गुरुवार, 14 सितंबर 2017

किसी अपने को खोने का दर्द वही जान सकता है जिसने कभी किसी अपने को खोया हो...संगीता गिरीश जी की उनके पति मेजर अक्षय गिरीश कुमार के लिए लिखी हुई उस Facebook पोस्ट को पूरा पढ़ा तो आंखें नम हो जाती हैं ...संगीता गिरीश ने नगरोटा में शहीद अपने पति मेजर अक्षय गिरीश के बारे में एक पोस्ट लिखी है ..एक एक शब्द दिल पर चोट करता है ...इनके छोटे से सुखी परिवार की तस्वीरें किसी को भी हिला कर रख देंगी .. संगीता गिरीश की ये Facebook पोस्ट शहीदों के परिवारों के उस दर्द को बयां करती है जिन्होंने देश की खातिर किसी अपने को खो दिया  ...अपनी फेसबुक पोस्ट में संगीता गिरीश ने अपने पति मेजर गिरीश अक्षय कुमार के साथ पहली मुलाकात से लेकर उनकी मौत के दिन तक का पूरा वर्णन लिखा है ..दोनों ने किस तरह अपनी खुशियों का संसार बसाया ...परिवार के मना करने पर भी संगीता मेजर के साथ उनकी उस पोस्टिंग पर आई जहां आकर उन्होंने मेजर को हमेशा के लिए खो दिया.. जो एक पल को भी एक दूसरे से अलग नहीं रह सकते थे उन्हें मृत्यु ने सदा के लिए अलग कर दिया ... मेरी यह पोस्ट केवल संगीता गिरीश को सैल्यूट देने के लिए है.. उस वीर शहीद की पत्नी के प्रति मेरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करने के लिए है जो कठिन परिस्थितियों में अंतिम दिनों तक पति के साथ रहीं... क्योंकि वह पोस्ट हटा दी गई है इसलिए यहां मैं केवल एक अंश शेयर कर रही हूं जो किसी के भी दिल को झकझोर देने के लिए और हमें यह बताने के लिए काफी है कि देश की खातिर अपनी जान न्यौछावर करने वाले शहीदों की पत्नियों की  क्या मानसिक अवस्था होती है ...क्योंकि इनसे बेखबर हम सब बड़ी-बड़ी बातें करते रहते हैं इस सत्य से बिल्कुल अनभिज्ञ कि देश की सुरक्षा के लिए कितने बलिदान दिए जाते हैं।.                                
            It was 2009. The first time he proposed, it didn’t happen the way he had planned. I was visiting him in Chandigarh with a friend. We drove to Shimla but there was a curfew there. The restaurant he had booked had closed early and he had forgotten to get the ring. So he went down on one knee with a red pen drive that he had in his pocket! In 2011, we got married and I shifted to Pune. Two years later, Naina was born.

He would be gone for long periods for his professional assignments. Since my daughter was young, our families suggested that I come back to Bangalore. But I stayed on. I loved the world we had created and didn't want to leave it. Life was an adventure with him. From going to meet him at 14000 feet with Naina to sky diving as a family, we did it all.

In 2016, he got posted to Nagrota. We were staying in the officer’s mess as our house was not yet allotted. On November 29th, we suddenly woke up at 5:30 am to the sound of gunshots. We thought it was training but there had not been any intimation. Soon even grenades went off. At around 5:45am, a junior came in to tell him that militants had taken the artillery regiment as hostage and he’d have to change to combat clothing. The last thing he said to me was “you must write about this.”

All the ladies and children were put in a room. Sentries were stationed outside the room and we could hear constant firing. I sent a text to my mother-in-law and a conversation continued between her, my sister-in-law and me as the morning wore on.  At 8:09 am, he texted us on the group saying he was in the firefight. Around 8:30 am, we were shifted to a safer place. We were still in our pyjamas and chappals.

The day wore on and there was no news. I started getting jittery and had a sinking feeling. At 11:30 am, I could not help myself and made a call. One of his team members picked up the phone and said “Major Akshay has gone to a different location”.  Around 6:15 pm, his commanding officer and some other officers came to meet me. He said “Ma'am we have lost Akshay. He was martyred around 8:30 am.” My world collapsed. I was inconsolable. I wish I had texted him. I wish I had hugged him goodbye. I wish I had told him I loved him one last time. But we never expect things to go wrong. I sobbed like a baby, like my soul was being ripped apart. Two other soldiers were martyred but they saved the women, children and the men who were held hostage.

I got his uniforms, clothes and all the stuff we collected over the years in a truck. I tried hard to fight back my tears. I haven't washed his regimental jacket and when I miss him a lot, I wear it. It still smells of him.
At first, it was difficult to explain to Naina what had happened but now her papa is a star in the sky. Today, I have set up my own place with the things we had collected. He is there alive and speaking to us through the pictures and the memories we created. We smile through our tears because we know that’s what he would have wanted us to do. Like they say, if you haven't felt your soul being torn apart, you haven't really loved with all you heart. Though it hurts, I will always love him.
Sangeeta and Naina Akshay Girish

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