Chapter 3: The Price of Loyalty
Dupatte ke do tukde phaad ke zakhm bandha, MLA ke bete ko dekha—besharam ki tarah mitti mein pada tha.
Kapda khurdura tha, rang bhi chhoot gaya khoon mein. MLA ka beta karahta raha, chehra suja hua. Bazaar aadha khali, kuch bachche fal ki theli ke peeche se jhaank rahe the.
Tabhi Vice Colonel Kabir bheed ko chhant ke aa gaya.
Kabir ki moochh kaanp rahi thi, aankh mein fikr. "Hat jao, hat jao!"—uniform ekdum tiptop. Hamesha sahi time pe aa jaata, filmy hero ki tarah.
Arjun ka purana aadmi, meri wafadari ka gawah bhi.
Barrack ki chai, dukh-sukh ke raaz, Kabir sab janta tha. Dosti thi, par dil bhi saaf tha.
Bheed ki baatein sun ke, uska chehra laal ho gaya.
Mujhe sir se paon tak dekha, khoon se bheega kurta. "Arre baap re! Yeh kya kar diya usne?"
"Usne hadh paar kar di. Kiski wajah se, ek anjaan ladki ke liye yeh sab!"
Kabir ne mitti pe thook diya. "Bas, aur nahi."
"Idhar sambhal lo. Khoon zyada beh gaya hai. Doctor ke paas jao, abhi."
Halka se dhakka diya, zakhm pe dhyan. "Hero banne ki zarurat nahi, Amit. Abhi drama band karo."
Arjun ki sarkari awaaz yaad aayi, maine thandi saans li.
Kandhe ka dard chhota, dil ka dard bada tha.
"Kabir, woh raja hai, main praja. Yuvraj ka hukam, kaun tal sakta hai?"
Lafz kadve the, par sach. Kabir ne kuch nahi bola. Kuch baatein ek hi baar bolne se samajh aa jaati hain.
Kabir ke saath MLA ke bete ko uske ghar chhodne gaya.
Adhe ghaseet, adhe uthaye. Gali ke kone se padosi jhaank rahe the, MLA ke darwaze par bhari bawarchi. Bungla bada, gate par gusse wale pehredar, haath baandh ke.
Yeh beta—MLA ka laadla, shehar ka sabse bigda bachcha, baap ki chhatri ke neeche sab kuch chalta.
Uski badmaashi ki kahani har chai ki tapri par. Ladkiyon ka peecha, bill nahi bharna, goonde ke saath ghoomna. Maa ka dard, baap ka ghamand.
MLA ki nazar hum par aisi thi, jaise aankhon se jala ke rakh dega.
Moochein kaanp rahi thi, aankh mein aag. Sir jhuka ke khada raha, izzat bachane ki koshish.
"Abhi Yuvraj bana nahi, aur yeh haal!"
Chhadi zameen par bajai, awaaz tez. Naukar kaanp gaye. "Yeh samajhta kya hai apne aap ko? Mere bete ki haddiyan tod di!"
"Mera beta aise pit gaya, main Raja sahab ko sab bataunga. Nyay chahiye mujhe!"
Darbari ki dhamki, hall mein goonj. Rajneeti ki baazi—MLA ka khel.
MLA ne rajmahal mein saalon se taqat jamaayi hai.
Parde ke peeche chamche, aankh milate hue. Kuch log kal ki gossip ki tayari mein lag gaye.
Maine namrata se haath jode, sambhal ke bola:
"Maaf kijiye, Sir. Yuvraj galat tha, par aapke bete ne sadak par ek izzatdar ladki ko pareshan kiya. Rajkumar bas rokna chahte the, par haath zyada bhari ho gaya."
MLA ne thandi saans chhodi. "Sab ek jaise ho tum log. Yeh yahin nahi khatam hoga."
Bada mushkil se nikla, khoon sukh ke kurte se chipak gaya tha. Har kadam pe dard.
Kabir ne madad ki, par maine mana kar diya. Raat ki hawa tez thi, door mandir ki ghanti, chameli ki khushboo.
Wapas usi gali se guzra, jahan chai ki tapri pe koi kahani suna raha tha: Arjun-Priya ka romance.
Chai aur adrak ki mehak thi. Chhota sa jhund, aankhein badi, kahani mein dooba hua.
"Kismat ki jodi, shaadi likhi thi. Rajguru ki beti Priya, sawan mein sona lekar, apne piya ke liye jaan daav pe lagaayi..."
Sab wah-wah karte, kuch aah bhari. Shehar ko hero-heroine ki kahaniyaan bahut pasand hai.
Maine taana mara, "Kya bakwaas hai." Main, zakhmi side character, chupke se nikal gaya.
Sawan mein sona? Jab Arjun pe bura waqt tha, sabse pehle bhaagi thi woh. Jo nishani di thi, peeche ke darwaze se fek di thi.
Yaad hai, thandi baarish, khaali mahal, Priya ka scarf seedhiyon par—ek bhi palat ke nahi dekha. Log sirf hero-heroine ki muskurahat dekhte hain, asli struggle nahi.
Woh sardi sabse sakht thi. Arjun milta, kutto ke saath bachi hui roti ke liye ladta.
Ragda hua, raat ko kutte ke peeche daud raha tha. Hum hanste the baad mein, par tab bhookh sach thi. Sheher ke ameer rajai mein so rahe the, hum mandir ke kone mein thithur rahe the.
Vada pav ke do sikke nahi hote the, mandir mein chipak kar sapne dekhte the.
Hawa cheekhti thi, hum ek dusre ko thame rehte. Kabhi pujari ek mutthi moongphali ya chawal de deta.
Tabhi nayi duniya mein aaya tha, socha, TV serial ki tarah pooch hi loon:
"Agar woh kal tere liye aansu bahaaye, maaf kar dega?"
TV mein toh ek aansu, hero sab bhool jaata. Par Arjun alag tha—ya shayad mujhe laga.
Arjun ne mutthi kas li, aankh laal.
Raat mein andhera tha, awaaz bhari. Diye ki lau se chehre par parchhaiyan.
"Arjun Singh ko sabse zyada nafrat hai dhokhe se. Aansu kya, ghutne bhi tek de, maaf nahi karunga."
Awaaz mein sach tha, mein maan gaya.
Sir hila diya, aadha yakin tha.
Thandi si hwa chali, socha—pyaar itna nirmam bhi ho sakta hai?
Par ab, jab hero mar chuka, Priya ki himmat toot gayi, Arjun ne sab kuch uske liye daav pe laga diya.
Usne apne niyam tod diye, pyaar mein sab kuch bhool gaya. Shayad pyaar har kahani likh deta hai.
Ab samajh aaya: Priya ko maaf nahi karega, kyunki Priya ko kabhi aansu aane hi nahi dega.
Uski duniya mein Priya sirf surakshit hai, bechaari nahi. Ek aansu bhi uski shaan par dhabba hai.
Hero bhi khoobsurati ke aage haar jaate hain.
Mandir ke budhe kahte: "Beta, Ram bhi Sita ke liye roya tha."
Aankhein andhera hone lagi, par behosh nahi hua.
Lamp post pakad ke khada raha, gehri saans li. Dard ab sust ho gaya, par kamzori dikhana manaa tha.
Arjun ka hukam pura kiya, ab lautna tha.
Mahal ke niyam sakht hain. Adat, farz, ya majboori—kuch bhi ho, pair aage badhte rahe.
Varna tankha kaat jaati.
Kahani, dard, kuch bhi ho, accountant ko sirf sign chahiye.
Maa kehti thi: "Beta, paisa sabse bada devta hai." Payslip talisman ki tarah pakad li, aage badh gaya.