Har sheher ke do chehre hote hain.
Ek woh jo hum roz dekhte hain—horns, traffic, logon ki bheed, jaldi mein bhaagte kadam, dukaano ke bahar khade customers, aur har taraf ek ajeeb si hurrying. Aur ek doosra chehra… jo sirf kuch hi log dekh paate hain. Woh jo subah ke pehle kuch palon mein zinda hota hai, jab sheher abhi poori tarah jaaga nahi hota.
Us subah sadak bilkul khaali thi.
Shutters abhi band the. Street lights dheere-dheere apni duty khatam kar rahi thi. Ped bina hile khade the, jaise hawa bhi kuch der aur aaram karna chahti ho. Dhoop abhi nayi thi—tez nahi, bas itni ki puri road ko ek halka sa golden rang de de. Door tak seedhi jaati woh sadak aisi lag rahi thi jaise kisi ne poore sheher ka volume mute kar diya ho.
Ajeeb baat hai…
Jis road par roz chalne ki bhi jagah nahi milti, wahi road itni khaali ho toh usse pehchanna mushkil ho jaata hai.
Tab pata chalta hai ki hum roz kitni cheezein dekhte hi nahi.
Purane signboards.
Building ki balconies.
Khidkiyon par lage purane grills.
Sadak ke kinare khade ped.
Sab kuch toh hamesha se wahi tha.
Bas shor itna zyada tha ki kabhi nazar hi nahi gaya.
Shayad zindagi bhi kuch aisi hi hai.
Hum apni problems ka shor itna sunte rehte hain ki apne andar ki khamoshi kabhi sun hi nahi paate.
Hum next meeting ke baare mein soch rahe hote hain.
Next EMI.
Next deadline.
Next notification.
Aur isi jaldi mein hum un chhoti-chhoti cheezon ko kho dete hain jo asal mein jeene ka ehsaas deti hain.
Phir dheere-dheere sheher uthne lagta hai.
Ek shutter khulta hai.
Kahin chai banne ki khushboo aati hai.
Door se cycle ki ghanti sunai deti hai.
Ek auto guzarta hai.
Phir doosra.
Aur kuch hi der mein wahi khaali sadak phir se awaazon se bhar jaati hai.
Jaise woh khamoshi kabhi thi hi nahi.
Lekin thi.
Bas bahut thodi der ke liye.
Aur shayad isi liye woh itni khoobsurat thi.
Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai ki zindagi humein roz kuch minute deti hai…
Jahan sab kuch dheere hota hai.
Jahan koi race nahi hoti.
Jahan hum bas dekh sakte hain.
Mehsoos kar sakte hain.
Saans le sakte hain.
Lekin hum un palon mein bhi phone utha lete hain.
Shayad isi liye hum sheher ko jaante hain…
Par uski khamoshi ko nahi.
Aur kabhi-kabhi…
Insaan ko sabse zyada zarurat awaazon ki nahi hoti.
Us ek pal ki hoti hai…
Before the Noise.
