Bahut samay pehle, ek ghane jungle mein, jahan ped itne ghane the ki din ki roshni hari dhaariyon ke roop mein zameen par girti thi, Gomayu naam ka ek geedad rehta tha. Woh geedadon ki tarah chatur tha, par kayi dinon se badkismati uski parchhaai bani hui thi. Jungle ke chhote janwar savdhaan ho gaye the, aur jis sade-gale maans par woh palta tha, use giddhon ne saaf kar diya tha. Uski pasliyan twacha se chipki thi, aur pet mein aisi khalipan ki peeda thi ki hawa ki har gandh use vaade jaisi lagti thi.
Ek subah, bhookh ne Gomayu ko uski maand se itni door dhakel diya jitni door woh kabhi nahi gaya tha. Woh ek sookhi nadi ki talhatti paar karke ek chaude maidaan mein utar aaya jo jungle jaisa bilkul nahi tha. Toote bhaale dharti se mari hui tehnion ki tarah nikle the, aur phate jhande ghaas mein uljhe pade the. Yeh ek ranbhoomi thi jahan kuchh hi din pehle do senaayein ladi thi aur apna malba peeche chhodkar chali gayi thi.
Gomayu ne naak uthayi. Yahan kuchh tukde mil sakte the, sainikon ke giraye bhojan ke ansh. Woh aage badha, poonchh neeche jhukaye aur kaan khade kiye, seene mein aasha phanse hue panchhi ki tarah phadphada rahi thi.
Tabhi usne woh aawaaz suni.
BHOOM! Ek gehri, khokhli gadgadaahat khaali maidaan mein phail gayi, itni tez ki hawa hi hilti lagi. BHOOM! BHOOM! Baar-baar woh aati rahi, dheemi aur bhaari, kisi vishaalkaay jaanwar ke dil ki dhadkan jaisi.
Gomayu jam gaya. Uski peeth ka har roaan khada ho gaya. Usne apne jeevan mein kabhi aisi aawaaz nahi suni thi. Avashya hi koi bhayanak jeev hoga, usne socha, koi vishaal rakshas chattaanon ke peeche chhipa hoga. Agar woh gadgadaahat jaisi aawaaz nikaal sakta hai, to uske daant kitne bade honge?
Woh bhaagne ko muda. Par tabhi ek buddhimaan vichaar ne use rok diya. Woh ek kaantedar jhaadi ke kinare rukkar peeche mudkar dekhne laga.
"Ruko," usne apne aap se kaha. "Kya kisi aisi cheez se bhaagna uchit hai jise maine kabhi dekha hi nahi? Aawaaz daant nahi hoti. Bhaagne se pehle, kam se kam yeh to jaan loon ki yeh aawaaz aati kahan se hai."
To Gomayu, haalaanki dil ab bhi dhadak raha tha, zameen se satkar dheere-dheere aage badha. Kadam-dar-kadam woh us jagah ki ore badha jahan se aawaaz paida ho rahi thi.
Aawaaz use ek ajeeb drishya tak le gayi. Ranbhoomi ke kinare, ek akele hawa se jhuke ped ke neeche, ek bada yuddh-dhol pada tha. Yeh sena ka tha, sainikon ko yuddh mein saahas dene ke liye bajaya jaata tha, aur peeche hat-te samay wahin chhoot gaya tha. Yeh utna hi lamba tha jitna ek geedad hota hai, khokhli lakdi ka bana hua, dono siron par kasi hui chamde ki khaalein, jinke rang dhoop aur dhool se pheeke pad gaye the.
Aur ped se satkar, theek dhol ke oopar, dhol ki chhadein padi thi, lambi lakdi ki chhadein jo dhol bajane wale ne gira di thi. Jab bhi hawa tez chalti, chhadein hilti aur chamde se takraati. BHOOM! Chhadein phir dhol se takraati. BHOOM! BHOOM!
Gomayu ghoorta raha. Woh rakshas lakdi aur chamde ke siva kuchh nahi tha. Woh gadgadaahat to keval hawa ka khel tha.
Woh zor se hans pada, ek teekhi, cheetkaar bhari hansi. "Main kitna moorkh tha!"
Tabhi uske mann mein ek naya vichaar aaya. Itni gehri aawaaz kisi achhi cheezon se bhari hui cheez se hi aa sakti hai. Avashya is bade gol pet ke andar khazaana hoga, shayad jama kiya hua maans ya anaaj. Uski bhookh ekdam laut aayi, pehle se bhi tez.
Woh dhol ke chaaron ore ghooma, uski deevaron ko soonghta raha. Phir usne chamde ki khaal mein apne daant gada diye aur use phaadne laga. Chamda kada tha, par usne kheencha aur kutra, jab tak aakhirkaar khaal phatne ki aawaaz ke saath phat gayi. Woh apne patle shareer ko chhed mein sikodkar andar kood gaya.
Woh andhere mein gira aur utsukta se soonghne laga. Kuchh nahi. Woh muda aur phir soongha. Lakdi. Sirf sookhi lakdi aur dhool. Usne andar ki deevaron ko khurcha. Khokhla. Koi maans nahi, koi anaaj nahi, kisi tarah ka koi bhoj nahi. Dhol oopar se neeche tak khaali tha.
Gomayu chhed mein se baahar reng aaya, phar dhool se bhari aur garv chot khaaya. Woh ghaas mein baith gaya aur phate dhol ko dekha, phir apne aap par hansa, is baar zyaada lambi aur sachchi hansi.
"Pehle main ek khaali dhol se dara," usne kaha, "aur phir uske andar bhoj ki aasha ki. Dono hi moorkhta thi. Dar ne dhol ko rakshas bana diya, aur lalach ne bhandaar. Woh shuru se hi sirf ek dhol tha."
Yeh seekh uske hriday mein aise utar gayi jaise talaab mein patthar. Us din ke baad, jab bhi Gomayu raat mein koi ajeeb aawaaz sunta, woh na to andhadhundh bhaagta, na hi lalach mein aage badhta.
Aur bhookh? Usi maidaan mein, dhol se kuchh hi door, use woh mila jo senaon ne jaldi mein gira diya tha, phate boron se bikhra anaaj aur unke choolhon ki haddiyan, jin par ab bhi maans ke tukde chipke the. Kyunki woh darkar bhaagne ke bajaay jaanch ke liye ruka tha, us shaam usne bharpet khaaya aur taaron ke neeche chain ki neend soya, jabki hawa puraane yuddh-dhol par apna komal, haanirahit sangeet bajaati rahi.
Is katha ke paatra
- The Jackal
