a[yth\eh[n Ignbmdmbn. Ah[n¡mes¯ ]p¯³ A\p`h§fpambn ]pXnb kvIqÄ hÀjs¯ FXntc¡m³ Ip«nIÄ Hcp§n¯pS§nbt¸mÄ km_p AhtcmSp tNmZn¨p: ""F§s\bpWvSmbncp¶p a¡sf \½psS Ah[n¡mew?''
""ASns]mfnbmbncp¶p Nm¨m.'' Ip«nIÄ¡v Htc A`n{]mbambncp¶p.''
""Ah[n¡me¯v \½Ä sNbvX ]T\{]hÀ¯\§fpsS ^ew C\nbpamWv e`n¡m³ t]mIp¶Xv'' km_p a¡sf HmÀ½n¸n¨p.
Ip«nIÄ Ah[n¡me]cn]mSnIÄ H¶p hnebncp¯n t\m¡n. At¸mÄ Nm¨³ ]dªXv XnI¨pw icnbmsW¶hÀ¡p t_m[yambn.
kwKoX]cnioe\hpambn«mWv Ah[n BtLmjn¡m³ XpS§nbXv. AXnsâ ^eambn ]Ånbn ]mSm³ Ahkcw e`n¨p. AXnsâ KpW^esat¶mWw kvIqfnse AhcpsS tÌPv s]Àt^ma³kv sa¨s¸Sm³ t]mhpIbmWv. Cw¥ojv `mjm]T\ambncp¶p asämcp {]hÀ¯\w. t_knIv {KmaÀ Dd¸ns¨Sp¡m\pw ]ckv]cw AXymhiyw Cw¥ojn kwkmcn¡m\pw Nm¨sâ klmbt¯msS AhÀ ]Tn¨pIgnªp. AXpsImWvSv kvIqfn AhcpsS Cw¥ojv ]T\w Gsd ckIcamIpw. Ahscmcpan¨p \nÀ½n¨ ]¨¡dnt¯m«¯n ImbvI\nIÄ Bbn¯pS§nbncn¡p¶p. C\n hnjmwianÃm¯ ¢o³ shPnä_nÄ IdnIfpambn kvIqfnte¡p t]mImw. FÃm¡mcy§fnepw Ip«nIÄ¡v HcSp¡pw Nn«bpw ssIh¶pIgnªp. CXhcpsS kvIqfnse s]Àt^ma³kv sa¨s¸Sp¯psa¶p Xs¶bmWv km_phnsâbpw ssj\nbpsSbpw {]Xo£.
t\cs¯sbms¡bmsW¦n Ah[n¡mew Ignbpt¼mÄ Ip«nIÄ¡v Hcp k¦Sambncp¶p. F¶m ]Xnhn\p hn]coXambn C¡pdn AhÀ \mept]cpw kvIqÄ Xpd¡m³ Bthi]qÀÆw Im¯ncn¡pIbmWv. Ah[n¡mes¯ sIm¨phntij§fpw sIm¨psIm¨p t\«§fpw Iq«pImcpambn ]¦phbv¡m³ AhÀ¡p [rXnbmbncn¡p¶p. ]pXnb _p¡pIÄ hm§m\pÅ ]Ww sam¯ambn km_p s\_phns\ Gev]n¨p. AhÀ DÕml]qÀÆw ]pXnb _p¡pIÄ hm§m³ PwKvj\nepÅ _p¡vÌmfnte¡p t]mbn.
At¸mÄ km_phn\pw ssj\n¡pw X§fpsS sNdp¸Imes¯¡pdn¨v HmÀ¡mXncn¡m³ IgnªnÃ. kvIqÄ Xpd¸n\v As¶mcpXcw DÕhelcnbmbncp¶p. ]pXpXmbn In«p¶ ]pkvXI§fpsSbpw _p¡pIfpsSbpw DÅnse KÔambncp¶p Gsd lrZyw. F{X aW¯mepw aXnhcnÃ. ]p¯³IpS \nhÀ¡pt¼mÄ AXn\papWvSv lrZyamb Hcp KÔw. Iq«pImtcmsSm¸w kvIqfnte¡pÅ bm{X. ¢mÊnse sIm¨psIm¨p IpkrXnIÄ, D¨bv¡s¯ s]mXnt¨mdqWv þ FÃmw F´p ckIcambncp¶p. FÃmw C¶se IgnªXpt]mse tXm¶p¶p. ImeN{Iw F{X s]s«¶mWv DcpWvSpt]mIp¶Xv! Hcn¡Â hnZymÀ°nIfmbncp¶p X§Ä C¶nXm apXnÀ¶v A¸\½amcmbn¯oÀ¶ncn¡p¶p. AtXmsSm¸w Ip«nIfpw hfÀ¶psImWvSncn¡p¶p.
F´mbmepw H¶p XoÀ¨bmWv. C¶p Ip«nIÄ X§sf¡mÄ anI¨ PohnXkuIcy§Ä A\p`hn¡p¶p. sa¨s¸« kvIqÄ, sa¨s¸« kne_kv, sa¨s¸« PohnX\nehmcw, FÃmw AhÀ¡p e`n¨psImWvSncn¡p¶p. AhÀ `mKyw sNbvXhÀ Xs¶.
Ip«nIÄ ]pXnb _p¡pIfpw hm§n BtLmjambmWp XncnsI h¶Xv. ""]pXnb _p¡pIfpsS `wKnbpw hen¸hpw IWvSm H¶pIqSn kvIqfn tNÀ¶p ]Tn¨mtem F¶p tXm¶patÃm?'' ssj\n CXp ]dªt¸mÄ Hcp tImfPv _p¡v ssIbnseSp¯psImWvSv jn_p Nm¨t\mSp tNmZn¨p: ""Nm¨³ sNdp¸¯n C¯cw _p¡pIÄ D]tbmKn¨n«ptWvSm?''
""CÃ. ]t£ Rm³ D]tbmKn¨ncp¶ Hcp ]gb _p¡v \n§sf ImWn¡mw.''
km_p Aeamc Xpd¶v Hcp Ihdn\pÅn kq£n¨ncp¶ Hcp ]gb _p¡v FSp¯v Ip«nIsf ImWn¨p. AhÀ IuXpI]qÀÆw AXphm§n adn¨pt\m¡n. ap³t]Pn "P\d t\mfPv' Fs¶gpXnbncn¡p¶p. 1970þ FgpXm³ XpS§nb t\m«p_p¡mWXv. ]¯pap¸¯©phÀjw ]g¡ambncn¡p¶p. A[ym]IÀ ¢mÊn ]dªncp¶ P\demb Imcy§fpw ]{XamknIIfn \n¶p e`n¨ hnÚm\iIe§fpw Nn´mhnjb§fpsams¡ t]mbnâpIfmbn AXn Ipdn¨n«ncn¡p¶p. ""Cu _p¡p IWvS A[ym]Iscms¡ Fs¶ A`n\µn¨n«pWvSv'' km_p ]dªp. t{]mÕml\ambn A[ym]IÀ X¶ GXm\pw Nne t]\Ifpw km_p `{Zambn kq£n¨ph¨n«pWvSmbncp¶p. AXpw Ip«nIÄ ]cntim[n¨p t\m¡n. AhcXp hs¨gpXnt\m¡n.
""Ignª ap¸¯©p hÀjambn kq£n¨ph¨ncn¡p¶ Cu _p¡pw t]\Ifpw F\ns¡¶pw iànbpw {]tNmZ\hpambncp¶p. ImcWw, Cu _p¡pw t]\Ifpw ImWpt¼mÄ Fs¶ kvt\ln¨ A[ym]IcpsS apJ§Ä Fsâ a\ÊntemSnsb¯pw. At¸mÄ Fsâ sS³js\Ãmw Ft§m t]mbv adbpw.'' km_p CXp ]dªt¸mÄ Ip«nIfpsS I®pIÄ Cud\Wnªp.
""PohnX¯nse Gähpw at\mlcamb ImeamWv Ip«nItf kvIqÄ PohnXImew. Hcp]t£ AXnsâ bYmÀ° hne AdnbWsa¦n \n§Ä R§sft¸mse apXnÀ¶hcmIWw'' km_phnsâ Cu hm¡pIÄ tI«t¸mÄ ssj\n¡pw a\Êp \ndbpIbmbncp¶p. Ip«nIÄ ]T\¯n A{i² ImWn¡pt¼msgms¡ km_p B ]gb _p¡pw t]\Ifpw FSp¯v Ahsc ImWn¡Wsas¶mcp \nÀt±iwIqSn ssj\n apt¼m«p h¨p. At¸mÄ km_p ]dªp: ""AhÀ AekcmImXncn¡m³ Ht¶bpÅq hgnþ\½Ä AhÀ¡p apt¼ \S¡pI!''
]ntäZnhkw Ip«nIÄ¡v Bhiyamb ]pXnb bqWnt^mw XpWnIÄ hm§n. ssj\n AsXÃmw `wKnbmbn Xbns¨Sp¯p. F¶n«p km_phnt\mSp ]dªp: ""]ns¶ tIt«m, AXnsâ X¿Â¡qen ad¡mXnt§m«p Xt¶¡Ww!'' CsX¶pw ssj\n ]dbmdpÅXmWv. km_p tIÄ¡mdpÅXpamWv. HSphn IqensbÃmw kvt\lam¡n sImSp¯p ho«pIbmWp ]Xnhv.
Ah[n¡me¯v km_phpw Ip«nIfpw IqSn ]pXnb Hcp ioe¯n\p XpS¡an«ncp¶p. cmhnse Fgpt¶äv Hs¶m¶c IntemaoäÀ AXnthKw \S¡m³ XpS§nbncp¶p AhÀ. \ntXy\bpÅ Cu \S¸pw Ip«nIfpsS Dt·jw hÀ²n¸n¨ncp¶p.
Pq¬ H¶v! kvIqÄ Xpd¡p¶ kpZn\w! A¶p cmhnse Ip«nItfmsSm¸w km_phpw ssj\nbpw ]Ånbn t]mbn. IpÀ_m\bn ]¦psImWvSp. Km\§Ä Be]n¨Xv Ip«nIÄ Xs¶bmbncp¶p. sFizcyw \ndª Hcp kvIqÄ hÀj¯n\mbn km_phpw ssj\nbpw a\Êp\ndªp {]mÀ°n¨p.
cmhnse H¼XpaWn¡v ]p¯³ bqWnt^mw AWnªv ]pXnb ]pkvXI§fpambn Ip«nIÄ kvIqfnte¡p bm{Xbmbn. ]pXnb hntij§Ä Iq«pImcpambn ]¦phbv¡m³ Nm¨t\mSpw A½tbmSpw bm{X]dªv ]p¯³]d¼nse Ip«nIÄ bm{Xbmbn.
ASp¯ e¡¯nÂ
(km_p F¶ [\ImcyhnZKv[³!)