Read in Hindi
माँ दोपहर का भोजन करने के बाद सोने चली जाती | केसर भी थोड़ी देर सोने का नाटक करता और प्रतीक्षा करता माँ के सोने का | कभी कभी तो नाटक करते करते उसे नींद आ ही जाती | पर अन्य दिन मौका मिलते ही घर से निकल आता | गांव के बच्चे अपने पशुओं कों चारा कर इस समय नदी किनारे पानी पिलाने ले आते और स्वयं या तो नदी में पानी से खेलते, थोडा नहाते थोडा अपनी भैसों और गायों कों नहलाते, वर्ना बरगद के नीचे विविध प्रकार के खेल करते | केसर और कुछ अन्य लड़कों कों पेड़ पर चढ़ने में रोमांच आता |
रोज ही माँ कों चकमा दे कर केसर भाग निकलता | बचपन की मासूमियत भी बड़ी अनोखी होती है | अपनी आँखें मूँद लेने से समझ आता है कि कोई दूसरा भी हमें नहीं देख सकता | छल तो धूर्त प्राणी करते हैं, बच्चों कों अपने खेल और उसके प्रति निष्ठा के इलावा और किसी बात से क्या ताल्लुक? माँ कों सब पता है, फिर भी कुछ ममत्व के कारण तो कुछ सवेरे से काम करने की थकावट के कारण बरामदे में चटाई पर लेटी केसर के प्रस्थान की आहात सुनती है | मंद मंद उसके भोलेपन पर मुस्कुराती है, थोडा अपने कों भी झिडकती है कि भरी दोपहरी में घर से जाने दे रही है |
वहीँ केसर घर से निकलते ही ऐसी सरपट दौड लगाता मानो उसके अभाव में नदी सूखी जाती हो | बरगद की शीतल छाया और नदी का ठंडा पानी उसका स्वागत करते | आम तौर पर बड़े लोग नदी में पशुओं के पानी पीने के स्थान से कुछ हट कर, तट पर कुछ ऊपर की ओर नहाने धोने का काम करते हैं | पर बच्चे इन सब प्रबंधनों कों नहीं समझते | भैंसों की पूँछ पकड़ कर नदी में नहाने उतर जाते और उसी मट मैले पानी में खेल कूद करने लगते | केसर शहर से आया है, और बहुत छोटी उम्र से ही उसे स्वच्छता के उपदेश मिल चुके हैं | पर गांव में न जाने कभी कभी क्या हो जाता है, वह भी पानी में मस्ती करने उतर जाता है | माँ कों शायद इस बात की भनक नहीं पड़ी अब तक |
नानी कहानी में बतलाती हैं कि कृष्ण ग्वाले थे, ढेर सारी गायें लेकर रोज जंगल में चराने जाते थे, और हाथ में होती केवल एक बांसुरी | बांसुरी की धुन में केवल गाय ही नहीं, अपितु गोपियाँ भी खिंची चली आती थी अपने कान्हा कों देखने हेतु और कान्हा किसी ऊंची डाली पर बैठा, अपनी ही सुध में बांसुरी बजाता | बांसुरी की कमी यहाँ के यारों की एक तकनीक ने पूरी कर दी | उन्होंने केसर कों मुँह से सीटी बजाना सिखा दिया | अब तो रह रह कर पंक्तियाँ याद आती हैं,
यह कदम्ब का पेड़ अगर माँ होता यमुना तीरे,
मैं भी उस पर बैठ कन्हैया बनता धीरे धीरे ||
(-सुभद्रा कुमारी चौहान)
बच्चों की कल्पना पर कोई लगाम नहीं होती | कच्ची मिट्टी की भांति रूप परिवर्तन करती रहती है और यत्र तत्र सर्वत्र गतिशील हो जाती है | केसर भी नानी के व्याख्यान सुन कर पुलकित हो उठता | कान्हा ने अपनी लीलाएं बहुत पैदा होते ही शुरू कर दी थी, पर नानी की कहानियों में न जाने ऐसा लगता कि कृष्ण केसर की उम्र जितने ही होते होंगे जब की यह कहानी है | अंततः केसर अपनी कल्पना में नानी के हर पात्र कों चेहरा देता जाता | अपनी स्मृती से कहीं यशोदा का किरदार अपनी माँ कों सौंप देता, कहीं गोपिओं के पात्र में कक्षा की सहेलियों कों देखता, और आप तो जानते हैं न की कृष्ण कौन बनता?
क्रमशः ...
Members of the family used to take an afternoon nap after lunch. Kesar pretended to sleep, waiting for the time when his mother would be deep asleep, the time when he would sneak out of the house. But sometimes, sleep really did play a spoil sport when he’d wake up only after sunset. Village children would flock their herds from the grasslands to the river at this time of the day on their journey home. While the herds drank and bathed in the cool waters, children played around with water among the animals or under the great banyan. Some more adventurous types including Kesar found climbing the tree more thrilling. A child’s innocence is mesmerizing. He can easily believe that while he shuts his own eyes, the world cannot see him either. Deception and tricking are the arts of wheeler dealers, a child knows none. A child’s only concern is his sport and its fulfillment. Mother knows it all, and yet plays dumb, a little out of affection, and a little out of tiredness from the daily routine since early morning. She smiles inwardly, and simultaneously chides herself for letting her son out at peak noon.
A little distance from home, Kesar makes a run for the river. The cool shade of the banyan and the coolness of the water greet him. Elders generally have a spot a little upwards along the river shore from the place where animals drink water to carry on with their washing and bathing. But children don’t understand these idiosyncrasies. The grab the buffalos by the tails and enter the waters there itself with their herds and play in muddy waters. Kesar, belonging to a town has learnt lessons in hygiene from a very small age. But sometimes, he too sheds those lessons and joins his friends in the little pool party. Mother might not know this.
Grandma narrates that Krishna was basically a gwala (herdsman). He used to take lots of cows and buffalos to the jungle to graze every day. And while others carried sticks to guide the herd, he carried a flute. The music that he played was so enchanting that not only the herds, but the Gopis of Brindavan could not resist their legs from going unto him. Never did an animal go missing. And whilst all this, Krishna (affectionately called Kanha) used to play the flute, on some high branch. The void of the flute was filled in Kesar’s imagination by whistle; he learnt it from his local friends.
There is no restraint on the gallop of a child’s imagination. It can take any form like wet clay in the hands of a sculptor. Kesar found semblance to Kanha in his granny’s stories. He felt that Krishna must have been of his age when he did all what Grandma told. As a result, Kesar put a face to every single character in her stories. His mother was Yashoda, and gopis were his friends from school. And you know who must have been Krishna, right?
To be continued…
Ma dopeher ka bhjan karne ke baad sone chali jaati. Kesar bhi thodi der sone ka naatak karta aur prateeksha karta Ma ke sone ka. Kabhi kabhi to naatak karte karte use neend aa hi jaati. Par anya din mauka milte hi ghar se nikal aata. Gaon ke bachhe apne pashuon ko chara kar is samay nadi kinare paani pilaane le aate aur svayam ya to nadi mein paani se khelte, thoda nahate thoda apni bhains aur gaayon ko nehlaate, varna bargad ke neeche vivdh prakeer ke khel karte. Kesar aur kuch anya ladkon ko ped par chadne mein romanch aata.
Roz hi Ma ko chakma de kar Kesar bhaag nikalta. Bachpan kii maasumiyat bhi badi anokhi hoti hai. Apni aankhein moond lene se samajh mein aata hai ki koi aur bhi hame nahi dekh sakta. Chhal to dhoort praani karte hain, bachhon ko apne khel aur uske prati nishtha ke ilaawa aur kisi baat se kya taalluk? Ma ko sab pata hai, phir bhi kuch mamatva ke kaaran to kuch savere se kaam karne ki thakavat ke kaaran baramde mein chattayi par leti Kesar ke prasthaan kii aahat sunti hain. Mand mand uske bholepan par muskurati hai, thoda apne aap ko bhi jhidakti hai ki bhari dopehri mein ghar se jaane de rahi hai.
Vahin Kesar gahr se nikalte hi aisi sarpat daud lagata hai maano uske abhaav mein nadi sookhi jaati ho. Bargad ki sheetal chhaya aur nadi ka thanda paani uska swagat karte. Aam taur par bade log nadi mein pashuon ke paani peene ke sthaan se kuch hat kar, tat par kuch oopar ki or nahaane dhone ka kaam karte hain. Par bachhe in sab prabandhano ko nahi samajhte. Bhainson kii poonch pakad kar nadi mein utar jate hain aur usi mat maile paani mein khel kood karne lagte. Kesar sheher se aaya hai, aur bahut choti umr se hi use swachhta ke updesh mil chuke hain. Par gaon mein na jaane kabhi kabhi kya ho jaata hai, veh bhi paani mein masti karne utar jaata hai. Ma ko shayad is baat kii bhanak nahi padi ab tak.
Naani kahaain mein batlaati hain ki Krishna gwaale the, dher saari gaayien le kar roz jungle mein charaane jaate the, aur haath mein keval ek baansuri. Baansuri ki dhun mein keval gaaye hi nahi, apitu gopiyan bhi khinchi chali aati thi apne Kanha ko dekhne hetu aur Kanha kisi oonchi daal par baitha, apni hi sudh mein baansuri bajata. Baansuri kii kami yahaan ke yaaron kii ek takneek ne poori kar di. Unhone Kesar ko munh se seeti bajana seekha diya. Ab to reh reh ar yeh panktiyaan yaad aati hai,
Yeh kadamb ka ped agar na hota Yamuna teere,
Mein bhi us par baith kanhaiyya, banta dheere dheere.
Bachhon ki kalpana par koi lagaam nahi hoti. Kachhi mitti kii bhaanti roop parivartan karti rehti hai aur yatra tatra sarvatra gatisheel ho jaati hai. Kesar bhi naahi ke vyakhyaan sun kar pulkit ho uthta. Kanha ne apni leelayein paida hote hi shuru kar di thi, par naani kii kahaaniyon mein na jaane aisa lagta ki Krishna Kesar kii umr jitney hii hote honge kjab ki yeh kahaani hai. Antatah Kesar apni kalpanaon mein naani ke har paatr ko chehra deta chala jata. Apni smriti se kahin yashoda ka kirdaar apni Ma ko saump deta, kahin gopiyon ke paatr mein kaksha sii saheliyon ko dekhta, aur aap to jaante hain na kii Krishna kaun banta?
To be continued…
37 comments:
haha:)
i loved reading this.. Childhood is the best time of our lives:)
i especially like that line-
"अपनी आँखें मूँद लेने से समझ आता है कि कोई दूसरा भी हमें नहीं देख सकता. "
So very true:)
I Have a younger brother and my mum used to call him kanha when he was very little, im sure he relates to this,no wonder his class girls are his gopiyan:P
Nice read. I liked
*Yamuna teere* , is it T of Tarun? Or T of Trump?
काश कभी मैंने भी ऐसी सादगी भरी ज़िन्दगी का आनंद लिया होता | बात तो आपकी सौ टक्का सही है की "बच्चों की कल्पना पर कोई लगाम नहीं होती |" परन्तु शेहेर और गाँव के बच्चों की कल्पनाओं में बोहोत फर्क है | गाँव के बच्चों की कल्पनाएँ शेहेरी बच्चों से जादा ऊँची और तेज़ होती हैं |
The innocence of childhood.. The simplicity of the village.. The imaginations and boundless thoughts of Kesar.. everything was so refreshing.. I too remembered my Nani telling me Krishna stories and sometimes when she spotted me eating something suspicious she would tell me, " Open your mouth, even I can see an entire universe in there." I would believe her because that's what Krishna's mother sees when Krishna eats soil and she asks him to open his mouth :)
Innocence at it's best :)
Love
Maithili
i loved it ! your posts in hindi always make me aware of what i'm missing, u know miss those hindi books and stories. and this post reminds me so so much of childhood days at my nani's place.... i must thankyou for bringing back those wonderful memories in my fav langugae "hindi" :)
innocence of children, intricate and selfless mother's love .... you have crafted this post with great detailing.
Loving it !!!
Thanz for sharing this.
I don't know the story behind the flute.
Loved the innocence of the story..ise padh kar ati prasanta hui :) :D
flawless narration... picturesque! a journey down the nostalgic lanes...
superb!
I was not disappointed with the "second chapter". And Kesar's quirks and adventures were actually reminiscent of my own. We had a farm and I used to go there during summers, I played with the buffaloes too. I can't/refuse to remember if I ever swam in the mud though. haha. And this line made me really smile:
He can easily believe that while he shuts his own eyes, the world cannot see him either.
I thought I had superpowers then and my parents played along with me, just like Kesar's mother did.
ps. can't wait for the next chapter!:)
Ahh the joys of childhood! The games that we make up in our heads and play like nothing else in the world matters! I feel like shrugging off all my responsibilities and running around like Kesar, dreaming and imagining!
Nice read! :)
Present childhoods are so different than what you have written...lovely read.
@Tarunima
:D Glad that you liked it.
@Tarun
It's T-Tarun
@Prateek
दोनों की कल्पनाओं के बीच में अंतर कुछ ऐसा है जैसे प्राणवायु और जल में. दोनों की महत्ता समान है, दोनों की उड़ान समान है, बस दिशाएं और रंग भिन्न हैं |
@Maithili
And my Ma tells me that I can eat up the whole universe when I open my mouth to yawn. :P
@eNiGmA
My pleasure, lady.
@Jyoti
Thank You.
@Neeha
Perhaps, do you know Krishna?
@Sunakshi
aap khush to hum bhi khush. :D
@Matangi
:)
@Maria
We all have superpowers, isn't it? :)
@Chandana
Go ahead, who is stopping you?
@Alka
Are they? I never lived in ancient times.
Loved reading the post. Golden days of childhood..hmmmm..why do we ever grow up? Great post yaar!
"A child’s innocence is mesmerizing. He can easily believe that while he shuts his own eyes, the world cannot see him either. Deception and tricking are the arts of wheeler dealers, a child knows none."
Loved these lines!
Simplicity at its best!
And when you say there is no restraint on a child's imagination..why do I see a child in you?:-)
this time i didnt get the time to read your blog and when i am now..i can say wowwww...a very good read :)
Childhood is indeed the best time of our lives, something that we realise when it's gone. By the way, the hindi translation sounds so much more 'real'..did I just say I read both? ;)
@Cloud Nine
Because we need to realize what was there and now is not.
@Suruchi
The child in me? Let's see, umm yeah it does pop up every now and then. :)
@Nidhi
Thank You.
@Nehha
Hindi's the original script.
Oh and thank you my lady, for your precious time and feedback.
simply amazing...what a write up...i loved it in hindi..this was the first part which i was reading..and compelled me to read the ones which i had missed..
beautiful..it just reminded me of my granny..the way she use to tell stories..all so innocent, i miss all of it..
thanks for bringing down the memories..
There is something magical and refreshing watching a child play; the sly mischievous grin when they have been naughty and think you are blissfully unaware.....lovely post.
Today's children grow up far too early.
kya bat hain sach main...no words....
So i went back and read part 1 and got to this. :) How lovely. You describe things so well. Childhood is really a period of innocence. And the bed time stories that our parents tell us :P Oh well, I do miss being a child, once your done with the school phase you actually have to grow up, cant be a child anymore. Wish that phase would have lasted forever.
Wonderful piece as usual. Anything new? Your always so good!
@Anushree
Welcome here. :)
And thank you
@Rek
Don't send them school too early, they would have more fun. :)
@Chirag
:)
@Sonshu
:) Thank You.
I'm averse to reading Hindi, so read the English version. Now going to the first part. :P
Lovely...childhood is the best phase in our lives...
listening to grandma's stories....imagining ourselves in them....small adventures....unpolluted minds...sweet and kind words....Lovely experiences..:)
Beautiful post :)
Wow u sure r good, and hav a gr8 grip on hindi. :)
wow! I loved this post! made me so nostalgic...
@Samadrita
And why would that aversion be?
@Valli
Thank You.
@Ria
Actually, I'd want to refine it.
@Raam Pyari
:)
It's been a while since I have read something in Hindi. I envy your command over the language. :)
That said, even though I haven't exactly had such a childhood, it still feels nostalgic. It was a lovely read. :D
Veyr engrossing. :)
jaise uske aabhav mein nadi sookhi jaati ho.. lovely line there. takes me to my childhood. :)
childhood, innocence, ignorance of mother just to make her child happy, grand ma stories, imagination..everything is so lovely.
Waiting for Being Krishna-3 :)
P.S. forgot to say in first part, again you have come up with something innovative, and adoring too :)
On a journey back to childhood..Lovely post..A for apple was more fun :) Looking forward for the next part..
Wonderful :) I mean I simply loved your post. You hv written it so b'fuly and it feels so divine :)
And those two lines which you hv mentioned of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, I had this kavita in my hindi textbook when I was in school, and I truly love these two lines.. :)
@Rose
Don't envy, I am just a learner. And thank you.
@Richa
:)
@Poonam
Thank You Doc.
@Lilangel
A for apple would still be more fun, if that Apple is from Apple Inc.
:D
@Sanjana
I too like these lines. :)
those were the good old days .. we cant forget them .. its those days that have made us today ..
Childhood Blissss I cud do anything ot have them backkkkk ...
Bikram's
a child's innoncence is mesmerizing.. aww.. Golden days..
Someone is Special
Loved reading the post. Golden days of childhood..hmmmm..why do we ever grow up? Great post yaar!
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