Shreya sunk into deep sleep in the night after having dinner as she was damn
tired. When daya slipped into his room no one knew, even his roommate pankaj too
was in dark about the arrival of him..
Next day when everyone gathered at the table to have the breakfast with rather a
relax mood daya came with a grim face and informed,:' panch gunde ko arrest kiya
hai aj police, un me se ek admit kiya hai ki usko us aurat ka ex husband supari
diya tha...aur poison bhi supply kiya tha...'
sachin tugging a toast asked eagerly,:' us ka ex husband ka kuchh pata chala kya
sir?'
daya answered gravely,:' haaa... Mumbai me rehta hai woh...aur sun ke chauk jaoge
ki woh ek doctor hai'
nikhil: sir? ek doctor aisa kiya?
daya: haa nikhil...wohi to...gublu eye witness ye shaq karke us ko pakr ke le
gaya aur phir lalaj agaya ke usko chhupa ke rakh ke bara sa amount mang kiya jaye
uske parents ke pas se...magar gublu itna bahadur nikla ki woh apna parents ka
pata batane me inqar kiya...until...(he paused and said lowering his voice)
shreya waha pe pauchi...
sachin: sir... kuch bhi boliye... kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hai jaise ki hum pichhe
ki taraf chal rahe hain...Civilisation se bohut door ek uncivilized wicked
society ki taraf...
daya:(with a reflective face) haa sachin...tumne sahi kaha... doctor se leke
teacher, majdoor se leke politician sab me immorality phail gaya hai...(though he
was trying to be normal chatting with all but one thought was disturbing him that
where shreya was) aur phir...he stopped as shreya appeared with sluggish steps
into the table... daya lapsed into silence and that was noticed by all with wry
and humorous smiles...
sachin:(with a smile): are shreya aao...baitho...
shreya: yes sir...
nikhil: kal rat neend huya tha na?
shreya shrunk in embarrassment and when sachin looked at daya, he too averted his
glance with a discomfort... nikhil too felt uneasy as he now perceived that
perhaps his question was alluding something else.. he tried to explain it with
fumble,:' mmera matlab hai ki...kal...rat bohut thaki huyi thi naa...'
shreya:hha nikhil...
purvi:( with an affectionate smile) achcha chalo...abhi khao...
everyone turned silent, while pankaj complained,:' sir, ghumne ke liye ake hum to
ghum hi na paye...bas kam hi kam...maine kaha tha na isse achchha rehta agar hum
koi jana pehchana jagah me jate...'
sachin: haa sir... suna hai pas me ek angoor ka khet hai...kya chalenge aj waha
pe?
daya with a withdrawn smile replied,:' jaise tum sab ka marzi...' sipping a
little juice, he stood up and went towards his room...
shreya stared at him with eloquent eyes until sachin asked,:'shreya...tum aj to
better feel kar rahi ho na?'
shreya:(in low voice) haa sir...
sachin: tab to hum sach me khub maja karenge aj, kyu nikhil?
nikhil smiled at him significantly saying,:' haa sir..'
After lunch they all went for the grape field; daya remained at the front and as
they were approaching sachin and nikhil were chuckling more and more...After
about half an hour they reached nearer the place which was adorned with
beauty...different birds were singing while the cool breeze was blowing steadily
and the verdant leaves of the plants were swaying left and right with
pleasure...stepping ahead a little pankaj said,:' sir...kyu na hum yaha pe baith
jaye? yaha pe hi thora aram karte karte koi khel khele..'
sachin: haaa sir, ye baat pankaj galat na kaha...bohut der se chal rahe hain
hum...
daya:(apathetically) thik hai...baitho...
pankaj: sir...abhi hum kuch khel sakte hain(wink) hai na? kya sir hamesha
serious ho ke rehna...abhi to hum ghumne aye hain...sab ko bachcha ban ke khush
ho jana chaiye...hai na?
nikhil: haa pankaj...ye to sahi kaha ...sir hum 'blind man' khel sakte hain...ye
khet me chhupna bhi asan hoga...aur...khub maja bhi ayegaa...
sachin:(with a secretive smile) hmmmm plan bura nahi hai...
purvi: haaa sir khub maja ayega...kyu shreya?
shreya:( with a tender smile) sab ko maja ayega to ...(she looked at daya archly
) mujhe bhi ayega phir...
pankaj: yeeeeeeeee...chalo chalo...
daya listened to everyone with an affectionate smile and kept noticing the
activities of other...
sachin leapt to his feet,:' to chale...ginti ho jaye...kaun banega sab se pehla
chor...
everyone stood up except daya...
sachin: kya sir? aap kyu baithe hain?
daya: (with a candid smile) tum log khelo na sachin...main dekhta hun baith
ke...
pankaj: nahi sir nahi chalega aise...aap ko bhi khelna hogaa...
purvi: haa sir...aap nahi khelenge to hum bhi nahi khelenge...jaiye...
nikhil: ssir...please...sir kheliye naa...
sachin: sir man jaiye naa...hum sab milke khelenge tab hi na maja ayegaa...
daya flashed a coy smile getting so much attention and shrugging his shoulders he
stood up for playing the game...
sachin: haa...humara play me kuch anokha baat hona chaiye...
purvi: kaisa anokha baat sir?
sachin: jaise ki ek chor ki jagah do do chor? kyu? (his eyebrows danced as he
looked at nikhil)
nikhil: haaa sir...ye achcha rahega...ek chor se jitna thrill do do chor se aur
thrill...
Pankaj: ye lo...sir phir to do me se ek chor mujhe pakr hi lenge sir(sad face)
sachin: are pakre jane ka thrill na hoga to khel ka maja kaise hoga Pankaj? kyu
purvi?
Purvi looked at sachin with surprise but the parlance of his eyes said her all
and she was revealed with all her vivacity,:' haa sir...do do chor aur dugna
maja...hai na? are pankaj...'
in the mean time when everyone had having perky conversation, daya shreya stood
silent though enjoying the happiness of everyone and accidentally their glance
met once which they held for five seconds before breaking it when pankaj boomed
with delight,:'yeeeeeeee...sir der kis baat ki?'
sachin: kisi baat ki nahi...sab khare raho...ginti ho jaye...
After the two rounds of counting, Nikhil and pankaj became the theives...Sachin
fastened their eyes with pieces of cloth material and then everyone started
retracting back...Daya was playing causally, as if enjoying more the jocose
behaviour of his juniors and he was caught easily by nikhil while pankaj was able
to catch purvi...In the next daya caught sachin and purvi caught nikhil...The
play reached in the peak of enjoyment as everyone were laughing teasing and
screaming loud with delight...Many local women gathered a little far to see the
game of six grown up children which was entertaining them too...
Next sachin caught shreya and nikhil captured daya...
daya flashed a coy smile, shreya too adorned her face unknowingly by a placid
smile...They started playing...daya was scrabbling in the dark to catch
someone...it seemed that sachin was in front of him as he heard his voice from
the front ...he went ahead but ended up touching the leaves of the grape
tree...He smiled inside him and turned back and after shuffling for a little he
collided with somebody and hugged tight...but at the next moment he disengaged
himself quickly and said-ohh...purvi...I'm so sorry...'
he threw open the cloth material to find baffled shreya before him...she too
took out the cloth material from her eyes being flummoxed and abashed...Silence
throbbed between them...silence in which there was a desperate yearn to speak out
one's heart..; silence which was a restraint for both of them for any coherent
thought; silence which was made of deep serenity yet profound
restiveness...Shreya's eyes were madly wandering through the huffy face of daya
perhaps to read every single hue of his sullenness while daya was fighting hard
with the tempestuous emotions contracting his every muscles...After about three
full minute, shreya murmured, impassionedly,:'ssir...' daya, cringing his head,
kept flipping unmindfully with some leaves...shreya spluttered irresolutely,:'
ssir...mera irada...aap ko...dukh dene ka...nahi thaa...' a pause of about
half minute persisted and after that shreya came back further,:' ssir...us
waqt...kaise gublu ka jaan bachau...yehi soch se main pareshan
thi...aur...sssir...'
A little far in the grape field...
pankaj: ssir...kya huya? hum to do chor ko chhor ke bohut door agaye...sir woh
log kaise pakrenge hume?
sachin:( with a satisfied smile over his face) to hum ek dusre ko pakarte hai
naa...
pankaj: are sir ye kaise ho sakta hai? sir chaliye...hum khub pareshan kare
shreya aur daya sir ko..
purvi: sshhhh...are pankaj...tu ek number ka gadha hai...kuchh bhi samajh me nahi
ata tujhe...
pankaj:(with a confused face) are mujhe samjhao phir purvi...chor hume na
pakrenge to khel kaise chalega?
sachin: ( exchanged glance with nikhil and purvi and have an affectionate smile
for pankaj)
purvi: (flashed a wry smile at nikhil and sachin) are le chal...main hun
chor...chal bhag main pakarti hun tujhe...sir chaliye...
sachin and nikhil too participated in the new game to satisfy pankaj who was
ignorant about every mischief of his mates...