CHAPTER I

PART I

CHAPTER I KAHANI

"Dekh beta, hamare Nawabpur ke baare mein ek baat hai jo tujhe waqt se sath pata chalegi, yahan koi sidha nahin hai. Sabne ek na ek insaan ko to kabhi na kabhi maara hai!..humne khud 3-4 ladke maare hain.. kuch log the, woh har cheez pe kisi ko bhi maar dete the. Phir woho aadmi kisi aur ko marta tha woh aadmi kisi aur ko- aise hi chalta tha aur chalta aa raha hai. Jaise ek hai, oʻka abhi tak chal raha hai. Pehla banda, uska baap ek number ka tha.. ab ek baat bata mujhko, suar ka baccha khargosh ban sakta hai? Uska bhi nahin bana. Kaise? Baap ne pehli biwi ko maar ke doosri shaadi kar li, beta hoga kuch.. yahin 13-14 saal ka. Beta hua gussa! ‘Kaise maara meri maa ko?!’.. Ek din baap ghar pe jaldi aaya aur dekha uski biwi aur beta lage pade hain.. Phir kya, ladke ko nikaal diya Ghar se. Phir ek din wohi ladka waapas aaya apne baap ke Ghar pe, aur maar ke chala gaya. Aise-waise kaamo mein bhi bahut tha, kisi ne uske saath kuch kiya, pura parivaar khatam kar deta tha.. aise hi jaa raha tha aur uske scooter ka tyre kisi ladke ne phod diya. Bas.. parivar ko uda diya. Zyaada soche nahin, kaahe sochta. Yeh to pehle kitni baar kiya hoga usne, humne bhi chhod hi diya, abhi ke liye- chalo.. Ek din woh aise hi apne admiyon ke saath is hi dhabe pe baitha hua tha. Dekha, kisi ladke par dukaandaar cheekh raha hai. Bulaya, pucha "Kaahe chikha tujhpe?", ladke ne bataya “Kuch nahin..” “Bata na!” "Ou.. pocket maar li" Sunke apne chotu khoob khi khi kiye hasa, aur kaha- "hamare saath kaam karega? Jeb kaatne ka paisa denge, paisa!" ladka Maan gaya, kaun batata usko ki suar ke paas rehne se sab maila ho jaata hai. kuch der baad, apne Chotu paise dene jab gaya, tab kuch baat cheet karke us hi ladke ke paas aaya, jo ab kisi aur ki table ka kaam kar raha tha, aur usse bola..” “Chal.” “Kahan?” “Kaam karne” “Kahan kaam karne?” “Hamare saath” “Tumhare saath kahan?” “Chal na, tu..” “Chalo” The boy follows him into a white ambassador stuffed with other men. Inside the car, the young boy notices an intoxicating smell take over his nose, while he was barely able to open his eyes without water rushing out. The smell he could pin-point was of smoke, sweat and urine mixed together, but he knew not to disturb the quiet of the journey for his complaints, until Chotu himself broke it with “naam kya hai tera?” “Faizal” The young boy replies “Faizal miyan, kitne saal ke ho aap?” “16” “accha.. yahan kaam kyun karte ho?” “Parivaar nai hai” “Arre! Kahan hai?” “Maar diya kisi ne” “Kyun?” “Pata nahin” “Accha..” Following this, their travel stays mostly quiet, occasionally broken by coughs and hums of songs in the overpopulated backseat. They stop beside the entrance of a suffocated alley, just enough for one person to fit at a time “Yahan se chalke jaana padega” says Chotu to Faizal as he approaches the entrance. Faizal comes out of the car and enters the alley following Chotu. The sewer openings on the edge of the road infected the smell around, the boy noticed the same smell from the car. “Yahan.. abhi tujhe kuch waqt sikhayenge, phir..” Faizal stays quiet, still behind him, blending into the crowd of other members “Naam kya hai aapka?” Asks Faizal “Chotu bula lo” He answers. Faizal nods. He stops suddenly, Faizal almost collides. Chotu rotates himself to the large mansion stuffed between other houses, posters peeling all around the wall. He says “Yeh wala” as he opens the door with keys. He enters the house. “Aao andar” He mutters in a sigh.“Yahan pe rehna hai tujhe, dekh le saara” a voice comes from behind Faizal. Faizal rotates his head to see a tiny man with grown out black hair and a long, circular face. “Yahin pe rehna hai, dekh le sab” he repeats himself, getting a nod from Faizal, who knew not to ask more. The young boy notices Chotu, now moving towards the three sofas stacked together, in the middle of which stood a worn out table. “Baith, Faizal..” Chotu commands while pointing at a sofa beside where he sat. Faizal follows unquestioningly.. “aaj tak kya kya kiye ho aap?” Asks Chotu as if he was conducting an interview “Matlab?” “Arre- jeb kaate ke alaava kuch kare ho?” “..nahin.” “Rehman 1 cup chai banade” Chotu interrupts Faizal almost deliberately, talking to the same man Faizal had noticed “hm..” Chotu takes his focus to Faizal again “..nai..” “Thik hai.. Kal se-Rehman! 4-5 le ayyo!” He adds as an afterthought “Thik hai bhai!” snapped a voice from the kitchen “Abhi aaram karo, kal se..” “Thik hai” Faizal replies as he gets up from the sofa as if it were his cue to leave.