Chhota sa bachcha. Pyaara sa. Laal rang ki t-shirt aur safed rang ki nikkar pehne hue. Uske papa ne bulaya to dus foot doori par khada ho gaya.
“Akshit. Aao beta, aa kar bhaiya se baat karo.”
Dheere se bina kisi jaldi ke sarakta hua aaya. Thoda uchhal kar mere saamne rakhi hui kursi par baith gaya. Phir ek taang doosri ke upar rakh li aur hath kursi ki baju par. Sar neeche jhukae hue.
Uske papa us se aankhein milane ki koshish mein thoda jhuk kar bole, “Beta, bhaiya bahut intelligent hain. Inse baatein karo. Aapko achhi achhi baatein bataenge.” Phir meri taraf dekh kar bole, “Iski mummy iske mama ke ghar gayi hui hai. Main chai le kar aata hun. Tab tak tum zara is se baat kar ke dekho.”
Kya baat kar ke dekhun? Bechare bachche ke liye museebat hoti hai ye pal. Mujhe yaad hai jab mere pitaji mujhe hoshiyar aur safal bhaiya aur uncles se achhi shiksha, prerna aur gyaan lene ko kehte the.
“Kitne saal ke ho tum?” Maine poochha to aise chounk gaya, jaise use kisi soch ke samudra se bahar kheench liya gaya ho.
“9 saal ka”
“School jate ho?”
“Haan, jata hun.”
“Kya naam hai aapke school ka?”
“St. Xavier’s.”
“Very good. Kaunsi class mein ho aap?”
“Fourth class mein.”
Main janta tha ye sab sawal jo chhote bachchon se baat karne ke liye hote hain. Mujhe nahi pata ki ye sawal kyun hote hain. Socha jae to meri in sawalon mein koi dilchaspi bhi nahi hai. Kya farq padta hai uske school ke naam se, ya is se ki wah 9 saal ka hai ya 10 saal ka. Lekin bas hain ye sawal. Jane maine kahan se seekhe. Ye sawal poochhne ke liye zyada sochna nahi padta. Agla sawal ati avashyak hai – bade ho kar kya banoge? Par ye sawaal zubaan par aane tak main khud ko rok liya, aur chupchap use dekhne laga. Wah kuchh der gardan jhukae shaant baitha raha; phir meri taraf dekha.
“Bhaiya, aapko ek baat bataun?” Wah pehli baar khud se kuchh bola.
“Haan haan, batao.” Maine utsukta ke sath kaha.
“Kal Discovery channel par bata rahe the ki chaand par paani hai aur badi badi chattanein bhi.”
“Achha!” Maine muskurate hue hairani ke sath kaha. Rozmarra ki shor-gul se bhari yatharthvadi duniya se kahin door kuchh alag. ek bachche ke komal chit mein machalte hue masoom bhav jo wah mere saamne vyakt kar raha tha. Shayad mujh mein use kuchh achha laga hoga.
“Haan. Wahan par paani hai. Main bataun ki maine kya socha...kya karna chahiye.”
“Haan, batao na.....ki kya karna chahiye.”
“Wahan par na...bahut sare plants aur carbon-dioxide le jao. paani to pehle se hai hi. phir we apna khana bana lenge, aur Oxygen de denge. Sahi ho jaega.”
Maine vismay bhari nigahon se use dekha. Shayad is baat mein koi kami ho ki kyun aisa nahi kiya ja sakta, lekin yeh itna saral bhi nahi tha ki ise hansi mein udaya ja sake. Khud to main janta bhi nahi tha ki kyun aisa sambhav nahi hai. “Hmmm....sahi keh rahe ho aap.”
“Bhaiya, mujhe jaldi se bada hona hai.”
“Achha! Aisa kyun?”
“Main bada ho jaunga tabhi to kuchh kar paunga na. Par tab tak ye scientist mere sare idea chori kar lenge.”
Ek chhote se bachche ko is tarah ki chinta hona kuchh vinodpoorn sa laga; Aur sath hi bahut achha bhi. Uske chehre par aisi gambheerta thi jaise ki sachmuch uske dimaag par is baat ka kitna bojh ho.
Tabhi uske papa chai le kar aa gaye. Chai mez par rakhte hue bole,
“To beta, kya laga aapko baat kar ke?”
Pata nahi Kya lagna chahiye tha. Maine kaha, “Achha laga Uncle.”
“Mera matlab ki kya laga aapko; ye kuchh kar lega life mein ya nahi?”
“Haan uncle, kyun nahi! Qafi intelligent hai ye to.”
Apni ummeed ke anusar jawab pa kar unke chehre par santushti ki ek badi muskaan phail gayi.
“Hmmm...school mein bhi top karta hai. Socha hua hai maine to; Bada hone par ise IIT phir uske baad IIM karvaenge, ya phir IAS.”
Kash we us se bhi pooch lete ki wah kya sochta hai, kya karna chahta hai bada ho kar.
“Uncle, aap ise IISc, IIST ya MIT – Chennai ke liye bhi try karva sakte hain.”
“Achha! Uska kya scope hai?”
“Uncle, space research ya scientific research ke liye ye qafi achche institutes hain. Wahan jaega to – “
“Are beta, kya rakha hai research-visarch mein! Poori zindagi nikal jati hai. Hamare ek mitr the, wo kar rahe the. Aadmi apne parivar tak ke liye kuchh nahi kar pata. Yun hi paglon ki tarah lage rehte hain raat-din. Itna intelligent hai ye abhi se, aage bhi hamara poora dhyan rahega, to jab IAS kar sakta hai to phir wahi kyun na kare? Samaj mein jo rutba IAS ka hai wo kisi aur job mein thode na hai.”
“Par aap to IIT aur uske baad IIM – “
“Haan wahi, graduation to chahiye hi hoti hai IAS ke liye. Waise to mujhe is par yaqeen hai ki ye kar hi lega par just in case, IAS nahi ho pata hai to us mein bhi achha scope hai.”
Kis cheez ka scope hai? Haan, Main janta hun, kyunki mujhe bahut baar mere pitaji ne, pitaji ke doston ne, rishtedaaron ne alag-alag waqt par mujhe iske bare mein bataya hai. Kuchh logon ko main janta bhi hun.
IIM se nikal kar log sabun, tel, cream bechne wali American companies mein, MNC mein, munshi ban kar laakhon rupya kamate hain. Software par plan banate hain. Plan software banata hai, par software we chalate hain. Ya American bank ke international travel card bechne ki plan bana kar achha package lete hain. Mechanical engineer computer ki company mein naukri kar bahar ki companies ki website etc ko theek-thaak chalane ke liye sasti majdoori pradaan karte hain, jise outsourcing kehte hain. Computer program likhte hain. Kamaal ki baat ye hai ki kabhi kabhi koi badi samasya atak jae aur client company aapko apne wahan bula le to ek-do saal videsh jane ka mauka bhi mil jata hai. Aapke bahut sare dost ban jate hain. Aap facebook par ‘Shit!’ bhi likho to 200 log like karte hain. Isliye nahi ki aap videsh mein ho ya aapke paas paisa hai; nahi nahi, isliye ki we aapke sachche dost ban gae hain; sab aapko bahut chahte hain.
IAS ban jao to door ke rishtedar bhi aapko apna saga batate hain. Aapki laal batti ki gaadi ko izzat dete hain, mera matlab aapko bhi. Haan, unke mann mein aapke liye sachcha pyaar aur izzat hoti hai; aap IAS na bhi hote to bhi aisa hi pyaar milta. Koi aapki power ke peechhe, aapse koi kaam nikalvane ke liye aisa nahi kar raha. Aur haan, ‘imaandar’ IAS bhi ho to bhi maheene ke 4-5 lakh rupya to log use bina maange uske hathon mein de jate hain. Aakhir 1.5 lakh rupya to SSC ke grade 2 officer kama lete hain. IAS ko rehne ke liye quarter bhi milta hai. Do saal ki paid study leave, sarkar ke kharche par padhai ke liye do saal America raho aur tankhvaah bhi milegi. Waise bhi qafi chhutiyan hoti hain. Kaam bhi koi khaas nahi hota. Achha kaam hai. Zyada workload nahi hai.
Use convent school mein padha rahe hain. Fees bharte hain, tuition lagva rakhe hain. Agar wo intelligent banta hai to kya we us intelligence ka fayda nahi uthaenge? Dher sara paisa aur status – aur chahiye hi kya aadmi ko? Chaand par ped ugane se kya hoga! Bachcha hai na; abhi samajhta nahi hai.
@Vijeta: mitr, jis sahaj bhaav se tumne bacchon ki masumiyat aur unke abhibavakon ki manodashan bayan ki hai voh kabil-e-tareef hai.
ReplyDeleteVijeta - I have been reading your posts for quite some time now. Your stories are amazing. Truth is much more fascinating than fiction. Your blog proves it. Why don't you try publishing them for a wider audience. Or maybe translate some in plays/ short feature films!
ReplyDeleteDear Gulfam Good to read about the little boy. Any kid with that kind of intelligence would out grow his limited environment. There is something in each of us that sets us apart from one another and this something will help us chart paths we must. If we are imaginative enough we do have the innate ability to shake off years of conditioning. (Imaginative and stubborn people leave high paying jobs to walk the ruthless streets of Mumbai
ReplyDelete@ashish, shukriya shreeman kahani aur lekhak ko Qaabil-e-tareef samajhne ke liye. Aapki sohbat ka asar hai.
ReplyDelete@rachna, Thank u Ma'am for your comments. Trying to do that.. publishing for a wider audience, did u mean a book? Don't feel so ready for it now. But yes, will act on ur suggestion to convert some of them into short plays or films..
@anonymous, :) true, though in a limited sense. I am learning and performing in swang these days in Gohana district, Haryana. Remembered your criticism that Haryana doesn't have a cultural artform, I wish you were there to see the spectacle...
ReplyDeleteMy Dear Gulfam life is too short and precious to remember such shallow remarks . However I would still maintain it....when it comes to literature ,music and languages Haryanavi language is definitely not as evolved as Bengali or south Indian languages .It cannot even match Punjabi.
ReplyDeleteHowever it does not even qualify as an evolved language ..it is more like a dialect without a written script, without any written historical record of its assumed oral literature . There are no popular representation of its history, lifestyle, language even in films, novels and music. Donot confuse Manoj kumar role in Upkar a representative of Haryanvi farmer just because it was shoot in Nangloi....the milieu of the movie was central India
However I must concede that swangs must be an interesting and vibrant art form in parochial ways.
(For god sake write Hindi in Hindi script).
Many a times, it happens that people can't understand or appreciate what makes Begum Akhtar great. I try hard to make them understand and then I give up. Not everyone can understand her 'coz even her style is a delight to listen to but in a parochial way. But we are lucky that she belonged to that class and her fans included some dedicated people of the high-class and even in the govt.
ReplyDeleteThe govt. is too negligent to document or promote the swaang and other artforms like allah, udal, ranjha, some of which are extinct, which have originated and are exclusive to Haryana. It's a fashion these days to talk about physical theatre, a big style statement. But they've been doing it since ages, and it can't get better that that.
The swangis don't seem to care enough to be in mainstream, and still without newspapers, TV, awards or any external factor, each and everyone in Haryana not only knows but has colossal respect for Pt. Lakhmichand whose raagnis and swangs are sung and performed until today, after 70 years of his death. Go to any district in Haryana and ask anyone; Each and everyone knows Lakhmichand, Mehar Singh, Master Satbeer, Baje Bhagat, Pt. Mange Ram and so many other artists..
There is abundant Haryanvi literature, but you'll never go that far in Haryana to have a look at it, and no one would take it to you. The swangis entertain the villagers, and they are happy doing that; don't feel like being part of the mainstream, don't have facebook pages and twitter accounts. It's difficult to imagine such a temperament but so it is.
It's strange, may sound a little romantic, but I myself am beginning to understand and even develop that temperament. I am totally sick of the mainstream IIC and IHC auditorium crowd's blabbering and simpering.
ReplyDeleteAnyways....I just get a little lazy for the transliteration, having to type the whole thing again, but yeah, next time, I'll try to type in devnagri.
Just because (Govt. of) Haryana hasn't given enough impetus on developing the culture of the state, doesn't imply that a cultural vacuum exists here... Maybe the people are too plain and self-engrossed that they feel no need to flaunt their cultural richness. Why compare the cultures of different regions? its grossly unfair..each region has its own historical, geographical, cultural background and takes its own time to evolve...
Delete(p.s.: By the way...I myself digressed after going thru the comments..)
-maya !