Behta Hua Dard:

“Sabse zyada dhokha wahi dete hain jo shuru me sabse zyada meetha bolte hain…
aur sabse gehra dard wahi deta hai jise hum sabse zyada apna samajhte hain.”

– Zulfikar Inamdar

Behta Hua Dard:

Arz kiya hai ke…

Mujhe karne aate hai pareshan, apne mithe pyaare alfāzo me ghulkar,
jo lafz kabhi dua bankar dil par utarte the, aaj wahi zehar ban kar rag rag me phail jaate hain,
woh baatein jo kabhi sukoon deti thi, aaj unhi ki goonj se bechaini badh jaati hai,
aur hum samajh nahi paate ke galti un lafzon ki thi ya hamare yaqeen ki…

Woh muskurahat, woh lehja, woh narmi—sab kuch kitna sachcha lagta tha,
jaise har baat me ek apnapan basa ho, jaise har mulaqat me ek rishta sa jee uthe,
par dheere dheere yeh ehsaas hua ke kuch chehre sirf tab tak apne lagte hain
jab tak unhe tumhari zaroorat hoti hai, aur jab zaroorat khatam ho jaaye
to wahi chehre ajnabi bankar saamne khade ho jaate hain…

Jab unka kaam nikal jaye, to tum kaun aur hum kaun—
yeh sirf alfaaz nahi, yeh ek faisla hai jo woh khamoshi me suna dete hain,
aur hum der tak us khamoshi ko samajhne ki koshish karte rehte hain,
jaise kisi band darwaze se awaaz dene ki zid ho, jiska jawab kabhi aana hi nahi…

Hum unke liye jazbaat likhte rahe, woh humse zaroorat ka hisaab lete rahe,
humne wafa ko ibadat samjha, unhone use aadat bana kar chhod diya,
humne har rishta dil se joda, unhone har rishta waqt se tol kar tod diya,
aur aakhir me hum hi khud se haar gaye…

Dard ka asal matlab tab samajh aata hai,
jab koi tumhe chhod kar nahi, balki tumhe istemaal karke chhodta hai,
jaise tum kabhi the hi nahi, jaise tumhara koi wajood hi na ho,
jaise tum sirf ek zaroorat the, jiska waqt poora ho chuka ho…

Kabhi humne socha tha ke mohabbat me bewafayi hoti hai,
par baad me samajh aaya ke bewafayi nahi hoti,
log sirf apni asli surat tab dikhate hain
jab unhe tumhari zaroorat nahi rehti…

Phir ek din tum khud ke saamne khade hote ho,
aur poochte ho—main itna sasta tha ya woh itne mehange the,
par jawab me sirf ek gehri khamoshi milti hai,
jo dheere dheere tumhari rooh me utar kar
tumhe andar se badal deti hai…

Aur phir tum badalne lagte ho,
nafrat se nahi, samajh se…
tum lafzon ki meethas par yaqeen karna chhod dete ho,
tum chehron ke peeche chhupi niyat ko padhna seekh jaate ho,
tum wahan rukna chhod dete ho jahan baatein zyada aur sach kam hota hai…

Ab tum mohabbat nahi dhoondte, sukoon dhoondte ho,
aur sukoon un logon me kabhi nahi milta
jo rishton ko zaroorat ka sauda samajh kar jeete hain…

Aur jab koi poochta hai ke phir se waisa pyaar karoge,
to dil ek pal ke liye ruk jaata hai,
aankhein halka sa muskura deti hain,
aur rooh dheere se kehti hai—
ab hum sirf yaad rakhte hain, ehsaas nahi karte…
ab hum sirf samajhte hain, magar phir se tootne ki himmat nahi rakhte…