Pyar ki Pyaasi Atma: Ek Khaufnaak Raat

Prastavana

Kuch raaze aise hote hain jo zameen ke neeche hi dabe rahein toh behtar hai. Himachal ke pahadon mein basa ek chota sa gaon, 'Neelkanth', apni sundarta ke liye nahi, balki us purani dargaah aur uske peeche behti us nadi ke liye jaana jaata tha jise log 'pyar' kehte the. Lekin us nadi ka pani peene ki himmat koi nahi karta tha. Kehte hain, wahan ek aisi rooh bhatakti hai jo sadiyon se pyaasi hai—Pyar ki Passi Atma.

Pehla Adhyay: Shehar ka Musafir

Mera naam Aryan hai. Main ek freelance writer hoon aur mujhe purani dastaanein ikatha karne ka junoon hai. Jab maine Neelkanth gaon ke baare mein suna, toh mujhse raha nahi gaya. Maine apna bag pack kiya aur nikal pada us rahasyamayi jagah ki talaash mein.

Gaon pahunchte-pahunchte shaam ho gayi thi. Suraj pahadon ke peeche dhal raha tha, aur aasman ka rang gehra nangi (orange) se kaala ho raha tha. Gaon ke bahar hi ek purana dhabba tha. Maine wahan ruk kar chai mangwayi.

"Bhai sahab, yahan rehne ke liye koi jagah mil jayegi?" maine dhabbe waale chacha se pucha.

Chacha ne mujhe sar se paaon tak dekha aur thoda hichkichate hue bole, "Beta, shehar se aaye ho, toh wapas chale jao. Yeh gaon mehmaano ke liye thik nahi hai, khaas karke suraj dhalne ke baad."

Maine hans kar taal diya, "Chacha, main toh kahaniyan likhta hoon. Darne ki aadat nahi hai."

Chacha ne ek gehri saans li aur dur behti 'pyar' nadi ki taraf ishara kiya. "Wo dekh rahe ho? Wahan mat jaana. Wo nadi pani nahi, khoon maangti hai."

Dusra Adhyay: Sannate ki Goonj

Maine gaon ke ek purane ghar mein kamra kiraye par le liya. Ghar ka maalik, ek boodha aadmi jiska naam Shambhu tha, kaafi kam-go (quiet) tha. Usne mujhe bas ek hi hidayat di: "Raat ko agar ghungroo ki awaaz sunayi de, toh khidki mat kholna."

Raat ke 12 baje rahe honge. Bahar sannata itna gehra tha ki mujhe apni hi saans lene ki awaaz saaf sunayi de rahi thi. Achanak, sannate ko cheerte hue ek awaaz aayi... Chhan... Chhan... Chhan...

Woh ghungroo ki hi awaaz thi. Mera writer wala dimaag jaag utha. Maine darr ko baaju mein rakha aur khidki ke parde thode se hataye. Bahar kohra (fog) itna ghana tha ki kuch dikh nahi raha tha, lekin nadi ki taraf se koi chalta hua aa raha tha.

Ek aurat... safed libaas mein, lekin uska kapda mitti aur khoon se sana hua tha. Woh ladkhada kar chal rahi thi aur uske honth hile ja rahe the. Woh baar-baar ek hi shabd dohra rahi thi— "Pyaas... mujhe pyaas lagi hai..."

Teesra Adhyay: Atma ka Itihaas

Agli subah maine Shambhu kaka ko pakda. "Kaka, kal raat maine kisi ko dekha. Kaun hai woh?"

Shambhu kaka ke chehre par dar saaf dikh raha tha. Unhone bataya ki saalon pehle, is gaon mein ek nartaki (dancer) rehti thi jiska naam Roopmati tha. Woh bahut sundar thi aur uske pairon mein bandhe ghungroo jab bajte the, toh pura gaon jhoom uthta tha.

Lekin ek saal bhayanak akal (drought) pada. Nadiyan sookh gayi, kuye khali ho gaye. Gaon ke logon ne andhvishwas mein aakar ek tantrik ki baat maan li. Tantrik ne kaha ki agar kisi 'shuddh' jeev ki bali pyar nadi ke kinaare di jaye, toh barish hogi.

Roopmati ko dhokhe se nadi ke kinaare le jaya gaya. Use zinda mitti mein daba diya gaya, sirf uska sar bahar tha. Woh pani mangti rahi, gidgidati rahi, lekin kisi ne use ek boond pani nahi diya. Woh tadap-tadap kar mar gayi. Us din ke baad se, Neelkanth mein kabhi sukoon nahi raha.

Chautha Adhyay: Maut ka Bulawa

Main yeh sab sun kar sunn reh gaya. Ek writer hone ke nate, mujhe laga ki shayad yeh sirf ek kahani hai. Maine faisla kiya ki main raat ko usi jagah jaunga jahan Roopmati ko maara gaya tha.

Raat ke 1 baje, main apni torch lekar pyar nadi ki taraf nikal pada. Hawa mein ek ajeeb si thandak thi jo haddiyon tak pahunch rahi thi. Jaise-jaise main nadi ke paas pahuncha, mujhe rone ki awaaz sunayi dene lagi.

"Koi hai?" maine chillakar pucha.

Achanak, meri torch ki roshni ek jhaadi par padi. Wahan wahi aurat baithi thi. Usne dheere se apna sar uthaya. Uske chehre par chamdi nahi thi, sirf sookha hua maans aur dhansi hui aankhein thi.

"Kya tumhare paas pani hai?" usne pucha. Uska swar (voice) kisi sookhe patte ke ragadne jaisa tha.

Maine ghabrahat mein apni bag se pani ki botal nikali aur uski taraf badhayi. Jaise hi usne botal pakdi, uska haat barf se bhi thanda tha. Usne pani piya, lekin pani uske gale se neeche nahi ja raha tha—woh uske zakhmon se bahar nikal raha tha.

Woh chillayi, "Yeh thanda hai! Mujhe garam pani chahiye! Mujhe khoon chahiye!"

Panchwa Adhyay: Sangharsh aur Bachav

Woh meri taraf jhapti. Uske nakhun lambe aur kaale the. Main peeche muda aur bhaga, lekin mere pair jaise zameen mein dhaste ja rahe the. Mujhe aisa laga jaise hazaron haath zameen se nikal kar mere pair pakad rahe hain.

Main gir pada. Woh mere upar thi. Uski pyaas uski aankhon mein dikh rahi thi. "Tumhari ragon mein bahut pani hai... mujhe wahi chahiye," usne fushfusaya.

Maine apne gale mein pehna hua dargaah ka tabeez (jo dhabbe waale chacha ne mujhe diya tha) zor se pakda aur 'Hanuman Chalisa' ya jo bhi dua mujhe yaad thi, woh padhne laga. Achanak ek tez roshni hui aur woh aurat peeche hat gayi.

Uski cheekh poore jungle mein goonj uthi. Woh dhuein ki tarah hawa mein gayab ho gayi, lekin jaate-jaate keh gayi— "Main phir aaungi... jab tak pyar nadi lal nahi ho jati."

Conclusion

Main kisi tarah gaon wapas pahuncha. Agli subah maine bina kisi se kahe apna saaman uthaya aur wahan se nikal gaya. Aaj bhi, jab main raat ko sota hoon, mujhe woh chhan-chhan ki awaaz sunayi deti hai.

Log kehte hain ki Neelkanth gaon ab khali ho chuka hai. pyar nadi sookh gayi hai, lekin barish ke dino mein wahan se aaj bhi rone ki awaazein aati hain. Agar aap kabhi Himachal jayein, toh dhyan rakhiyega... agar koi raaste mein pani maange, toh rukna mat. Kyunki shayad, woh pyar ki Passi Atma ho sakti hai.

Moral of the Story: Kuch gunaah aise hote hain jinka prayashchit sadiyon tak chalta hai, aur kuch pyaas kabhi nahi bujhti.