Islamabad ki sard, barasti hui shaam mere minimalist office ke floor-to-ceiling
glass par ek dhundli si chadar bana rahi thi. Mere gird har ek cheez apni
taye-shuda jagah par mojood thi desk par akela rakha hua mera laptop, deewar par
lagi hui ek abstract painting, aur blueprints ka wo stack jo mere kaam ki tarah
hi, bilkul aala darjay ka aur perfection ke sath tarteeb diya gaya tha. Yahan
sab kuch mere control mein tha. Siwaye us bechaini ke jo pichle do saal se mere
dil mein aag ki tarah sulag rahi thi.
Meri siyah aankhein samne pare National Convention Centre ke naye wing ke design
par tiki theen, lekin main unhein dekh nahi raha tha. Mera dimaag, meri rooh,
sab do saal peeche us university ke auditorium mein atki hui thi.
Flashback
Main apni firm ki taraf se ek design competition mein bator guest judge shareek
tha. Auditorium students, professors aur ek ajeeb si khamoshi se bhara tha. Ek
ke baad ek student aata, nervous aawaz mein apni presentation deta aur chala
jaata. Main buri tarah bore ho raha tha, baar-baar apni ghari ko dekhte hue soch
raha tha ke ye sab kab khatam hoga.
Aur phir wo stage par aayi.
"Entry number 27, Samrah Kashif Khan."
Uske qadmon mein nervousness nahi, ek ajeeb sa confidence tha. Uska hijab saleeqe sai uskai sar or gardan mai lipta hua tha . Uski dark brown aankhon mein ek aisi chamak thi jo auditorium ki
aadhi-adhuri roshni mein bhi saaf nazar aa rahi thi. Usne mic set kiya aur jab
bolna shuru kiya, to main, jo ab tak apni chair par araam se betha tha, ek dum
seedha ho gaya.
Uski aawaz mein ek jadoo tha. Wo sirf design ki baat nahi kar rahi thi; wo
ehsaas ki, jazbaat ki, aur is baat ki baat kar rahi thi ke ek ghar sirf deewaron
ka naam nahi, balke ek aisi jagah honi chahiye jahan rooh ko sukoon miley.
"A space should feel like a hug," usne pure conviction se kaha tha.
Main, a man of structure and logic, us ek jumlay par achambhay mein reh gaya.
Mere liye, design ka matlab tha aql, function, aur perfection. Aur yahan ek
larki ehsaas aur "hugs" ki baat kar rahi thi. Main usey apne zehen se dismiss
karne hi wala tha ke ek judge ne us se koi ajeeb sa, technical sawal pucha.
Samrah ek lamhe ke liye khamosh hui, usne ek gehri saans li, aur phir usne
muskurate hue jawab diya.
Aur us ek pal mein, sab kuch badal gaya.
Jaise hi uske lab muskurahat mein dhale, uske dono gaalon par ek gehra,
khubsurat sa dimple par gaya. Ek aisi muskurahat jo pure auditorium ko roshan
kar gayi. Mujhe laga jaise kisi ne mere dil par achanak se ek garam roshni daal
di ho. Main uski passion, uski aag, uski zahanat se pehle hi mutasir ho chuka
tha, lekin us ek dimple ne mere structured dimaag mein aisi chaos paida ki jise
main aaj tak tarteeb nahi de paya hoon.
Us din, competition Samrah Kashif Khan ne jeeta tha. Aur main... main bina kisi
se kuch kahe, apna dil haar gaya tha.
Flashback Ends
Office ke darwaze par hui halki si dastak ne mujhe mere khayalon se bahar
nikala. Mera assistant file le kar andar aaya. Maine file li, lekin uska dimaag
abhi bhi usi dhund mein tha. Do saal. Pure do saal ho gaye thay.
In do saalon mein, maine apne baba ke dost, Kashif Khan ke ghar jaane ke liye
har mumkin bahana banaya tha. "Baba, club ke charity event ke liye Kashif Uncle
se milna zaroori hai." "Baba, main us area mein hi tha, socha Aunty ko salam
karta chalun."
Har baar ek nayi umeed ke sath jaata, aur har baar nakaami mere hath aati. Kabhi
uski hansi ki aawaz kisi band kamre se aati, aur main dehleez par hi khara reh
jaata. Kabhi uski Ammi muskurate hue kehteen, "Arham beta, tum bas paanch minute
pehle aate, wo abhi abhi nikli hai." Aur sab se zyada takleef-deh jumla: "Samrah
bechari aaj bohot thak gayi thi, aate hi apne apartment mein so gayi."
Maine ek aisi larki ke gird apne khwaboon ka ek poora jahan bana liya tha jo
shayad mera naam tak theek se nahi jaanti thi.
Tabhi mere phone ki ghanti baji. Screen par 'Baba' ka naam chamak raha tha.
"Jee, Baba," maine apni aawaz ko professional rakhte hue kaha. "Beta, kahan ho?
Main Kashif sahib ke ghar ja raha tha. Unhe club ke annual dinner ke hawale se
kuch discuss karna tha," Sabir Shaikh ne kaha.
Mere dil ki dharkan ek dum se tez ho gayi. Wahi jaani pehchani umeed aur nakaami
ka darr. "Baba, main bas office se nikal hi raha tha. Main bhi aap ke sath
chalta hun. Mujhe bhi Kashif Uncle se ek chota sa kaam tha," maine foran ek
jhoota bahana banaya.
Gari mein, baarish ki boondein windscreen par ek ajeeb sa rhythm bana rahi
theen. Main khamoshi se bahar dekhta raha. Aaj, shayad aaj wo nakaami ki lakeer
toot jaye. Shayad aaj main usey dekh loon.
Khan family ki building mein dakhil hote hi ek garmahat ne hamara istaqbal kiya.
Kashif Khan ne hamesha ki tarah, bari muhabbat se hamein welcome kiya. Maine
adab se unhein salam kiya, lekin meri nazrein aur mere kaan kisi aur ki talash
mein thay.
Samrah ki Ammi coffee le kar aayin. "Aur Arham beta, kaam kaisa ja raha hai?"
unhone pucha. "Alhamdulillah, Aunty, sab theek hai," maine jawab diya, ek umeed
ke sath unke chehre ko dekhte hue.
Aur phir wahi hua. "Samrah bechari aaj ek client meeting mein bohot late ho
gayi. Aate hi apne apartment mein aaram karne chali gayi," unhone muskurate hue
kaha.
Mere kandhe maamuli se jhuk gaye. Maine apne chehre par ek zabardasti ki
muskurahat sajai. Chalo, aaj bhi nahi. Ek aur nakaami.
Jaise hi hum uthne lage, Kashif Khan, jo ab tak khamosh the, meri taraf mure.
Unke chehre par ek ajeeb si sanjeedgi thi. "Arham beta, ye to Allah ka karam hai
ke tum aaj yahan ho."
Maine sawaliya nazron se unhein dekha.
Kashif Khan ne aage kaha, "Meri Samrah ki firm ne abhi abhi National Arts Centre
ke interior design ka contract jeeta hai." Unki aawaz mein fakhar tha. "Lekin
project bohot bara hai. Board chahta hai ke architecture ka kaam koi aisi firm
kare jiska naam ho, legacy ho. Unhone khas taur par Shaikh & Sons ka naam liya
hai."
Wo ek pal ke liye ruke, aur mera dil mere halaq mein aa gaya. "Wo chahte hain ke
tum dono is project par sath kaam karo. As a lead architect."
Main bas unhein dekhta reh gaya. Hawa mein coffee ki mehek, bahar baarish ki
aawaz... sab kuch achanak se mujhe ajeeb aur khubsurat lagne laga.
Do saal. Do saal se main ek lamha hasil karne ki koshish kar raha tha.
Aur qismat ne abhi abhi mere hath mein ek poora mustaqbil thama diya tha.
_____________________________________________
Assalam-o-Alaikum, readers! ❤️
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Umeed hai aapko pehla chapter pasand aaya hoga. Comments mein zaroor batayeiga ke aapko kaisa laga! Aapke feedback ka intezaar rahega. ✨
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S.J. Noor
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