Aangan Mein Ek Darwaza Abhi Baaki Hai

Adhyay 2: Ek Purani Almari Ka Raaz

Agli subah Meera ki aankh roz ki tarah paanch baje khul gayi.

Lekin aaj kuch alag tha.

Rasoi mein jaate hue uske kadam ruk-ruk kar chal rahe the. Raat ko Savitri Devi ke chehre par jo khamoshi usne dekhi thi, woh baar-baar uske saamne aa rahi thi.

“Usmein main bhi thi, Maa ji.”

Meera ko apne hi shabd ajeeb lag rahe the.

Saat saal mein usne pehli baar apne liye itna saaf kuch kaha tha.

Rasoi mein pahunchkar usne chai banayi. Thodi der baad Shankar Prasad aa gaye.

“Bahu, aaj chai ki khushboo kuch zyada achhi lag rahi hai.”

Meera muskurayi.

“Shayad aaj adrak thodi zyada pad gayi.”

Shankar Prasad ne cup uthaya aur kuch der use dekhte rahe.

“Sab theek hai?”

Meera ne pal bhar socha.

“Ji.”

Shankar Prasad halki si muskurahat ke saath bole, “Tumhara ‘ji’ kabhi-kabhi bahut kuch chhupa leta hai.”

Meera kuch bol nahi paayi.

Tabhi Savitri Devi rasoi ke darwaze par aa gayin.

Unke haath mein ek purani chaabi thi.

“Meera.”

“Ji, Maa ji?”

“Nashta baad mein bana lena. Mere kamre mein aao.”

Meera unke peeche chal di.

Savitri Devi ne almari ke saamne khade hokar neeche wala drawer khola.

Andar kapdon ke neeche ek purani file rakhi thi.

“Yeh file meri hai,” unhone kaha.

Meera chup rahi.

Savitri Devi ne file bahar nikali aur uske upar jami dhool apne pallu se saaf ki.

“Tumne kal kaha tha na ki tumhe apni purani zindagi yaad aa rahi hai?”

Meera ne dheere se sir hilaya.

“Ji.”

“Tumhe pata hai, kabhi mujhe bhi apni zindagi yaad aati thi.”

Meera ne hairani se unki taraf dekha.

Savitri Devi ne file kholi.

Andar kuch purane kagaz, ek certificate aur ek black-and-white tasveer thi.

Tasveer mein ek jawan Savitri Devi school ke bachchon ke beech khadi thi.

Meera ki aankhen tasveer par tik gayin.

“Maa ji... aap?”

Savitri Devi ne tasveer uske haath mein de di.

“Main school mein padhati thi.”

Meera ko jaise yakeen hi nahi hua.

“Aap teacher thi?”

“Haan.”

“Phir aapne chhoda kyun?”

Savitri Devi kuch pal chup rahi.

“Kyuki shaadi ke baad mujhe laga ki ghar sambhalna meri zimmedari hai.”

“Lekin aap padhana chahti thi?”

Savitri Devi ne jawab nahi diya.

Unki aankhon mein woh khamoshi thi jo kisi purane dard ko chhupa rahi thi.

“Chahti thi,” unhone aakhirkaar kaha. “Bahut chahti thi.”

Meera ne file ko aur mazbooti se pakad liya.

“Phir?”

“Phir ek din kisi ne mujhse kaha—‘Ghar ki aurat ghar se bahar jaakar kya karegi?’”

Meera chup ho gayi.

Savitri Devi ki awaaz mein shikayat nahi thi. Bas thakan thi.

“Main chup ho gayi.”

Kamre mein kuch pal tak sirf ghadi ki tik-tik sunayi deti rahi.

“Lekin Maa ji,” Meera ne dheere se kaha, “aapne mujhe kal kaam ke baare mein mana kyun kiya?”

Savitri Devi ne uski taraf dekha.

“Kyuki mujhe darr laga.”

“Kis baat ka?”

“Ki tum bhi wahi dard na jhelo jo maine jhela.”

Meera ki aankhon mein aansu aa gaye.

“Lekin agar darr ki wajah se hum kuch karein hi nahi, toh zindagi badlegi kaise?”

Savitri Devi ne pehli baar uski aankhon mein seedha dekha.

“Yahi baat main kal raat se soch rahi hoon.”

Tabhi bahar se Pihu ki awaaz aayi.

“Maa! Meri file nahi mil rahi!”

Savitri Devi ne aankhen band ki aur phir dheere se file band kar di.

“Jaao. Pihu ko dekh lo.”

Meera jaane lagi, phir ruk gayi.

“Maa ji?”

“Haan?”

“Yeh file sambhal kar rakhiye. Aapki zindagi ka hissa hai.”

Savitri Devi ne halka sa muskurakar kaha—

“Ab shayad iski zarurat tumhe zyada hai.”

Meera kuch samajh nahi paayi.

Woh bahar nikal gayi.

Lekin Savitri Devi ne file dobara kholi.

Sabse neeche ek purana lifafa tha.

Us par likha tha—

“Savitri ke liye — kabhi zarurat pade toh kholna.”

Savitri Devi ki ungliyan lifafe par ruk gayin.

Unhone use khola nahi.

Abhi nahi.

Kyuki us lifafe mein sirf ek kagaz nahi tha.

Usmein unki zindagi ka woh sach tha jise unhone pichhle tees saal se kisi se nahi kaha tha.

Aur shayad ab waqt aa gaya tha ki woh sach bahar aaye.