⚠️major character death ⚠️

“mubarak ho bhabi.”

“shukriya bhaiya. Dekho na bikul jeongguk par gaya hai”

Jab bhabi ne ye baat kahi to mene uss nanhi si jaan ko dhyan se dekha. Baat to sahi thi. Bikul jeongguk jaisa dikh raha tha. Vaisi hi ankhen aur vaisi hi hansi. Aur hogi hi, beta jo thehra.

Aaj shashi bhabi, jeongguk ki biwi, unhone jeongguk ke bete ko janm diya. Jeongguk kitna khush hoga ye baat jaanke. Use to kabse iss din ka intezaar tha. Aur coincidence dekho, vo kal hi army se wapas aa raha hai, kal se uski chuttiyan lag rahi hai.

Mein? Mein hoon taehyung. Jeongguk ka sabse acha dost. Hum log school se hi saath me hai. Saath saath bade hue hum, humari dosti aur humara pyaar.

Dosti wala pyaar nahi, vaise wala pyaar. Ajeeb lagega aapko sunkar par ye sach hai. I loved him, he loved me.

Mujhe aaj bhi yaad hai, jab jeongguk ne mujhe humare colledge ke akhiri din confess kiya tha. Mein to khushi se pagal ho gaya tha, jisse mein pyaar karta tha, vo bhi mujhse pyaar karta tha. Umeed nahi thi par vo sach tha.

Lekin agle hi pal hum hakikat me wapas aa gaye. India me homophobic logo ki kami nahi. Koi hume accept nahi karega. Hum apni apni family se itna pyaar karte the ki, unke kheelaf nahi jaa sakte the.

Humne apni feelings ko wahin dabane ka faisla kiya, apno ke liye. Faisla kiya ki hum iss pyaar ka zikr kabhi ek dusre se nahi karenge. Humari dosti hamesha barkarar rahegi, aur isi tarah hum ek dusre ka sahara banenge, ek sache dost ki tarah.

Mushkil to bohot tha, isilie hum dono ne shaadi kar li. Ek hi din, Ek saath.

Agar mein aapse kahun ki shaadi me dulha roya tha, to aap manoge? Manna to padega, kyunki mein aur jeongguk dono hi apni patniyon se zyada roye the.

Aaj 6 saal ho gaye uss baat ko. Mein aur meri patni nidhi aaj apni life me khush hai. Nidhi bhi pregnant hai, aap bhi ready rahiyega mujhe badhai dene ke liye, mein kisi bhi waqt papa ban sakta hun.

Filhal hum baat karte hai jeongguk ki, jo ki papa ban chuka hai. Saale ne mujhe maat de di, competition tha humare beech, ki pehle kaun papa banega. *laughs*

“aap itna hans kyun rahe hai?” nidhi ne mujhse pucha.

“kuch nahi mein soch raha tha jeongguk kaise react karega”

“are unhone to pehle hi bol diya tha, ladki ho ya ladka, mera waaris meri hi tarah military me jaega aur desh ki raksha karega, jaise mein karta hun”

Shashi bhabi ne jiss tarah jeongguk ki acting ki, usse hum sab hans pade. Waqai me, jeongguk desh se bohot pyaar karta hai, school me hi usne decide kar liya tha “mein to fauji hi banunga”.

Ab humare fauji bhaisaheb aa rahe hai kal. Par mujhse intezaar nahi ho raha. Mann kar raha hai use ye khush khabri abhi hi bata dun.

“bhabi?”

“han bhaiya!”

“Jeongguk ko abhi phone kar sakte hai kya? Mujhse sach me raha nahi jaa raha” meri utsukta dekhke nidhi bhi hans padi.

“aap abhi itna excited hai, jab khood baap banenge to kya hoga?”

“tab bhi mera excitement kam nahi hoga”

“koshish kar lijie bhaiya, par ye army walo ka koi bharosa nahi, kya pata phone uthaenge ya nahi”

Mene turant apna phone nikala aur jo number jeongguk ne hume de rakha tha uske camp ka, uspe phone lagane hi wala tha ki jin bhaiya ka phone aa gaya.

Jin bhaiya bhi humare dost hai aur jeongguk ke saath hi army me hai.

Mene turant unka phone uthaya aur Zor se chillaya “MUBARAK HO BHAIYA AAP UNCLE BAN GAYE”

“Are dheere boliye ye hospital hai”

Hum sab hans pade par jin bhaiya nahi. Unki chuppi mujhe khai jaa rahi thi.

“Kya hua bhaiya kuch boliye?”

Bolne ko to bol diya mene, par agle hi pal jo jin bhaiya ne mujhe kaha, use sunne ke liye mera dil ready nahi tha iss baat ka mujhe bilkul pata nahi tha.

=================

‘kashmir me hue aatankwadi humle me, 40 jawan shaheed hue. Sarkar iss baat par faisla kar rahi hai ki India ka iss par kya ravaiya rahega. Sabhi shaheed jawano ko humara salaam aur unke pareevar ko humari sanvednae’

===============

Jeongguk ki vo chitti kholne ka mann bhi kar raha tha aur nahi bhi. Samajh nahi aa raha tha ki himmat kahan se laun uss chitthi ko kholne ki. Vo khat jo ki jeongguk ka akhiri khat tha. Humare jeongguk ka.

Uss humle me humara jeongguk shaheed ho gaya.

Har jawan ko chitthi likhni hoti hai, taaki kisi din agar vo shaheed ho jae to baad me use uske parivaar tak pohoncha diya jaa sake. Vahi chitthi uske akhiri shabd hote hai. Hairani ki baat ye thi ki, mere liye bhi ek khat tha.

Log kahenge, apko garv mehsoos karna chahiye par nahi ho raha garv. Bohot dukh ho raha hai, ek azeez ko khone ka. Ek apne ko khone ka. Gussa bhi aa raha hai, kisi ki nafrat aur pagalpan ka khamiaza kuch masoomo ko bhugatna pad raha hai.

Kya galti thi meri, kya galti thi shashi bhabi ki, kya galti thi uske maa baap ki, kya galti thi uss nanhi si jaan ki jisne apne pita ko dekha bhi nahi aur kho diya.

Kya galti thi jeongguk aur unn sabhi shaheed jawano ki jo ki maut ke ghaat utar gaye.

“pad lijie use” nidhi ne mere kandhe par haat rakhte hue kaha. Agar nidhi nahi hoti to pata nahi mein apne aap ko kaise sambhalta.

Jab itna sa kehkar vo bahar chali gayi to mene kaanpte hue haato se uss khat ko khola.

“Mere pyaare Taehyung,

Agar ye chitthi tum pad rahe ho iska matlab me nahi raha, aur dukh nahi mujhe iss baat ka, balki garv hai ki mein desh ke liye mara hun…”

Aisa hi hai ye ladka, desh ke liye mar-mitne ke liye taiyaar. Iske shareer me khoon nahi, aag dodti hai. Aag desh ki raksha karne ki. Aaj usi raksha ne use humse bohot duur kar diya.

“suno, rona nahi. Itne kamzor nahi tum ki mere jaane par ro do.

Aaj me humara vaada todne jaa raha hun. Humne kaha tha ki hum iss baat ka zikr kabhi nahi karenge par mein kar raha hun…”

Mujhe pata hai vo kya bolega. Bohot ache se jaanta hun me use. Par jo vo bolega use sunne ke liye shayad mein taiyaar nahi.

“...mujhe aaj bhi yaad hai taehyung. Mera pehla pyaar, jo ki tum ho. Kehte hai pehla pyaar kabhi bhulaya nahi jaa sakta, jo kehte hai sach kehte hai.

Jis tarah tumhe dekhke meri dil ki dhadkane bad jaati thi, jis tarah tumhare aas paas hona mujhe pighla deta tha, jis tarah tumhari awaaz sunte hai mein kho jaata tha, mujhe sab yaad hai, aur mein kabhi bhulna chahta bhi nahi.

Tum me vo taakat thi jisne ek kathor fauji ke dil ko makhmal se bhi mulayam bana diya. Tumne mujhe sab sikhaya, dosti, yaari, aur pyaar. Uske liye mein bohot shukr-guzar hun.

Mujhe kabhi afsos nahi tha, aur na hi kabhi hoga ki, mene tumse pyaar kiya. That was the best beautiful moment of my life.

Par shayad hum galat waqt me aa gaye yaar. Iss zamane ne hume ek nahi hone diya. Mein bas yahi dua karta hun ki agle janam me hum zarur saath ho.

Aur han, ek kaam karoge?

Mere jaane ke baad shashi aur mere aane wale bacche ka dhyan rakhoge? Aaj mujhe ye bhi nahi pata ki future me mein use dekh bhi paunga ya nahi.

Vaise meri dil-e-tamaana hai ki jaane se pehle mein ek baar apne bacche ko zarur dekhun, usse chu sakun aur use ek baap ka pyaar de sakun. Bhagwan se dua mangunga ki vo meri ye khwaish puri kar de.

Baaki tum theek se rehna, nidhi bhabi ka dhyan rakhna aur apne future bacchon ka bhi.

Alvida nahi kahunga. Kyunki humara favourate gaana to yaad hai na? Jo hum ghanto saath me beth kar gungunate the, “kabhi alvida na kehna…”

I love you taehyung.

Jai hind”

Mere zor zor se rone ki awaaz sunkar nidhi bhaagi chali aai. “ro lijie, jitna rona hai utna ro lijie, saara dard bahar nikal dijie”

Ek bacche ki tarah ro raha tha me aur nidhi ek maa ki tarah mujhe sambhal rahi thi.

“vo ek...akhiri...baar mil bhi nahi paaya kisi se….aur uska beta?....uski kitni badi….khwaish thi...apne bacche se milne ki….par….”

Mere shabd mere hi gale me reh gaye...na mein phir kuch bola aur na hi vo.

Jo dard mein mehsoos kar raha tha vo use samajhti thi. Aur sirf mein hi nahi aap bhi samajhte hai na??

==============

26 years later~

“junghyun, satark rehna, apna dhyan rakhna, desh ki raksha karna aur apna papa ka naam roshan karna”

Jeongguk ka beta, junghyun, aaj uski military service ka pehla din hai. Bohot garv hai hume, aur jeongguk ko bhi ho raha hoga. Hai na??

==The End==

This chapter, this story ends here.

Jai hind.