ikkis sal umr thi us ki bas abhi us ne goya zindagi ko aankh bhar ke dekha bhi na tha khelne kudne ke din the ki zamane ki rit ke mutabiq chat mangni pat byah ho gaya aur tin sal mein tin bachche bhi paida ho gae phir achanak bechaari ko wo bimari mil gai jis ke panje se koi khush-nasib hi chhutta hai mujhe barson pahle ganw mein apni chitkabri bakri yaad aa gai jis ne ek jholi mein panch bachche diye the aur chand roz baad mar gai thi mari hui bakri ke thanon se is ke panchon bachche dudh ki aakhiri bund tak nichod lene ke chakkar mein ek dusre se guttham-guttha ho rahe the main ne khuda se kaha ghazab ke sitam-zarif ho tum bhi aadmi ko itna kamzor paida kiya hai bakri ka bachcha to janm lete hi chaar tangon par khada ho jata hai magar aadmi ka bachcha baras-ha-baras tak yatimon ki tarah sahaare dhundhta phirta hai aur phir tum ye sahaare bhi chhin lete ho chalo marhum bap ki jagah to tum khud pur kar lete ho ki aasmani bap kahlane ka tumhein azal se shauq hai lekin ye nau-maulud aur nau-khez bachchon ko tum maon se kis khate mein mahrum kar dete ho hansa bahut hansa main kahe baghair na rah saka ki aafrin hai dusre ke dukh par is tarah khile bandon to saffak siyasat-dan bhi nahin hanste achanak mera shana jhinjhod kar bola zara meri taraf dekho mujhe guman tha ki to raat aur quran ke auraq se nikal kar ek pur-jalal mardana paikar mere samne hoga magar wahan to ek hari-bhari aurat khadi thi jis ki chhatiyon se dudh ki dhaaren fawware ki tarah phut rahi thin qarib tha ki main ghash kha kar gir jata isi ne mujhe sambhaala diya aur dhire se kaha main bap bhi hun aasmanon mein main man bhi hun zamin par dobara us ki jaanib dekha aankhon se do garm garm aansu mere chehre par tapak pade main ne kaha pahle tum hans rahe the ab tum ro rahi ho kaha hansi aur rone ka ek hi nam hai zindagi main ne kaha tumhaare mardana namon ka to shumar nahin logon ko ninnanwe ke phere mein dal rakkha hai tum ne murshidon se ism-e-azam puchhte puchhte behaal ho jate hain ab tumhaare zanana nam bhi dhundne padenge zer-e-lab muskura ke kaha paida hote hi tum sab ke munh par mera ism-e-azam aa jata hai har koi az-khud pukar uthta hai man aur phir apni man ki chahat mein sab ki man ki bhul jata hai nam bhi yaad nahin rahta us ka