Phir bhi aawaara mizaajo’n ka safar jaari hai

​Insaan apni har naakaami ko seekhnay ka amal samajh kar har rukaawat ko pehlay se behtar hikmat-e-amli se aboor karne ki jad-o-jehad kray toh us ke jazbay ki sachaai dekh kar manzil khud us ke saamnay aa jaati hai.
​Jad-o-jehad yehi hai ke;
’’Jab aap apni rassi ke ikhtitaam par pahunch jaaye’n tau girah lagaaye’n aur latkay rahai’n.” (Roosevelt)
Aur haar na maane’n.


​July, 1952 ki subah California ka saahil dhund mein lipta hua tha. Maghrib ki taraf 22 kilometer faaslay par Jazeera Catalina mein, aik chauntees saala maahir tairaak khaatoon Florence Chadwick paani mein utri aur California ki jaanib tairna shuru ho gayi. Is se qabl, woh English Channel ke dono taraf tairaaki mein kaamyaabi ke jhanday gaarr chuki thi. Ab is ka azm tha, Catalina Channel tair kar aboor karne waali pehli khaatoon banay.

​National TV par laakhon afraad yeh manzar dekh rahay thay. Thand, Chadwick ki haddiyo’n tak utar gayi, par woh dilairi se dhund ki dabeez teh ko kaat’ti aur shaarko’n se bachti bachaati aagay barhti gayi. Kai baar to raiflo’n ki madad se shaarko’n ko duur bhagaana parra. Woh thaki to nahi magar barfeelay paani ne Chadwick ke hosh mayoosana hadd tak gum kar diye. Iss jaan-leva jad-o-jehad mein apnay tairaaki ke chashmay se saahil ke nazaaray ki muntazir Chadwick ko gehri dhund ke siwa kuch nazar na aaya tau woh himmat haar gayi.

​Agarcheh woh haar maannay waalo’n mein nahi thi, par phir bhi woh chillsai aur kashti par baithay apnay trainer aur maa’n se faryaad karne lagi ke usay paani se baahar nikaala jaaye. Unho ne us ki himmat bandhaanay ki koshish ki magar jab bhi woh California saahil ki tamanna karti, usay dabeez dhund ke siwa kuch nazar na aata. Pandrah ghantay aur pachpan minute ki jaa’n-fishaani ke ba-wajood, usay bil-aakhir paani se nikaal kar kashti mein khainch liya gaya.

​Munjamid haddiyo’n se kapkapaati shikast-khurda Chadwick tab dhay parri jab usay ma’loom hua, woh California se sirf aadh meel duur thi. Is naakaami par usay sakht dhachka lagaa. Dhund ne usay shikast de di thi.

​Uss ne reporter se baat kartay huay kaha,
”Sir, main koi uzr paish nahi kar rahi lekin agar may us waqt saahil ko dekh paati tau mujhay yaqeen hai, may kaamyaab ho jaati.”

​Us ki shikast ki zimmedaar na thakan thi aur na sakht sardi, balkay dhund ne usay maat di thi kyunkay us ne us ki manzil ko dhundla diya tha. Us ki aql, aankh aur sab se barh kar dil par pardah daal diya tha.

​Dau maah baad, Chadwick phir ussi Channel ko aboor karnay ke liye paani mein utri. Dhund ne phir se manzar dhundla diya magar ab ke woh is pukhta azm ke saath tairti rahi ke isi dhund mein us ki manzil bhi chhupi hui hai.
Is baar woh jeet gayi.

​Na sirf yeh ke woh Catalina Channel (Jazeera Catalina ki aabi guzargaah) ko tair kar aboor karne waali pehli khaatoon ban gayi thi balkay woh mard tairaak ke banaaye huay record se bhi dau ghantay qabl manzil tak pahunch gayi.