kuC xaNa AihMsaa%mak p`ya%na kr ko ta[- ko BaItr ihMsaa%mak Baavanaa jaaga ]zI. vah BaItr sao JaaDU ]za laa[-. JaaDU calaanao sao phlao ]sanao ek baar ifr kaoiSaSa kI ik ipllaa ibanaa maar Kae hI ]z jaae. JaaDU sao tinak ihlaakr ta[- nao kha¸
"]z jaa naamaurad. ek Qar dMUgaI tao cvaaM–cvaaM krta Baagaogaa."

JaaDU ko spSa- sao ipllao kI doh ihla ga[-. ]sanao baD,I kiznaa[- sao gad-na ]zakr inatant k$NaapUNa- dRiYT sao ta[- kI Aaor doKa AaOr ifr ]sakI gad-na pUva-vat dhlaIja, pr jaa igarI. ]sako galao sao isasakI jaOsaI Aavaaja, inaklaI "@vaaM kMU kMU kMU  , , ,|||."
iBaxaa maaMgata huAa gao$e vas~aoM vaalaa iBaKarI jaba ta[- bacanaI ko drvaaja,o pr phMucaa tao 'AlaK inarMjana' ko dao Sabd ]sako galao maoM hI ATk gae.
"@yaa krtI hao maOyaa. JaaDU mat maarao. kr sakao tao p`aNa–rxaa krao. Aa%maa saba maoM samaana hOM. yah yahaM sao nahIM ]z sakta. [sako ilae yamadUt calao Aa rho hOM."
"rama–rama baabaa." ta[- nao EawaBaava sao iBaKarI kI Aaor doKa.
"rama Balaa kroM. maa[-Ñ  [sao dhI maoM imalaakr naIlaa qaaoqaa dao. [sao myaUinasapailaTI ko laaoga jahrIlaI gaaolaI iKlaa gae hOM. kuC hI xaNaaoM ka maohmaana hO. [sakI maaM [sako dao Baa[yaaoM samaot kueM ko pasa ica%t pD,I hO. hayaÑ  maaM haotI tao [sao daMtaoM sao ]zakr lao BaagatI.  rama  , , ,ra  , , ,ma."

iBaKarI Aagao inakla gayaa. jaIva–rxaa ka ]pdoSa donaa ]saka Qama- qaa.

ta[- bacanaI ko haqa sao JaaDU igar ga[-. 'maaM haotI tao  , , ,' yah vaa@ya ]sakI nasaaoM maoM ]tr gayaa. ipllao kao flaaMgakr¸ jaIvana maoM phlaI baar ikvaaD, Kulao CaoD,¸ vah baaja,ar kI Aaor BaagaI. pItla kI kTaorI ]sako haqa maoM qaI.

ta[- bacanaI ivaQavaa qaI. mauhllao vaailayaaoM kao ]sasao kao[- hmaddI- na qaI. [saka karNa ta[- kI jabaana qaI. naard mauina ko saBaI krtba ta[- ko dOinak jaIvana ka ATUT AMga qao. ijasa Gar maoM ta[- nao panaI pI ilayaa¸ vahaM saasa–bahU maoM jaUta calanaa laaja,maI qaa. jahaM ta[- AaQaa GaMTa baOz ga[-¸ vahaM pit–p%naI maoM baaola–baulaahT hao ga[-. baccao maaM sao laD, pD,o¸ Baa[-–bahnaaoM maoM naaraja,I hao ga[-. laoikna ta[- kao Apnao yahaM Aanao sao raoknao ka saahsa pUro mauhllao maoM iksaI kao na qaa. karNa yah ik ]na saBaI ko du:K maoM ta[- hI kama AatI qaI. iksaI ka baccaa baImaar hao gayaa hO tao ta[- BaagaI jaa rhI hO Da^@Tr kao baulaanao. iksaI kI gaaya – BaOMsa byaa[- hO tao ta[- saaoMz ka panaI ]baala rhI hO. iksaI ko Gar maoM gamaI hao ga[- hO tao ta[- baOzI ja,ar ja,ar rao rhI hO¸ eosao jaOsao ]saka kao[- sagaa mar gayaa hao. ta[- mauhllao kI jaIvanaI ka vah AMSa qaI ijasao inakala donao pr pUrI jaIvanaI ivaEaRMKilat¸ inarqa-k p`tIt haonao lagatI qaI. dastanaaoM kao jaaoD,nao vaalaI kD,I ta[- bacanaI hI qaI.

kBaI bahut AmaIr huAa krtI qaI ta[-. mauhllao kI baUZ,I AaOrtoM jaanatI qaIM ik ta[- ibanaa jaUto ko maaOjao phnakr galaI maoM inaklaa krtI qaI. SarIr pr ma@KI nahIM baOznao dotI qaI. laoikna idna jaao ibagaD,o tao sampi%t ko $p maoM Gar ko caar–Ch bat-na hI baca rho. dao saUtI QaaoityaaM qaIM ta[- ko pasa. ek kao Qaao laotI¸ dUsarI kao phna laotI. pit kI jaayadad maoM sao ek vah makana bacaa qaa¸ ijasamaoM ta[- rhtI qaI AaOr ek dUkana baaja,ar maoM¸ ijasako ikrayao sao ta[- ka dala–dilayaa calata qaa.

ta[- bacanaI kI Aavaaja, kk-Sa qaI¸ svaBaava A@KD,. gaailayaaM vah madao-M kI trh baktI qaI. mauhllao ko laD,kaoM sao ]saka ipClao janma ka baOr qaa. yah ek baohd Ad\Baut baat qaI ta[- ko svaBaava kI – Ad\Baut ivasaMgait. mauhllao ko ijana baccaaoM kao ta[- gaaod maoM iKlaakr palatI¸ vahI baccao jaba Aaz–dsa vaYa- ko haoto tao ta[- kao fUTI AaMK na Baato. ta[- ]nakI duSmana hao baOztI. baogaanao AbaaoQa iSaSau kao gaaod maoM ilae vah ]sasao baD,o laD,kaoM kao gaailayaaM dotI¸ ]nakI maaOt ka [ntjaar krtI AaOr ]nakI maataAaoM kao kaosatI.

baat vaastva maoM yah qaI ik ta[- kao CoD,nao kI prmpra calatI Aa rhI qaI mauhllao maoM. jahaM kao[- laD,ka baD,a haota¸ ]sa prmpra ka AMga bana jaata. ta[- kao 'maa[- fa%taM' khkr CoD,ta AaOr badlao maoM tD,tD, gaailayaaM Kakr p`sanna haota. ta[- pkD,nao kao ]Vt haotI tao Baagakr iksaI ko Gar maoM Gausa jaata¸ caarpayaI ko naIcao iCp jaata. prntu yah Ëma inarntr calata rhta. kBaI–kBaar pkD, maoM Aanao pr¸ ta[- ka haqa ]znao sao phlao hI¸ laD,ka taObaa kr laota ik ifr kBaI eosaa nahIM krogaa¸ tao ta[- turnt xamaa kr dotI. yah nausKa BaI saBaI kao maalaUma qaa. [sailae Baya kI AiQak gauMjaa[Sa baakI na qaI.

baaja,ar sao laaOTkr ta[- nao BaItr ko saMkaoca pr barbasa kabaU pakr ipllao kao ]zayaa. dhI maoM naIlaa qaaoqaa Gaulaakr ]sako hlak sao naIcao ]tara AaOr raK sao Apnao haqa saaf kr ilae. kuC hI xaNaaoM maoM ipllao kao kO hao ga[-.  gaaolaI ka ja,hr baahr inaklaa AaOr ipllao maoM p`aNa laaOTto idKa[- ide. ta[- maaoMZ,o pr baOzI ]saka tD,pnaa doKtI rhI AaOr myaUinaisapailaTI vaalaaoM kao gaailayaaM dotI rhI.

°°°

kqaa maoM ta[- kI Anaupisqait AnahaonaI baat qaI.  kqaa samaaPt haonao pr ]sakI dao–ek Bai>na saaiqanaoM karNa pUCnao Aa[-MM tao doKa ik ta[- ko Gar ko ikvaaD, Kulao pD,o qao AaOr BaItr AaMgana maoM baOzI ta[- kTaorI sao ipllao kao dUQa iplaa rhI qaI.

"naIM faola candiryao."  kuMtI nao Anaayaasa hI kha.
"maroM naIM tU bacanaIyaoÑ  Qama-–kma- kUeM maoM Dala idyaa." kma-do[- sao BaI na rha gayaa.
"ArI paipnaaoÑ  jaIAa–jaMt hO.  maroM sausaro maunaisapailaTI vaalao¸ [sao mahura do gae.  maOM tao kqaa pr jaanao kao inaklaI tao saaocaa galaI ko baccao CaoD, gae naamaurad [sao maoro drvaaja,o pr. vaao tao ek maha%maa jaI nao batayaa ik [sakI maaM AaOr [sako dao Baa[- mar gae¸ pr [samaoM ABaI jaana baakI qaI. tao maOM BaagaI baaja,ar kao. laakr [sao dhI qaaoqaa idyaa. tba jaakr yao ]laTa AaOr [sakI jaana bacaI."
"pr bauwU AaOrto¸ tora ikyaa–krayaa tao jaata rha ek ku%to ko ipllao kI Kaitr. Aba tora kaOna baap baOza hO jaao tuJao hirWar Baojao AaOr tU gaMgaa nahakr piva~ hao."                    

Aagao—