'Aaj Bhi Unki Aahetain....'
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Sarla Mukesh

Karib saintis saal saal pahle ki baat hai, tab attharah baras ki main shrif Sarla Trivedi thi. Hum dono ka untarjatiya prem vivah hua tha aur main Sarla Mathur ban gayi. Ve mujhe pyar se kewal 'Saral' kahte the. Aamdani bhi kuch adhik nahi thi. Kintu unhe apne parishram aur bhagwan Shri Ram par pura viswas tha Shri ram ki shakti unhe apne maan-baap se bachpan mein mein hi mili thi. Ve mujhe santvana dete hue pray: kaha karte the - 'Saral wah din avasya ayega - jab hamara apna flate hoga, car hogi, nokar honge aadi. Is tarah ki banten karte-karte pata nahin hum log kab sapno ki duniya mein kho jate the.

Hamari pahli ladki 'Rita' ka janma ho jane ke baad to ve aur bhi swatantra ho gaye. Aksar kaha karte the, 'Saral, Rita ke saath rahne se tum bore nahi hua karogi.' Darasal film jagat ka kaam hi kuch aisa tha ki ve kabhi samay se ghar nahia aate the. Aur un dino to gane ki recording bhi to raat ko hua karti thi. Isliye to pray: ye raat-raat bar ghar nahi aate the. Itna adhik parishram dekhkar jab bhi main kuch kahti to hanskar kahte, Kam hi jeevan hai,Saral.' Unhe kaam se darte hue ya niirash hote hue maine kabhi nahi dekha. Ek samay aisa bhi aaya tha, jab ghar par baithne ke din aa gaye the. San 1957 ke aas-paas ki baat hai, jab unhe gaane ke liye offer milne band ho gaye the. Iske pahle unki bahut maang thi.
 

Mukesh in playful mood  with his children

Isi beech ek producer ne unhe gane ka offer diya, magar is shart par ki  tab tak kahin nahin gayenge, jab tak unki film puri na ho jaye. Us waqt ke haalat dekte hue unhe ye shart manani padi aur kuch samay ke liye ve bandh gaye. Yah unke jeevan ka kafi dukhad samay tha, lekin ve ghar mein chidchidate nahi the, balki bachho ke ssath khelte rahte the. Unko dekh kar main samjhaya karti thi ki, kuch dino baad tumhara bhagya phir chamkega.' Sachmuch vahi hua.

Film 'Yahudi' ke baad unki maang bahut bad gayi, fhir se unki vyavastha shuri ho gayi. Adhik vyavastha aur kaam ka bhar pad jane par unhen sharirik aur mansik dono taklife jyada hone lagi aur ghanton kaam se phursat nahi milti thi. Unki vyavastha se swasthya girta ja raha tha magar unhe koi fark nahi tha.Unke adhik parishram karne par tino bachhe Rita, Nitin aur Nilu aksar kaha karte the - 'Mummy, Papa itna kaam kyon karte hain ?' Main hamesha bachhon ke vichar unhe bataya karti thi, magar unka sidhant hi kuch dosara tha. Ve kahte, 'Us jindagi mein kya hai, jismein aadami mar-mar ke rahe, jina hi hai to hans kar kyon na jiyen, aur sachmuch ve hanste hi rahe. Antim samay tak hanste rahe. Jab kabhi main kisi baat par naaraj hokar  kuch kah deti to ve uska bura kabhi nahi mante the, balki badi saralta  se kahte,'Dekho-Saral, jab bhi tum mujhmein koi kamjori paya karo, turant bata diya karo. Main bura nahi manooga, kam se kam bhavisya mein sahi kaam to kar sakunga.'
Sayad apne mradubhashi hone ki vajah se hi ve sabke dost ho gaye the.Filmon ke liye itna kaam karte hue bhi ve samajik jeevan mein kaafi aage the. Ek baat unke is adhik parishram avem chinta ko dekhkar maine kaam kam karne ke liye kaha to ve jara gambhir hokar bole, 'Jab tak main jiyoonga, kaam karoonga.'

Mukesh the beloved papa & their family

Mujhe itna kaam karne se takleef nahi thi, balki jyada kaam karne ke karan sehat girne ka dar tha. Phir tab tak paanch bachhe bhi ho gaye teh. Aur udhar ekadh baar dil ka doura pad jane ki vajah se doctaron ne adhik kaam karne se mana kar diya tha. Phie bhi kaam kisi halat mein bhi ye nahi chod sake. Ghar mein paanch bachhe ( Rita, Nitin, Nalini, Taboo aur Namrata ) aur main milkar khelte rahte, magar ve sara samay recording karne mein hi laga dete the. Kaam mein itna vyasta rahte ki sayad ye sonch he na pate the, ki inki har aahat par intjaar karne wale inke bachhe aue beewee ghar mein bhi the. Haan recording se chutti pate hi ve seedhe ghar aa jate aur iske pahle ki main kuch poonchu, khud hi kahne lagte - ' Aaj to kafi  der ho gayi. Kya bataoon gala hi saaf ho raha tha...' Yaani itna kahne lagte  ki mujhe kuch kahne ka mouka hi nahi milta tha. Siwa iske ki main unpe taras khaoon. Hum logon mein kabhi anban nahi hoti thi, unke komal swabhv ke aage main kya koi bhi unse naaraj nahi hota tha. Aaj bhi kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hai ki koi 'Saral' kahkar bula leta hai. Ab bhi subah neend khulti hai to samne rakhi harmonium wali tasveer dekhkar achanak jhatka lagta hai jaise Mukeshji abhi-abhi wahan par baith riyaj kar rahe the.

Mukesh with Ramayana L.P. records

Hanuman Chalisa aur Ramayan se unka prem bahut pahle se tha, kintu jab se unhone 'His Master Voice' ke liye Ramayan gana shuru kiya tha, tab se nitya Ramayan padne ka unka niyam ho gaya tha. Das-bees chopayi ka paath kiye bina ve kabhi nahi sote the. is samay kisi snehi ki kahi hui baat bhi yaad aa rahi hai 'Tulsidasji Ramayan likhkar amar ho gaye aur Mukeshji Ramayan gakar amar ho gaye.'

Ve rooj sabere uthne ke baad seedhe gane ke riyaj mein jut jate the aur pura ghar ek meethe swar se goonj uthta tha. Ab bhi unki wahi harmoinium, wahi mansad ( jisse tikkar baithte the) rakha hua hai, magar wah jeeta jagata sur nahi hain, jisse sabhi kuch sajta tha. Aaj bhi samay ki har aahat unki yaad dila deti hai.

As told to a Hindi News paper :