Zameen Ke Neeche

Woh waapis gaye.

Iss baar raat mein nahi — din mein. Subah 10 baje. Suraj ke saath. Arjun nahi gaya. Usne clearly mana kiya — clearly, firmly, bina koi explanation ke — aur dono ne samjha.

Chandanpur mein ghuste hi — din mein bhi — ek alag sa feel tha. Suraj tha. Lekin kuch tha jo suraj ko absorb kar raha tha. Jaise sheesha hota hai — light aati hai, seedha nahi jaati, thodi absorb, thodi scatter.

"Kaghaz mein kuch aur tha," Vikram ne kaha. "Peeche ki taraf. Maine pehli baar miss kiya tha."

Zara ne dekha.

Kaghaz ka peeche — halke haath se, kuch aur likha tha. Alag handwriting. Chhooti. Kaampti.

Jaise kisine zakhmi haath se likha ho.

"Mandir ke neeche. Kuaan ke aage. Teen qadam neeche. Pathar mein dafan. 1947." Sirf itna.

Mandir wahan tha — jo pehle dikha tha. Wahi khali thambe. Wahi laal rang. Kuaan — nazdik tha. Ek gali ke aakhir mein. Banda hua. Isko band karne ke liye cement use ki gayi thi. Par cement mein daraadein thi. Aur daraadein mein — andheera.

Vikram ne ek rod se cement ki koshish ki.

Ek jagah se — ek chhed — ek andheeri jagah —

Roshni phone ki — neeche — andar —

Kuch tha.

Ek dabba.

Lohe ka. Puraana. Rust se bhara. Lekin band.

Dono ne ek doosre ko dekha.

"Teen qadam neeche," Zara ne kaha.

Vikram neeche utara. Ek. Do. Teen. Haath andar ghusa. Dabba nikala. Baahar aaya. Dabba kholne ki koshish ki.

Band tha.

Uss moment mein — sirf uss moment mein — Zara ka haath dabba par aaya. Automatic. Bina soche.

Aur dabba khul gaya.

Jaise abhi ke liye hi bund tha.

Andar —

Ek kaghaz. Ek angoothi. Aur ek cheethe par — ek naam.

Kaghaz par likha tha — Farsi mein. Lekin neeche ek translation thi — kisi ne likhi thi, baad mein, Hindi mein:

"Yeh angoothi us Jinn ki hain jise Ratan Das ne bulaaya tha. Iss angoothi mein uska asli naam dafan hai. Jo bhi yeh angoothi todte waqt uska naam bole — woh Jinn hamesha ke liye wapas jaayegi. Wapas uss jagah jaayegi jahan se aayi. Par koi nahi tod sakta jab tak Jinn ki marzi na ho ya jab tak koi apni jaan daao par na lagaye."

Zara ne angoothi ko dekha.

Woh angoothi uski unglee ke size ki thi.

Bilkul uski.

❖ ❖ ❖

"Main nahi pahnuungi yeh," Zara ne kaha.

"Maine nahi kaha pahnao," Vikram ne kaha.

"Par yeh meri unglee pe fit hai. Yeh ittefaq nahi hai."

"Nahi."

"Yeh sab... Ratan Das ne plan kiya tha. Uski ek galti thi — Jinn ko bulaate waqt usne kuch khoya. Yeh angoothi khoi — iss angoothi mein Jinn ka naam tha. Par agar angoothi khoi toh Jinn poori tarah control nahi rahi. Yakshini ke khilaf ladne ke bajaye, Jinn ne apna kaam adhoora chhhoda aur zameen mein andha dhaap machi. 1987 ki raat. Ratan Das ne phir sab chhupa diya. Iss darr se ki koi puchhe."

"Aur ab?" Zara ne pucha.

"Ab Jinn tere saath hai. Tere andar nahi — tere saath. Iss angoothi ki wajah se teri woh connection hai. Angoothi todte waqt naam bolna hoga."

"Naam kya hai?"

Kaghaz par tha.

Vikram ne padha.

Ek baar.

Aur chehra badal gaya.

"Main nahi bol sakta. Mujhe kuch feel hua abhi naam dekhke. Kuch andar. Jaise woh... already thi. Pehle se. Mujhe pata nahi tha par —"

"Vikram."

"Woh mere andar bhi hai. Yakshini gayi thi. Par Jinn — Jinn ne ek hissa chhhoda tha. Dono mein."

Silence.

Andar se kuch — warmth nahi, presence — ek awareness — ki woh akele nahi the. Andar koi aur tha. Sunta hua. Dekhta hua.

Dono ne ek doosre ko dekha.

"Ek saath," Zara ne kaha.

"Haan."

"Angoothi todenge — ek saath — naam bolenge. Dono."

"Agar kuch hua toh?"

"Tab bhi."

Vikram ne angoothi uthaayi.

Zara ne haath badhaya. Dono ke haath angoothi par the.

"Aur agar naam bolke woh nahi jaati?"

"Tab woh humein ek baar mein le jaayegi. Par tab bhi woh khatam hogi. Insaani jism use khatam karta hai — Ratan Das ki theory. Dono mein ek baar saara use kiya toh woh khatam."

"Yeh theory hai."

"Haan."

"Theek hai."

Ek deep breath.

Dono ne naam padha.

Ek second.

Do.

Angoothi toodi.

Ek awaaz — na cheekh, na darr — ek pure, high frequency — jaise chhath waalay ki khidki ka sheesa toot jaaye — ek crack — ek puri, complete, ek second ki awaaz. Phir nothing.

Andar se — woh presence — woh awareness —

Gayi.

Poori.

Khaali.

Bilkul khaali — jaise kamra tha tab bhi tha par ab mez nahi thi.

Zara ki aankhein bhar aayi.

Vikram ne saans chhhoda. Lambi. Poori.

Chandanpur ki gali mein suraj tha.

Seedha suraj. Koi scatter nahi. Koi absorb nahi.

Bilkul seedha.