Jayaz

Preface

"

Ammi.. Ye nafrat hume tabah kar degi... Kyu ye nafrat... Please.. Aap samjhe.. Ye nafrat hume kahi ka nahi chora hai. Aur nafrat nahi ammi.. "

She sobbed, holding herself close.. It was a war . A war of love against the age old religion. A war of love against hatred..

" Tum kaise bhul rahi ho Shehnaaz, tumhare abba.. Unhone tumhare abba ka katal kiya tha.. Tum kaafir o se pyar karogi? Kya yehi sikhaya humne tumko.."

Her mother yelled from the other corner of the room. She trembled in fear.. Fear of loosing her love. Fear of loosing herself.. Fear of loosing the life she had ever tasted.. Fear of loosing the child she was nurturing in her womb..

" Ammi.. Abba ko unhone nahi humare com k logo ne mara tha.. Ammi, woh toh hume bachane aye the.. Ek baar sun toh lijiye.. Ammi... Kaafir wo nahi, kaafir humare log hai ammi.. Please ammi..ek baar mil lijiye unse..bas ek baar.."
She pleaded again, the waves of rippling cried, tearing her heart apart.. Her mother, she's all she is left with.. Her only family.. Except the one who had left her here, all alone, for the sale of the country again, fir his duties towards it's safety.. The country, his country, her country..

" Bas.... Kuch nahi sunna hume. Hum mil chuke unse. Dekh chuke unki nafrat. Unki hi nafrat thi, jo humare is nafrat ko aag di hai. Ab bas, nafrat k ilawa kuch nahi hai humare paas."
Her mother screamed.

"Humne shakeel bhai se wada kar diya hai.. Kal sagai hai tumhari. "
She shrivelled from where she was seated. Her rocking chair. Her husband's rocking chair. Her dead husband! Killed by the soldiers who were supposed to be their saviour, only they end up killing a soul of their community each time.

" Ammi. Hum mohabbat karte hai unse. Beinteha mohabbat.. Woh humari ruh mei hai.. Hum unke ho chuke hai ammi.
She wept some more. Coiling into her own disastrous life. And her equally disastrous love. And the beats that was beating inside her. No, not her own heart, but the small heart in the making. The heart that thudded in her womb.

Her child. Their child.

" Shehnaaz!"
Her mother cried out.
In pain.. In disbelief.. In anger.. In affliction. Beaten once again. But this time, not by the other side, but by her own daughter

" Ammi.. Hum unke bache ki ma banne wale hai. Wo humare andar hai ammi. Har saans mei, har dhadkan mei. Humare jism ki lahu k har ek boond mei. Hum unke hai ammi.  Sirf aur sirf unke. "
She said, rolling up from the ground, wiping her tears, with a determination in her eyes, determination to save herself from this age old system of hatred. Determination to safeguard her love from getting tainted with the same hatred. Determination to save her child being the scapegoat of this chain of hatred.

" Ye nafrat sadio ki hai ammi. Kaash aap samajh paate is nafrat se kisi ka bhala na hua hai na kabhi hoga. Kaash aap samajh paate, abba isi nafrat k khilaaf apna awaaz uthana chahte the. Kaash aap samajh paate ammi. "
She whispered, taking the last few steps towards her mother for the last time.

" Aur yehi awaaz unke marhoom hone ki wajah bhi bani. Yehi awaaz unhe humse humesha k liye juda kar diya. Yehi nafrat ne cheen liya unko humse. Yehi nafrat. Jo aaj humse humari beti bhi cheen rahi hai. "
She turned away, getting up from the rocking chair in a haste to cower back in pain.. She was hurt.. Not because she had lost her husband, but because her daughter failed to understand that this world would never get past this hatred of religion. It's as imbeded into the system as one's own belief over the Almighty. The never ending war of the beliefs.

" Ammi.. "
She sobbed again, stretching her hands to touch her. To feel the woman who had given her a life. Who had nurtured her to bloom and become what she was today..
Like she was nurturing the child inside her womb..

" Chale jaaye aap. Aaj se aap humare liye anjaan hai. You are dead for me henceforth. Aap anjaan hai humare liye.. Humari Shehnaaz humara gurur tha. Aap sirf sharmindgi hai. Aap anjaan hai humare liye. Bas is nafrat ko aur badawa dene k liye shukriya. Hume ek aur wajah mil gayi unse nafrat karne ki. Kaash aap samajh paati. Par aap toh mohabbat me deewani nikle."
And she walked out of the roon, leaving a broken Shehnaaz behind.

Shehnaaz broke down, howling on the floor like a destroyed soul. Only, she was anything destroyed. She was rekindled. With a never ending hope within her. The small blib inside her, ustulating her hope to the level that it broke all aspirations. She knew he would be back. She had her faith entrusted in him. Allah won't be this crude to her would he!

Or would he not! It was high time Shehnaaz repayed for all the sins she had embraced. It was time for the tribulations to begin. Only, her hands rose for the redemption instead.

" Maaf kar de hume Allah. Par unke bina jee nahi payenge . Aur is jaan k saath marr bhi ma payenge. " She cried, embrace her womb . The outer belly which was yet to swell with her baby, yet, the heart inside beat frantically, weeping for its father .

Just like her, as she broke down, once again.

" Sidharth.. Where are you. "

**

Kuch yaad aya! 🤣🤣🤣 now coming as a full on story and not a short one. Why! Because I write shorter stories now. Update would come as and when possible.. Hounding me wouldn't just help. Because u know hounding can only spoil the quality of good work.. Just thought of sharing with you all once again that i am back with this story as well.

Tell me how u found it. The preface and the story description. And let me how many if you have guessed the plot. Have given enough hints to decode.