Eating Dates in Madhwapur

I am eating dates, it reminds me of Madhwapur.

At that season of rain, I opened the door, a greenish colored as of kadai. The house was made of mud and khapra, very high and very thick walls. It was a big hut sort of. The floor of the house was not made of tiles unlike these days, rather it was made up of mud. During rainy season there was water logged that used to create mud, just before the main door, greenish and kadai colored, that was the entrance of the house. There was stairs containing five steps to come out of the house. But I remember I never used those stairs while coming down. I used to bypass the stairs just by jumping from the main door. I used to run here and there time and again. I never put my slipper together while putting it off. I was probably of 4 or 5. The rain didn't stop for 8-10 days. The old people in the village used to say that there became some hole in the sky. But these things were not relevant to me. During those days sometimes it was raining like cats and dogs sometimes it was just drizzling. It was drizzling then. I jumped from that kadai colored door bypassing the stairs. I was in air and able to feel the drops in the drizzle that was touching my skin,  I was about to slip in the mud but controlled myself without any intention. I moved forward in the opposite direction of door, where there used to be a Date tree. The bottom of which was surrounded by small green grass. The green grass used to be a bit longer during rainy days. I eagerly used to search for the dates, a mix color of black and red, that used to be hidden in those grass along with the other kids.  Sometimes looked towards the top of the tree in the hope that I can catch some dates falling from the sky. A drizzle hit my eyeball slowly that made my eyeball closed and opened again abruptly three to four times. The drizzle that hit my face made me feel like I got everything I wanted but the dates. I am too far now from that door, eating dates. The taste I am feeling like I am in Madhwapur again. I feel like I am on that day only, younger... And even younger...

वो पहुँच गयी

विचारों की लेनदेन हो गयी थी बंद जब हो गया था एक वस्तु निराधार
अब लाने की बारी थी पर आलस्य कम न था और धुप की थी बौछार
जैसे तैसे जगी हिम्मत जब मिला एक किनारा, फिर हो चली थी तैयार
अगले दिन थी जो ख़ुशी का त्यौहार दो सालों बाद मिल रहा था परिवार |

पर अफ़सोस !!! नहीं कर सका उसका छोटा सा कार्य जो था अपरिहार्य
वो किनारा भी छुट गया था पर शायद उसे उम्मीद उसी से थी
पर वक़्त को तो आना ही था और आ ही गया पर सामने था दीवार
पाँव कट गए थे पर मुख पर मुस्कान जिम्मेवारी तो समझ रखा था |

कदम चल रहे थे बेचैनी बढ़ रहे थी छूटने के डर से कर रहे थे प्रयास
पर हुए नाकाम !!! उसके मन में थे आंसू, आँखों में आने को था बेक़रार
मजबूत हुआ करती थी पर अन्दर से टूट चकी थी कुछ सुन नहीं पा रही थी
वापस जा रही थी, जहाँ नहीं जाना चाहती थी, शायद मैं ही था गुनाहगार |

पर अचानक उपरवाले ने हमे दिखाया, हमारी करुण स्वर सुना, किया उद्धार
मार्ग मिल गया था उसे, अब पहुँचने को होगी, वो पहुँच गयी मिल गया परिवार |