Alfaaz

एक दिन सांझ ढले

पास आ बैठे अलफाज़

बेमसरफ* से,

बेमायने से..

हाथ पकड़े घेरा डाला

लगे आगे पीछे घूमने

कुछ हाथ आए 

कुछ पर लगा कर उड़ गए

कुछ अधूरे से

कुछ पूरे से

कहीं किसी दर्द की दासतान का हुआ बयान 

कहीं कोई किस्सा बीच में छूट गया 

कुछ लफज़ सितारों की चमक से ज़्यादा चमकदार 

कुछ रात की सियाही से गहरे काले

कुछ बेरंग से , 

कुछ बेनूर से 

अलफाज़..

कुछ अपने से

कुछ पराए से

कभी पास आकर सर सहलाते

कभी मुंह चिढ़ा कर मजाक  उड़ाते

खुद को पिरोते रहे लमहों में देर तक 

कहीं दूर से सदाएं आती रहीं 

पुराने लफज़ों की.....

अलफाज़ टिके रहे 

दहलीज़ पर 

रात भर 

सुबह को दरवाज़े पर 

राख़ पडी़ थी..

कुछ लफज़ों की

कुछ लमहों की!

**बिना किसी काम

Ek din saanjh dhale

Paas aa baithe Alfaaz

 Be-masraf* se, 

bemayene se

Hath pakde ghera daala

 Lage aage peechhe ghoomne

Kuch haath aaye

Kuch par laga kar udd gaye

Kuch adhoore se

Kuch poore se

Kahin kisi dard ki daastaan ka hua bayaan

Kahin koi qissa beech me chhoot gaya

Kuch lafz sitaron ki chamak se zyada chamakdar

Kuch raat ki syaahi se gehre kale

Kuch be-rang se 

Be-noor se 

Alfaaz..

Kuch apne se 

Kuch paraye se

Kabhi paas aakar sar sehlaate

Kabhi munh chida kar mazaaq udate

Khud ko pirote rahe lamho me der tak 

Kahin door se sadayen aati rahi 

Purane lafzo ki..

Alfaaz tike rahe dehleez par 

Raat bhar

Subah ko darwaze par

Raakh padi thi.. 

Kuch lafzo ki 

Kuch lamho ki.

                                                                                                  

The Urdu Bible Woman

Georgie more than 80 years in age, is the youngest (in spirit) and most energetic person I have ever met. She is the caretaker of the Holy Trinity Church and a permanent at the Church Basti gathrings. I have always found her wearing colorful saris, smiling, almost always busy with something or the other but still taking out time to chat with me, whenever I have visited the Church at different points of time. (I always  start with Holy Trinity Church near the Dargah of Hazrat Shah Turkman Bayabani at Turkman Gate, whenever I take my students or friends' around Shahjahanabad). 

Over the years, we have become good friends. She has spent her entire life at Shahjahanabad and is most comfortable here, and never wants to go anywhere from her Basti. She studied in Urdu medium school, and  is now one of the few people left from the generation who still read their Bible in Urdu. Her Urdu Bible is kept separately from the rest of (mostly Hindi) Bibles. 

Georgie's husband died many years ago, and children are all settled. She lives with her two sons at the Basti. Daughters are married. Younger son is going to be a priest soon, she informs me and invites me for the future feast when it would happen, as she usually does whenever there is a feast at the Basti. 

She is the one who keeps the keys of the church. She told me when she prays mid night, she also prays for me. I thanked her and joked that she is the malik of the place, she can open/close/visit God whenever she wants late night or early morning, with her shy smile she nodded in the affirmative. While others from the Basti have often tried to proselytize and have given me lectures on how Christianity is better than Islam, Georgie mostly just chit chats, general inquires about work, food, etc. 

Once when I was speaking with other people of the basti, a young man whom she told me was of unsound mind started singing loudly. She came, sat protectively around me, shouted at him to 'buzz off', and then told me that it was getting late I should leave and walked me out of the Basti, also telling me to be careful, 'zamana kharab hai' for women.   

Recently, I attended the Lent prayer services. During one of the sermons, the Priest asked, "How many people here have enemies?" Everybody in the audience very proudly just moved their heads to indicate 'no'. Padri Sahab was disappointed. His logic was, "if you have enemies then it means you are doing something good. Jesus had enemies. If you do not have anybody opposing you, means you are not living your life correctly!" This comment sent everybody on a thought spin (including me) on "how to win enemies and live correctly!"  

Georgie, being 'the keeper of the house of God' is an exception and an epitome of those who could never make any enemy and also lived a correct life. Restoring my hope in humanity, may she live a healthy life for hundred more years! Amen.