Chapter 6: Three Thousand Male Consorts

Kuch din baad Arjun ne bulaya.

Din lamba tha, afwaah, chhup chhup ke dukh. Darwaze pe guard jhuk ke milte, naukar chai lekar aate—sabko meri kismet mujhse pehle pata thi.

Main hall ki taraf chala, sab mujhe dekh ke chup ho gaye.

Aankhein chhupa lete, stable ka ladka bhi chup tha. Kabir mil gaya, bola: "Amit, main tere saath hoon, par raja ka hukam pakka hai."

Uski aankh mein dosti thi, haath dabaya.

"Tension mat le, Kabir. Zindagi hai."

"Main Amit Sharma, kabhi kisi ke liye nahi ruka."

Kabir hans pada, aankh mein garv. "Yahi toh mera Amit hai."

Socha main majboori mein hans raha hoon, par haath dabake chhod diya. "Sambhal ke."

Andar Arjun likh raha tha, purane dost khade the.

Sandal, ink, purani yaari ki mehak thi. Dost sir jhuka ke, aankh bhar ke dekhte.

Sab ne afsos ki saans li, kuch ne aansu poch liye. "Zindagi ajeeb hai," kisi ne kaha.

Jhuk ke salaam kiya.

Marble thanda tha, maine mattha tek diya jaise mandir mein bhagwan ke saamne.

Arjun ne kuch nahi bola, sir jhuka ke likhta raha, jab tak pair kaanpne na lage.

"Amit Sharma, tu kamaal hai. In dino kitne log teri sifarish karne aaye."

Pen rakh diya. "Badi wafadari, badi aasu. Mujhe pata nahi tha tu itna mashhoor hai."

"Sab kehte hain, tu sab kuch kar chuka hai..."

Awaaz naram ho gayi. Hall mein log aankh milate, sir hilate.

"Aaj, ek ichchha maang le."

Phir se raja ki awaaz. Wazan har kona mein.

"Yuvrani ki jagah Priya ko mil chuki hai. Baaki kuch bhi chahta hai, bol."

Sab ki nazar mujh par thi.

Aankhein badi, saans ruki. Accountant ne mala ginna band kar diya.

Kisi ne nahi socha tha, aaj aisi kismet milegi.

Hall mein fasa-fasi thi, kuch khush, kuch jalan, kuch rooth gaye.

Pair kaanp gaye, gale mein sukhapan. "Sacchi? Kuch bhi?"

Awaaz kamzor thi, par smile zabardasti. "Aap bol rahe hain, Your Highness?"

Arjun jaise sab samajh gaya, smile mein mazaak tha.

Peeche ho ke bola: "Side consort bhi ban sakta hai."

Hall mein halki hansi, purane courtier aankh maarte. "Dekho, ab bhi mazaak kar raha hai."

Sir hila ke, jhat se ghutne par aa gaya.

Mattha marble par laga, jaise mandir mein bhagwan ke saamne.

"Toh phir, mujhe teen hazaar purush consort de dijiye."

Dil zor zor se dhadak raha tha, awaaz hall mein goonj gayi. Halki si lehar sab mein.

Hall mein ekdum sannata chha gaya.

Sui girti, toh awaaz aati. Baahar mor bhi chup ho gaye.

Purane dost kaan khujlate, yakin nahi hua.

Kisi ne khaansa, kisi ne palkein jhapkayi. Kabir ki aankh mein sharaarat thi, muskurahat chhup nahi sakti.

Arjun bhi hil gaya, seat par sidha ho gaya, chehra pathar. Pehli baar, asmanjas tha.

Munh khola, band kiya, phir khola. Pehli baar, kuch samajh nahi aaya.

"Kya bola? Suna nahi."

Awaaz patli, hairani bhari. Hall mein sab jhuk ke sun rahe the.

Shayad awaaz dheemi thi.

Gale saaf kiya, seedha aankhon mein dekha.

Utsah dabake, zor se bola: "Teen hazaar purush consort!"

Hall phat gaya—kuch log choak pade, kuch hans diye, kuch taali bajane lage. Kabir ne ghutna peeta, aankh se aansu aa gaye. Arjun—pehli baar—bilkul chakkar mein. Aur main—Amit Sharma—zinda mehsoos kar raha tha.

The hall erupted—some gasped, others burst out laughing. But in Arjun’s eyes, I saw something new: fear.