SitaroN se aage jahaaN aur bhi haiN!

Uss din shayad tumne mujhe pehli baar twitter pe dekha tha. Dekh kar chup chaap nahin baith gaye the tum. BaDii qaamayaab sii koshish kii thi tumne, apne hone ka ehsaas mujhe karwaane kii.  

Maine kuch post kiya tha - kisi nazm ka koi khoobsurat sa she’r raha hoga. Aur tumne uspe ek chhota sa sitaaraa Taank diya tha, favourite per click kar ke. Main nayi nayi thi. Zyada samajh nahin thi yahan ke chaal dhaal ki. Kuchh chaunk kar maine oopar dekha tha, ke ye kaun hai jisne chupke se meri post ke maathe par ye jhilmil karti sitaare waali  bindiya chipka di thi.

Tum jaate jaate ruk gaye the aur ek pal ke liye tumne piichhe muD kar dekha tha. Ussi waqt maine nazrein uthaayeen theen. Tum halke se muskuraaye the. Wo muskuraahaT maine tumhari nazron mein dekhi thi. Kuch toh tha uun aankhon mein. Aaj tak samajh nahin paayi, kya! Jaane tumne kya dekha tha lekin wo lamha waheen khatm nahin hua. Ek silsila bann gaya. Ek ajeeb sa sukoon dene waala silsila, kuchh ajeeb – o – Gareeb sa silsila!

Tum jab bhi aate ek sitaara taank dete the, meri kisi bhi post par. Wo tumhari dastak hoti thi, ke tum aa gaye ho. Jawaab mein main tumhari kisi khoobsurat nazm ke neeche “favourite” click kar deti thi. Taar juD jaate the. Baatein shuru ho jaati theen. Baatein, jahan lafzon ka istemaal nahin hota tha. Bass hamein uss undercurrent ko mehsoos karne ki deri bhar hoti thi, aur nazmein khud-ba-khud padhii jaane lagti theen, afsaane bante chale jaate the.  Wo jo kuch maine kabhi kaha hi nahin, wo sab kuch jaane kaise tum sun lete the. Wo jo tumhaare dil-o-dimaag mein ghoom raha hota tha, wo jaane kaise main ek khuli kitaab ki tarah padh leti thi.

Kitni hairaani ki baat thi na. Aise hi sitaare Taankte Taankte, humne ek chaadar hi bun daali thi, sitaaron ki. Rupahle, sunahre, khoobsurat sitaare! Jab ummeed ka suuraj parvaan chadha, uski roshni mein hamari ye chaadar jhilmila uthii thi! 

Khair suuraj doob gaya, sitaaron ki chamak pheeki pad gayii. Aur phir wo ek ek kar ke toot gaye. Bikhar gaye. Rah gayii toh bass wo sooni si, ujaad, yaadon ki chaadar. 

Ek din dil pe patthar rakh kar usse main dariya mein baha aayi.  Uske saath wo saare ehsaas bhi, jo tumne kabhi mujhe mehsoos karaaye the.

Maine ye tumhari sikhaayi hui sitaaron ki zubaan phir kabhi nahin istemaal ki. Maine kabhi muD kar uun sitaaron ka sog nahin manaaya, jo toot gaye, bikhar gaye. 

Kitna waqt guzar gaya. Suraj roz nikalta raha. Ab roshni mein sirf ek chaadar nahin,  saara jahan chamak uthata hai. Ajeeb si baat hai, uski roshni mein koi tapish nahin hoti hai. Ek garmaahat hoti hai, waisi hi, jo apno ke beech rehne pe mehsoos hoti hai.

Aaj ek anhoni ho gayi. Bemausam ke kale baadal subah subah hi aa kar saara aasmaan gher liye. Bhari dupahri mein raat ka ehsaas hone lagaa. Aur achanak, jaane kahan se aa kar, tum ek sitaara taank gaye!

Maine aankhon ko ragad kar dekha. Haan ye tum hi the. Iss ek sitaare se, yaadon ke dhool bhare galiyaare ke kiwaad pe dastak de gaye tum. Lekin uun darwaazon ko band kar ke kaafi aage nikal aayi hoon ab main. 

Ek halki si muskaan ne aa kar chehre pe Deraa daal liya hai. Aur Iqbal ki nazm achaanak ekdum ruuhani lag rahi hai. Tab se gunguna rahi hoon,

"Gaye din ke tanha thi main anjuman mein…..yahan ab mere raazdaan aur bhi hain….Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain!"

Listen to the audio version of this post: https://soundcloud.com/fursatnaama/sitaron-se-aage-jahaan-aur-bhi