mein khauf tha.
Samar: "Kuch nahi hoga tumhein, main hoon na? Bas thodi der aur, bahadur bano sunaina."
Sunaina: (Kaanpti aawaz mein) "Samar... meri baat suno... wada karo..."
Samar: "Shhhh... chup raho, himmat mat haaro."
Sunaina: "Nahi Samar, suno! Agar... agar kabhi chunna pade, mujhmein aur hamare bacche mein... toh please, bacche ko chunna. Use duniya dekhni hai Samar..."
Samar: (Bharayi aawaz mein) "Paagal mat bano Sunaina! Mujhse ye paap mat karao. Main tumhare bina... nahi, main nahi kar sakta."
Ward boys ne stretcher ko Operation Theater (OT) ke gate tak pahuncha diya.
Ward Boy: "Sir, aap andar nahi ja sakte. Please bahar rukiye."
Samar: (Sunaina ka haath chhodte hue) "Sunaina! Darna mat, main yahin bahar khada hoon. Tumhein kuch nahi hoga!"
Samar galiyare ki bench par sar jhukaye baitha tha. Tabhi uski bhabhi, Manju, apni do chhoti betiyon ke saath wahan pahunchi.
Manju: "Devar ji! Kaisi haalat hai Sunaina ki? Doctor ne kuch kaha?"
Samar: (Chehra uthaye bina) "Bhabhi... haalat bahut critical hai. Samajh nahi aa raha kya karoon."
Tabhi Dr. Rajeev (Samar ka dost) bahar aaya. Uske chehre par gehri chinta thi.
Rajeev: "Samar, dekh bhai... situation haath se nikal rahi hai. Bacche ke gale mein garbh-naal ka fanda lag gaya hai. Oxygen kam ho rahi hai aur Sunaina ka BP bahut high hai."
Samar: "Rajeev, tu mera dost hai yaar! Kuch bhi kar... jitna paisa lage le le, bas meri biwi aur bacche ko bacha le!"
Rajeev: (Kandhe par haath rakhkar) "Paison ki baat nahi hai bhai. Medical condition aisi hai ki shayad humein kisi ek ko hi chunna pade. Tujhe in papers par sign karna hoga... aur yeh chunna hoga ki hum kise bachayein."
Samar ke haath kaanpne lage. Usne pen uthaya. Pehle uska mann hua ki Sunaina (Wife) par tick kare, par use Sunaina ki aakhri vinti yaad aa gayi— "Mere bacche ko chunna." Aankhon se aansu girkar paper ko bhigo gaye. Usne bhaari mann se 'Bacche' ke column par tick kar diya.
Samar wapas bench par aakar baith gaya aur phoot-phoot kar rone laga.