Part 1 -
Year 1875 – Ranakpur, Uttarakhand
Himalaya ki talhati me, Harey bhare Vishal pedon (Tree) se dhaki chotiyon ke beech basa Ranakpur gaon aaj ajeeb tarah se chup tha. Devdar ke pedon ke beech se beh rahi thandi hawa apne saath ek anjaana sa darr le ja rahi thi. Gaon ke beechon-beech khadi Vishal Haveli ka uncha burj badalon ko cheer kar aasmaan ko chho raha tha. Pathar ki deewarein, bade bade lakdi ke darwaze, aur bahar jalti mashaalen… sab milkar yeh keh rahe the ki yeh jagah sirf rehne ke liye nahi, balki raaz ko qaid rakhne ke liye bani hai.
Jaswant Singh Thakur ki entry
Haveli ke andar, lambi chhaton aur gumbad wale galion ke beech, 66 saal ke Jaswant Singh Thakur apni private laboratory se bahar aa rahe the. Unke haath me peetal aur kaanch se bana ek ajeeb sa yantra tha, jisme ek pendulum jaisa hissa lagataar hil raha tha. Unke chehre par thakaan thi, par aankhon me ek chamak – jaise kisi khoji ko khazana mil gaya ho.
Seedhiyon ki taraf badhte hue unki nazar haveli ke uttari hisse par jaake ruki – wahi hissa jo hamesha band rehta tha ya uska raaj ya fir uskey purkho ka raaj. Wahan ek bhaari lohe ka darwaza tha, jispar moti zanjeeren lipti hui thi. Darwaze ki satah par sanskrit aur arabi me kuch likha tha. Jaswant ki aankhon me ek pal ke liye bechaini aayi, par phir unhone nazar hata li.
Darbar ki baithak
Diwan-e-khas me aaj darbar laga tha.
Bayein taraf baithe the Rajveer Panwar – hamesha aadhi muskaan me baat karne wale chalak mantri. Unke paas the Bhimdutt Joshi – jinke mathe ki silwatein unki soch ka saboot deti thi, aur jo Jaswant ke experiments ko samay ki barbaadi mante the.
Kone me baithkar chupchaap sun rahe the Hamitullah Khan – ek buzurg Mughal mantri, jinki awaaz hamesha gehre raaz ki taraf ishara karti thi.
Samaney khade the Senapati Pratap Narayan Rana – talwar ke mooth par haath rakhe hue, hamesha ready for war.
Aaj ka mudda tha – Angrezi Sarkar ka naya order, jisme Ranakpur ke resources aur tax par control ki baat thi.
Bada beta Vikram Singh Thakur is order ke paksh me tha, jabki chhota beta Arjun Singh Thakur iska virodh kar raha tha.
> Arjun: “Pitaji, Angrez humare dost nahi, humare malik banna chahte hain.”
Mahol ek pal ke liye bhaari ho gaya. Jaswant ne dheere se kaha:
> “Hamari ghadi aane wali hai… aur jab waqt badlega, hum itihaas badal denge.”
Kisi ko samajh nahi aaya ki unka “waqt badalne” se kya matlab tha.
Kyoki Jaswant Singh Thakur ki baton ko samjhna aasan nahi thaa.
Haveli ka zenana hissa
Is waqt Badibahu Kusumlata (Vikram ki patni) khidki se darbar ki taraf jhaank rahi thi. Chehra shaant tha, par aankhon me purani aag jal rahi thi – jaise koi purane apmaan ka hisaab rakhti ho.
Dusri taraf Chotibahu Charulata (Arjun ki patni) chupke se haveli ke band hisse ki taraf ja rahi thi. Unhe hamesha us lohe ke darwaze aur uske peeche se aati halki fuskaraahat ne kheench liya tha.
Jab Charulata darwaze ke paas pahunchi, unhe laga koi unka naam le raha hai –
“Lata… Lata…”
Unhone zanjeer ko chhua, aur darwaze ki satah barf jaisi thandi ho gayi. Saansen tez ho gayi, aur wo turant wahan se hatt gayi.
Pehli parchhaai
Us raat, haveli ki chhat par pehra de raha ek sipahi ne dekha ki ek aurat safed kapdon me uttari hisse ki chhat par khadi hai… par uske pairon ke neeche zameen nahi thi.
Jab dusre sipahi aaye, wahan koi nahi tha. Sirf thandi hawa aur door se aati wahi awaaz –
“Samay… badalna hai…”
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