Lekin kahani abhi samaapt nahi hui thi.

Na uss gaon ki.

Na un bachchon ki.

Aur na hi Navraya ki.

Uski baatein bachchon ko poori tarah samajh nahi aayi thi.

Kuch shabd unke mann tak pahunch gaye the.

Kuch abhi bhi unki samajh se pare the.

Lekin kabhi kabhi poori baat samajhna zaroori nahi hota.

Kabhi kabhi ek beej hi kaafi hota hai.

Aur Navraya shayad wahi kar raha tha.

Beej boya karta tha.

Vicharon ke beej.

Drishtikon ke beej.

Aur kabhi kabhi...

Bhavishya ke bhi.

Bachchon ne bas itna samjha tha—

Ki manushya ke paas hinsa ke alawa bhi kai raaste hote hain.

Aur shayad wahi kaafi tha.

Kyuki har satya ko ek hi din mein samajhna sambhav nahi hota.

Aur waise bhi...

Na Navraya poori tarah sahi tha.

Na hinsa poori tarah galat.

Sansaar itna saral kab tha?

Lekin iss poori baatcheet ko koi aur bhi dekh raha tha.

Bahut upar se.

Ek shaant shaakha par baithi hui.

Ek safed pakshi.

Uske sir ke aas-paas patle pankhon ka ek prakritik mukut bana hua tha.

Uski aankhen ajeeb roop se gahri thi.

Jaise unmein aakash ka rang nahi...

Samay ka rang basa ho.

Uski lambi safed poonch neeche tak behti thi.

Jaise chaandni ne pankh ka roop le liya ho.

Aur phir bhi...

Uski upasthiti mein kuch asamanya tha.

Kuch aisa jo prakriti ka hissa hote hue bhi prakriti se pare lagta tha.

Kuch log use ek mithak maante the.

Kuch ek devdoot.

Kuch sirf ek kahani.

Aur adhiktar log...

Uske astitva par vishwas hi nahi karte the.

Uska naam tha—

Serapherion.

Kaha jaata tha ki sirf sabse bhaagyashaali log hi usse dekh paate hain.

Lekin kahaniyan aksar sach aur kalpana ko ek hi dhaage se bun deti hain.

Isliye kaun jaane...

Sach kya tha?

Aur kahani kya?

Pakshi chupchaap Navraya ko dekh rahi thi.

Jaise woh pehli baar nahi...

Bahut pehle se dekh rahi ho.

Jaise woh sirf iss pal ki sakshi nahi...

Anant yugon ki sakshi ho.

Tabhi Navraya ki nazar uthi.

Door se kuch log uski taraf aa rahe the.

Unke kadam tez the.

Chehre gambhir.

Aur aankhon mein woh bhaari chinta thi jo sirf tab dikhai deti hai jab log samasya se zyada uske parinaam se dare hue hon.

Navraya dheere se khada hua.

Uski muskaan halki pad gayi.

"Aaj Maharaj ke sevakon ko meri galiyon mein kaise aana hua?"

Sevakon ne ek saath jhuk kar pranam kiya.

aapki aavashyakta hai."

Navraya ne unhe kuch pal tak dekha.

"Main samajh gaya."

Uski awaaz shaant thi.

Lekin uski aankhon mein ek halki si gambhirta ubhar chuki thi.

Kyuki kabhi kabhi samasya ko shabd batane se pehle hi chehre bata dete hain.

Usne bachchon ki taraf dekha.

"Hum phir milenge."

Bachchon ne muskurakar haan mein sir hilaya.

Aur phir Navraya sevakon ke saath chal pada.

Gaon ki shaant galiyon se guzarte hue.

Phoolon ke bageechon ke beech se.

Un kheton ke paas se...

Jinhone is bhoomi ko samriddh banaya tha.

Lekin jitna woh rajdhani ke nikat pahunchta gaya...

Utna hi vatavaran badalta gaya.

Chinta.

Bechaini.

Dar.

Jaise hawa mein ghul gaya ho.

Rajmahal ke bahar sevakon aur adhikariyon ki bheed lagi hui thi.

Sabke chehre par ek hi prashn likha tha.

Ab kya hoga?

Aur pehli baar uss din...

Navraya ke chehre par bhi tanav ki ek halki rekha ubhar aayi.

Jaise logo ko pareshan dekh usse bahot bura lag raha ho.

Woh seedha rajsabha mein pravesh kar gaya.

Jaise hi woh andar aaya—

Sab log khade ho gaye.

Mantri.

Aur swayam Maharaj.

Sabne apne sir jhuka diye.

Lekin Navraya ne un aupchariktaon par dhyaan nahi diya.

Usne seedha Maharaj ki aankhon mein dekha.

"Kya hua hai?"

Kaksh mein kuch palon ke liye sannata chha gaya.

Maharaj ne gahri saans li.

Aur dheere se bole—

"Pareshani yeh hai..."

"Hume samajh nahi aa raha ki aapki shikshaon par amal karein ya nahi"

Sabha ek baar phir shaant ho gayi.

Navraya ne poocha—

"Kyon? Aisi kaunsi aapda aa gayi hai jo itna bada prashn aapke mann mein aa gaya?"

Maharaj ne gahri saans li.

"Hum aapke viruddh nahi ja rahe..."

"Bas hum chun nahi paa rahe."

Navraya ne kuch pal tak unhe dekha.

Phir chehre par ek halki si muskaan lekar poocha—

"Maharaj... kya aapko mujh par bharosa hai?"

Pata nahi kyun.

Lekin uss muskaan ko dekhte hi Maharaj ke chehre ka tanav kuch kam ho gaya.

"Aap toh jaante hi hain."

"Hamari bhoomi par kabhi akaal nahi pada."

"Aapne hi hume shikaar ke alawa ek aur raasta dikhaya tha."

"Aapne hi hume samjhaya ki hamare paas jo hai uski asli keemat kya hai."

"Aur isi liye..."

"Padosi desh hamari bhoomi chahte hain."

"Kyunki hamari zameen par har ritu chakra mein chaar faslein ugayi jaati hain."

"Ye uplabdhi ab tak kisi anya rajya ne praapt nahi ki."

"Agar hamari ek fasal nasht bhi ho jaaye..."

"Toh bhi hum baaki faslon par jee sakte hain."

"Lekin sabke paas aisi kismat nahi hai."

"Isiliye woh hamari bhoomi chahte hain."

"Chahe sahmati se..."

"Ya balpurvak."

Darbar mein sannata chha gaya.

"Aur agar hum jhuk gaye..."

"Toh hum duniya ke saamne kamzor dikhai denge."

"Kal koi aur bhi hamare adhikaron par daawa karega."

"Ye faisla aasaan nahi hai."

"Hum aapke marg par chalna chahte hain."

"Isiliye..."

"Aap hi faisla lijiye."

Navraya kuch pal tak chup raha.

Phir usne shaant swar mein kaha—

"Dono mein se koi nahi."

Maharaj aur mantri ek doosre ko dekhne lage.

Navraya muskuraya.

"Bas itni si baat hai?"

"Pareshani ki koi baat nahi."

"Main un logon se milna chahta hoon jo hume dhamki de rahe hain."

"Aapko chinta karne ki avashyakta nahi."

"Aapne bahut sahi faisla kiya hai."

"Ab aapka kaam yahin samaapt hota hai."

"Aage main dekh lunga."

Lekin iss baar Maharaj turant sahmat nahi hue.

"Nahi."

"Main aapko yeh karne nahi de sakta."

"Uss raja ko aap jaante nahi."

"Woh sirf apne baare mein sochta hai."

"Jo chahiye hota hai, le leta hai."

"Aapko lagta hai jaise hum aapki baatein samajhte hain..."

"Waise hi woh bhi samajh lega."

"Lekin aisa nahi hai."

Navraya ne dheere se unki taraf dekha.

"Sahi aur galat ke baare mein..."

"Aap bhi toh sab kuch nahi jaante, Maharaj."

Ye sunkar Maharaj kuch pal ke liye chup ho gaye.

Aaj pehli baar...

Unhe laga jaise Navraya unhe kisi aur nazar se dekh raha ho.

Na ninda ki nazar se.

Na prashansa ki nazar se.

Bas...

Ek manushya ki nazar se.

Jo doosre manushya ki seemaon ko samajhta ho.

"Aap kehna kya chahte hain?" Maharaj ne poocha.

Navraya ne shaant swar mein jawab diya—

"Main bas itna keh raha hoon ki aapse bhi galti ho sakti hai."

"Jaise mujhse ho sakti hai."

"Aapne mujhe rokne ki koshish ki."

"Ye aapki mere prati chinta hai."

"Aur ye sahi bhi hai."

"Lekin iska matlab yeh nahi ki har sthiti mein wahi sahi hoga."

Usne dheere se kaha—

"Mujh par bharosa kijiye."

"Main isse suljha sakta hoon."

"Kuch galat hone se rok sakta hoon."

"Mujhe yeh karne dijiye."

Maharaj poori tarah uski baaton ko samajh nahi pa rahe the.

Lekin un baaton ka bhaar...

Woh mehsoos kar rahe the.

Woh jaante the ki Navraya ek aisi zimmedari apne kandhon par rakh raha hai...

Jiski asafalta ki keemat hazaaron log chuka sakte hain.

Antatah Maharaj ne anumati de di.

Aur padosi rajya ki yatra ki taiyari karne ka aadesh diya.

Aur issi ke saath...

Ek yatra aarambh hui.

Na kewal ek rajya ki taraf.

Na kewal ek vaarta ki taraf.

Balki ek aise prashn ki taraf...

Jiska uttar manushyata yugon se dhoondh rahi hai.

Kya shaanti vaastav mein sambhav hai...

Ya woh sirf un logon ka sapna hai...

Jinhone kabhi yudh ko kareeb se nahi dekha?

Door aasman mein...

Serapherion ne apne safed pankh phailaye.

Aur hawaon ke saath door ud gayi.