छोटा जादूगर -जयशंकर प्रसाद

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is lekh ka punarikshan evan sampadan hona avashyak hai. ap isamean sahayata kar sakate haian. "sujhav"

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karnival ke maidan mean bijali jagamaga rahi thi. hansi aur vinod ka kalanad gooanj raha tha. maian kh da tha. us chhote phuhare ke pas, jahaan ek ladaqa chupachap sharab pinevaloan ko dekh raha tha. usake gale mean phate kurate ke oopar se ek moti-si soot ki rassi p di thi aur jeb mean kuchh tash ke patte the. usake muanh par gambhir vishad ke sath dhairy ki rekha thi. maian usaki or n jane kyoan akarshit hua. usake abhav mean bhi sampoornata thi. maianne poochha-‘‘kyoan ji, tumane isaman kya dekha?’’

‘‘maianne sab dekha hai. yahaan choo di pheankate haian. khilaunoan par nishana lagate haian. tir se nambar chhedate haian. mujhe to khilaunoan par nishana lagana achchha maloom hua. jadoogar to bilakul nikamma hai. usase achchha to tash ka khel maian hi dikha sakata hooan.’’-usane b di pragalbhata se kaha. usaki vani mean kahian rukavat n thi.

maianne poochha-‘‘aur us parade mean kya hai? vahaan tum gaye the.’’

‘‘nahian, vahaan maian nahian ja saka. tikat lagata hai.’’

maianne kaha-‘‘to chal, maian vahaan par tumako liva chalooan.’’ maianne man-hi-man kaha-‘‘bhaee! aj ke tumhian mitr rahe.’’

usane kaha-‘‘vahaan jakar kya kijiega? chalie, nishana lagaya jay.’’

maianne sahamat hokar kaha-‘‘to phir chalo, pahile sharabat pi liya jay.’’ usane svikar-soochak sir hila diya.

manushyoan ki bhi d se ja de ki sandhya bhi vahaan garm ho rahi thi. ham donoan sharabat pikar nishana lagane chale. rah mean hi usase poochha-‘‘tumhare aur kaun haian?’’

‘‘maan aur babooji.’’

‘‘unhoanne tumako yahaan ane ke lie mana nahian kiya?’’

‘‘babooji jel mean hai.’’

‘‘kyoan?’’

‘‘desh ke lie.’’-vah garv se bola.

‘‘aur tumhari maan?’’

‘‘vah bimar hai.’’

‘‘aur tum tamasha dekh rahe ho?’’

usake muanh par tiraskar ki hansi phoot p di. usane kaha-‘‘tamasha dekhane nahian, dikhane nikala hooan. kuchh paise le jaooanga, to maan ko pathy dooanga. mujhe sharabat n pilakar apane mera khel dekhakar mujhe kuchh de diya hota, to mujhe adhik prasannata hoti.’’

maian ashchary se us terah-chaudah varsh ke l dake ko dekhane laga.

‘‘haan, maian sach kahata hooan babooji! maan ji bimar hai; isalie maian nahian gaya.’’

‘‘kahaan?’’

‘‘jel mean! jab kuchh log khel-tamasha dekhate hi haian, to maian kyoan n dikhakar maan ki dava karooan aur apana pet bharooan.’’

maianne dirgh nishvas liya. charoan or bijali ke lattoo nach rahe the. man vyagr ho utha. maianne usase kaha-‘‘achchha chalo, nishana lagaya jay.’’

ham donoan us jagah par pahuanche, jahaan khilaune ko geand se giraya jata tha. maianne barah tikat kharidakar us l dake ko diye.

vah nikala pakka nishanebaj. usaka koee geand khali nahian gaya. dekhanevale dang rah gaye. usane barah khilaunoan ko bator liya; lekin uthata kaise? kuchh meri rumal mean bandhe, kuchh jeb mean rakh lie gaye.

l dake ne kaha-‘‘babooji, apako tamasha dikhaooanga. bahar aie, maian chalata hooan.’’ vah nau-do gyarah ho gaya. maianne man-hi-man kaha-‘‘itani jaldi aankh badal gayi.’’

maian ghoomakar pan ki dookan par a gaya. pan khakar b di der tak idhar-udhar tahalata dekhata raha. jhoole ke pas logoan ka oopar-niche ana dekhane laga. akasmath kisi ne oopar ke hiandole se pukara-‘‘babooji!’’

maianne poochha-‘‘kaun?’’

‘‘maian hooan chhota jadoogar.’’

-- --

kalakatte ke suramy botanikal-udyan mean lal kamalini se bhari huee ek chhoti-si-jhil ke kinare ghane vrikshoan ki chhaya mean apani mandali ke sath baitha hua maian jalapan kar raha tha. batean ho rahi thian. itane mean vahi chhota jadoogar dikhaee p da. hath mean charakhane ki khadi ka jhola. saf jaanghiya aur adhi baanhoan ka kurata. sir par meri rumal soot ki rassi se bandhi huee thi. mastani chal se jhoomata hua akar kahane laga-

‘‘babooji, namaste! aj kahie, to khel dikhaooan.’’

‘‘nahian ji, abhi ham log jalapan kar rahe haian.’’

‘‘phir isake bad kya gana-bajana hoga, babooji?’’

‘‘nahian ji-tumako....’’, krodh se maian kuchh aur kahane ja raha tha. shrimati ne kaha-‘‘dikhalao ji, tum to achchhe aye. bhala, kuchh man to bahale.’’ maian chup ho gaya; kyoanki shrimati ki vani mean vah maan ki-si mithas thi, jisake samane kisi bhi l dake ko roka ja nahian sakata. usane khel arambh kiya.

us din karnival ke sab khilaune usake khel mean apana abhinay karane lage. bhaloo manane laga. billi roothane lagi. bandar ghu dakane laga.

gudiy़a ka byah hua. gudda var kana nikala. l dake ki vachalata se hi abhinay ho raha tha. sab hansate-hansate lot-pot ho gaye.

maian soch raha tha. balak ko avashyakata ne kitana shighr chatur bana diya. yahi to sansar hai.

tash ke sab patte lal ho gaye. phir sab kale ho gaye. gale ki soot ki dori tuk de-tuk de hokar jut gayi. lattoo apane se nach rahe the. maianne kaha-‘‘ab ho chuka. apana khel bator lo, ham log bhi ab jayange.’’

shrimati ji ne dhire se use ek rupaya de diya. vah uchhal utha.

maianne kaha-‘‘l dake!’’

‘‘chhota jadoogar kahie. yahi mera nam hai. isi se meri jivika hai.’’

maian kuchh bolana hi chahata tha ki shrimati ne kaha-‘‘achchha, tum is rupaye se kya karoge?’’

‘‘pahale bhar pet pakau di khaooanga. phir ek sooti kambal looanga.’’

mera krodh ab laut aya. maian apane par bahut kruddh hokar sochane laga-‘oh! kitana svarthi hooan maian. usake ek rupaye pane par maian eeshrya karane laga tha n!’’

vah namaskar karake chala gaya. ham log lata-kunj dekhane ke lie chale.

us chhote-se banavati jangal mean sandhya saany-saany karane lagi thi. astachalagami soory ki antim kiran vrikshoan ki pattiyoan se vidaee le rahi thi. ek shant vatavaran tha. ham log dhire-dhire motar se hav da ki or a rahe the.

rah-rahakar chhota jadoogar smaran hota tha. sachamuch vah ek jhop di ke pas kambal kandhe par dale kh da tha. maianne motar rokakar usase poochha-‘‘tum yahaan kahaan?’’

‘‘meri maan yahian hai n. ab use aspatal valoan ne nikal diya hai.’’ maian utar gaya. us jhop di mean dekha, to ek stri chith doan se ladi huee kaanp rahi thi.

chhote jadoogar ne kambal oopar se dalakar usake sharir se chimatate hue kaha-‘‘maan.’’

meri aankhoan se aansoo nikal p de.

-- --

b de din ki chhutti bit chali thi. mujhe apane aphis mean samay se pahuanchana tha. kalakatte se man oob gaya tha. phir bhi chalate-chalate ek bar us udyan ko dekhane ki ichchha huee. sath-hi-sath jadoogar bhi dikhaee p d jata, to aur bhi..... maian us din akele hi chal p da. jald laut ana tha.

das baj chuka tha. maianne dekha ki us nirmal dhoop mean s dak ke kinare ek kap de par chhote jadoogar ka rangamanch saja tha. motar rokakar utar p da. vahaan billi rooth rahi thi. bhaloo manane chala tha. byah ki taiyari thi; yah sab hote hue bhi jadoogar ki vani mean vah prasannata ki tari nahian thi. jab vah auroan ko hansane ki cheshta kar raha tha, tab jaise svayan kanp jata tha. mano usake roean ro rahe the. maian ashchary se dekh raha tha. khel ho jane par paisa batorakar usane bhi d mean mujhe dekha. vah jaise kshan-bhar ke lie sphoortiman ho gaya. maianne usaki pith thapathapate hue poochha-‘‘aj tumhara khel jama kyoan nahian?’’

‘‘maan ne kaha hai ki aj turant chale ana. meri gh di samip hai.’’-avichal bhav se usane kaha.

‘‘tab bhi tum khel dikhalane chale aye!’’ maianne kuchh krodh se kaha. manushy ke sukh-du:kh ka map apana hi sadhan to hai. usi ke anupat se vah tulana karata hai.

usake muanh par vahi parichit tiraskar ki rekha phoot p di.

usane kaha-‘‘n kyoan ata!’’

aur kuchh adhik kahane mean jaise vah apaman ka anubhav kar raha tha.

kshan-bhar mean mujhe apani bhool maloom ho gayi. usake jhole ko ga di mean pheankakar use bhi baithate hue maianne kaha-‘‘jaldi chalo.’’ motaravala mere bataye hue path par chal p da.

kuchh hi minatoan mean maian jhop de ke pas pahuancha. jadoogar dau dakar jhop de mean maan-maan pukarate hue ghusa. maian bhi pichhe tha; kintu stri ke muanh se, ‘be...’ nikalakar rah gaya. usake durbal hath uthakar gir gaye. jadoogar usase lipata ro raha tha, maian stabdh tha. us ujjval dhoop mean samagr sansar jaise jadoo-sa mere charoan or nrity karane laga.