chapter 6

Faizan school ka behtareen orator tha aur apni British accent se larkon ko impress kar raha tha jo bohat maqbool thi. Excellent sound system uski awaaz bohat wazeh tor par pohcha raha tha aur hall mein pin-drop silence tha jo kabhi kabhi uske supporters ki zor daar taaliyon se toot raha tha. Jab Faizan ne aadha ghanta baad apni takreer khatam ki, to taaliyan aur seetiyaan mazeed kuch minute tak bajti rahin. Salar Sikandar ne bhi taaliyon mein shamil ho gaya. Faizan ne itminan se idhar udhar dekha, aur Salar ko taaliyan bajate dekh kar, qadar shanasi se sir hila diya. Faizan khoob jan gaya tha ke Salar asaan muqabla nahi tha. Compere ne Salar ko apni takreer shuru karne ko kaha. Taaliyon ke shore mein Salar ne shuru kiya. 'Subah bakhair doston... Usne ruk kar phir bola.'Faizan Akbar yaqeenan hamare school ke liye aik asasa hai orator ke tor par. Na main aur na koi aur uska muqabla kar sakta hai... Usne phir ruk kar Faizan ko dekha, jo fakhar se muskura raha tha. Magar Salar ke baqi jumlay ne uske chehre se muskurahat mitadi....Agar yeh sirf baat karne ka mamla hota. Hall mein hansi ki awazein gunjnein lagi. Salar ne sanjeeda rawaya barqarar rakha.Magar aik orator aur aik head boy mein bara farq hota hai: aik orator ko bolna hota hai jabke aik head boy ko kaam karna hota hai. Hall mein Salar ke supporters ke taaliyon se goonj uthi. 'Mujhe Faizan Akbar ki eloquence nahi milti,' usne bola. 'Mere naam aur record ko meri jagah bolne dijiye. Mujhe ek behte behte lafzon ki stream ki zaroorat nahi jahan chand alfaz kaafi hon. Usne phir ruk gaya.Mujh par bharosa karo aur mujhe vote do.' Usne audience ka shukriya ada kiya aur mike band kar diya. Taaliyon ka shore hawaa mein goonj utha. Salar ne aik minute aur chaalis second mein apni khas andaz aur tol tol kar boli gayi baaton se Faizan ke armaan palat diye thay.Is mukadmaati ta'aruf ke baad, aik sawaal aur jawab ka session hua. Salar apni mamooli mukhtasir rawaya mein jawab diya; uska sabse lamba jawab char jumlon se zyada nahi tha. Doosri taraf, Faizan ka sabse chhota jawab char jumlon se kam nahi tha. Faizan ki eloquence aur lafzon ka jadoo, jo uski taqat thi, ab Salar ke mukhtasir aur nokili jawabon ke muqable mein bay maani lag rahe thay, aur Faizan ko is ka pura ehsaas tha. Agar Salar aik line ka jawab deta, to Faizan, apni aadat ke mutabiq, aik monologue shuru kar deta. Jo kuch Salar ne Faizan ke bare mein kaha tha, audience ko sach lagne laga-ke aik orator sirf bol sakta hai, amal nahi kar sakta. "Salar Sikandar ko head boy kyun hona chahiye?' aik sawaal aya.**'Kyunke aapko is job ke liye sabse behtareen shakhsiyat ko elect karna chahiye, **usne jawab diya.'Kya aap ise ghamand nahi kahenge?" aik aitraz aya.'Nahi, ye *self-confidence aur awareness hai* . Aitraz rad ho gaya.'Ghamand aur self-confidence mein kya farq hai?' aik aur teekha sawaal utha.*'Wohi jo Faizan Akbar aur Salar Sikandar mein hai*, usne sanjeeda lehje mein jawab diya.Agar aap head boy na bane to kya farq parega?' 'Ye aap ke liye farq dalega, mere liye nahi.'Kaise?' 'Agar behtareen shakhsiyat leader na bane, to iska asar community par hota hai, behtareen shakhsiyat par nahi.''Aap phir apne aap ko behtareen keh rahe hain.' Ek martaba phir aitraz aaya."Kya is hall mein koi aisa hai jo apne aap ko kisi buri shakhsiyat ke barabar rakhe?" 'Shayad koi ho... 'Toh phir mein usse milna chahunga. Audience se mazaaq ki awazein uthti"Hamein batayein ke Salar Sikandar head boy ban kar kya tabdeeliyan layega.Tabdeeliyan baat karne se nahi, karke dikhane se hoti hain aur mein yeh head boy banne se pehle nahi kar sakta. Aur bhi kuch sawaalat poochay gaye aur jawab diye gaye aur phir compere ne aakhri sawaal ke liye kaha. Aik Sri Lankan larka shararat bhari muskurahat ke saath khada hua.'Agar aap mere is sawaal ka jawab dein, to mein aur meri puri group aapko vote dein ge. Salar muskuraya, 'Jawab dene se pehle, mujhe yeh batao ke tumhare group mein kitne log hain." 'Chhay, larkay ne jawab diya.Salar ne sir hila kar manzoor kiya aur kaha, 'Theek hai, tumhara sawaal kya hai?" Tumhein yeh calculate kar ke batana hai ke agar 952852 mein 267895 joda jaye aur phir 399999 minus kiya jaye aur 929292 phir se joda jaye, usne paper se dheere dheere parh kar bola, 'phir us figure ko six se multiply aur two se divide kiya jaye aur final figure mein 492359 joda jaye, to uska one-fourth kya hoga? Larka mushkil se apne lafzon ko mukammal kar paaya tha ke Salar ka bijli ki raftaar se jawab aya.2035618.2Larkay ne apne haath mein paper par nazar daali aur, yaqeen na aata huay, taali bajana shuru kar diya. Faizan Akbar is waqt ko sirf aik actor mehsoos kar raha tha: hall taaliyon se goonj utha-Faizan ne is poore program ko aik mazaak se zyada kuch nahi samjha. Ek ghanta baad, stage se Salar se aage utarte huay, Faizan ko pata chal gaya tha ke usne mukabla shuru hone se pehle hi haar gaya tha. Usne kabhi bhi 150 IQ scorer Salar se itna hasad mehsoos nahi kiya jitna ke ab.*************"Imama Apa, tum Lahore kab ja rahi ho?" Usne achanak apni notes se sar uthaya. Saad aahista aahista uske ird gird cycle chala raha tha. "Kal. Kyun pooch rahe ho?" Usne apni file band kar di. "Jab aap chali jaati hain, toh mujhe bohot yaad aati hai," usne kaha."Kyun?" Usne muskurate hue poocha,"Kyunki mujhe aap bohot pasand hain aur... aap mere liye khilone laati hain aur mujhe drive pe le jaati hain aur... aap mere saath khelti hain," usne tafseel se jawab diya. "Kya aap mujhe Lahore le jaa sakti hain?"Imama ko yeh samajh nahi aaya ke yeh ek tajwez thi ya sawal. "Main tumhe kaise le ja sakti hoon? Main khud hostel mein rehti hoon, toh tum kahan rahoge?" Usne poocha.Usne is par socha aur phir cycle chalate hue bola, "Phir aap zyada aaya karein.""Theek hai. Main zyada aaya karungi." Usne muskurate hue kaha. "Tum mujhse phone pe baat kar sakte ho. Main tumhe call karungi""Haan-yeh acha lagta hai." Saad ko yeh idea pasand aaya. Usne apni cycle ko lawn mein daudana shuru kar diya. Imama ne usay be khayali se dekha. Saad uska bhai nahi tha: woh paanch saal pehle unke ghar aaya tha.Usne kabhi nahi poocha ke woh kahan se aaya tha-aur is baat ka use koi parwa bhi nahi thi-magar usse pata tha ke kyun usay laya gaya tha. Ab woh das saal ka tha aur family ke saath adjust ho gaya tha. Woh Imama ke sabse qareeb tha. Usay aksar uske liye afsos hota, na is liye ke woh yateem tha, magar uska mustaqbil dekh kar use udaasi hoti thi. Uske chachay ne bhi yateem bachay god liye thay aur unka mustaqbil bhi Imama ke liye fikar ka sabab tha. Kitaab haath mein liye, woh Saad ko garden mein cycle chalate dekhti rahi. Usay dekh kar, woh aksar aisay khayalat se pareshan ho jati, magar uske paas koi jawab nahi tha-kuch bhi nahi jo woh uske liye kar sakti thi.*******Wo charoo Heera Mandi, Lahore ke red-light area mein thay. Woh sab 18 aur 19 saal ke darmiyan ke thay aur unka upper class background unke libaas se zahir hota tha; magar yahan umar aur social background ka koi ahmiyat nahi thi, kyun ke aksar naujawan ladkay yehan aate thay aur elite log unke regular customers mein shamil thay. Ladkay bazaar ki tang galiyon se guzarte hue apas mein baatein kar rahe thay. Teen ladkay guftagu mein masroof thay magar chautha ladka ghoor ke har cheez dekh raha tha aur aik tajub aur raaz ki soch uske chehre par thi. Lagta tha ke yeh uska pehla tajurba tha, aur uske doston se baad mein hone wali guftagu ne is baat ki tasdeeq kar di.Gali ke dono janib, khuli darwazon mein, har umar, shakal, size aur rang ki auratein khadi thi-gori aur saawli, khoobsurat aur aam-sab ziada makeup mein aur uttaray hue kapdon mein thein. Har umar ke mard bhi gali se guzarte dekhe ja sakte thay. Ladka sab kuch ghoor se dekh raha tha"Tum yahan kitni baar aaye ho?" Usne apne daayein taraf khade ladke se poocha jo hans kar uske alfaaz dohra raha tha."Kitni baar? Ab yaad nahi-maine ginati nahi ki! Main yahan aksar aata hoon," usne fakhar se kaha."Mujhe yeh auratein itni attractive nahi lagti...kuch khaas nahi," ladke ne kandhe uchaal kar kaha. "Agar raat guzarna zaroori ho toh kam az kam mahaul achha hona chahiye-yeh jagah toh bohot gandi hai," usne napasandida nazar se gali ke gande paani aur kachray ke dheeron ko dekhte hue kaha. "Aur, yahan aane ka kya faida jab tumhare paas girlfriends hain?""Yeh jagah apni kashish rakhti hai aur in auraton ka hamari girlfriends se koi muqabla nahi, Girlfriends yahan ki auraton ki tarah nahi nach sakti, doosre ladke ne hansi ke saath kaha, "Aur aaj Pakistan ki mashhoor actress yahaan perform karne wali hai-dekh lena.""Magar tum mujhe usay dance karte hue dekhne le gaye thay," pehle ladke ne beech mein roka.Aray, woh toh kuch nahi tha-bas mere bhai ki shaadi mein ek 'mujra' tha. Magar yahan baat alag hai.""Magar woh actress bohot posh area mein rehti hai, woh yahan kyun aayegi?" Uski awaz mein shak tha."Aaj us se khud pooch lena agar chaaho. Main aise sawal nahi poochta." Bagi ladke is baat par hans diye, magar pehla ladka use ghoor kar dekh raha tha.Akhirkar woh apni manzil par pohanch gaye jo gali ke ikhtitam par thi. Dukan ke qareeb se, unhon ne motia ke haar khareede jo unhon ne apne kalayon par lapeta, aur woh haar pehle ladke ke haath mein bhi pehnaya jo wahan aane par aitraz kar raha tha. Phir unhon ne tambaku wala paan khareeda aur use bhi ek paan diya-shayad usne pehle kabhi paan nahi khaya tha. Woh seedhiyon se upar gaye. Usne asar daal kar dekha aur uske chehre par tasalli ki muskurahat thi jab usne dekha ke jagah na sirf saaf thi balki acchi tarah se sajayi gayi thi Zameen par safed chadrein bichi hui thi aur takiye bhi rakhe thay. Darwazon aur khidkiyon par parday dheere se hil rahe thay. Kuch log pehle hi pohanch chuke thay magar performance abhi shuru nahi hui thi. Aik aurat, jiska chehra muskurahat se bharpur tha lekin wo muskurahat jhooti thi, tez raftari se unke paas ayi Jab usne unse baat ki, pehle ladke ne uski surat ko dekha. Woh middle-aged thi, makeup se dhak gayi thi aur uske baalon mein motia aur gulaab ke haar the. Usne ek teez laal chiffon saari pehni thi aur uska blouse jism ko dhakne ke bajaye zahir kar raha tha. Usne ladkon ko kamray ke ek kone mein bithaya. Jaise hi woh baitha, pehle ladke ne turant paan ko ek spittoon mein thook diya. Paan moonh mein bhar kar baat karna mushkil tha; aur usay iska maza aur zaika bilkul acha nahi laga tha. Baqi teen ladke dheemi awaz mein baat kar rahe thay. Usne kamray ke doosre mardon ko dekha jo takiyon se tek laga kar baithe thay aur unke samne note aur sharab ki bottles rakhi hui thi. Zyada tar buzurg aadmi safed kapdon mein thay, yeh pehli dafa tha jab usne Eid ke alawa itne logon ko safed kapdon mein dekha tha. Woh khud aur uske doston ne bhi casual libaas pehna tha-kale jeans aur kale T-shirt.Thodi dair baad, ek aur aurat jo zehrili rang ke kapdon mein thi kamray mein aayi aur beech mein baith kar ghazal gaane lagi. Musicians uske saath thay. Kuch gaane ke baad, usne paisay ikhatte kiye jo uspar barsaye gaye thay aur woh chali gayi. Phir mashhoor actress aayi jiske liye sab intezar kar rahe thay aur sabki nigahen uspar jam gyi .......     Continue ✍️ ✍️ ✍️.