Jis raat main so gaya tha

Padhai mein main hamesha theek tha. GATE nikala, ek achhe college se M.Tech kiya, aur aaj ek private company mein embedded software engineer hoon. Kareeb nabbe hazaar mahina haath mein aata hai. Chalees hazaar se zyada EMI mein chala jaata hai.

Shuruaat 2015-16 mein hui thi. Hostel ka roommate cricket pe lagata tha. Ek world cup match pe maine paanch sau diye aur jeet gaya. Usne mujhe do hazaar thama diye aur kaha bas itna hi aaya. Mujhe do hazaar bhi bahut lage.

Asli cheez M.Tech mein hui. Stipend paanch mahine ka ek saath aaya, kareeb assi hazaar. Maine sattar hazaar ID mein daal diye. Teen din mein das bach gaye. Us raat ek grand slam ka final chal raha tha, paanch set wala. Jis khiladi pe maine lagaya tha woh do set haar chuka tha, bhaav ek rupaye do paise chal raha tha. Maine socha ab toh gaya hi hoon, bache hue das hazaar bhi daal deta hoon. Mujhe neend aa gayi. Subah utha, scroll kiya, likha tha greatest comeback in history. Khaate mein chaar lakh the.

Wohi chaar lakh mujhe le doobe. Teen lakh maine ek mahine mein uda diye. Phone, trips, jahan paanch sau dene the wahan do hazaar. Us din ke baad dimaag mein ek hi cheez baithi rahi — ek shot lagega aur sab clear ho jayega.

Placement ke baad joining se pehle teen mahine ka gap tha. Teen credit card banwaye. Do lakh uda diye. Job join ki toh do lakh ka karza tha, use EMI pe daal diya. Phir salary haarne laga. Phir doston se maangna shuru kiya — bimaar hoon, ghar mein dikkat hai, jo jhooth chal jaye bol deta tha.

Papa ke retirement pe ghar gaya toh unhe business ke liye loan chahiye tha aur mujhe guarantor banna tha. CIBIL check hone wala tha. Gaadi mein wapas aate hue maine unhe bata diya — lekin chaudah lakh mein se paanch bataye, aur kaha stock market mein gaye. Papa ne paanch lakh chuka diye. Phir bade bhai ko chhe lakh ke baare mein bataya, nau ke baare mein nahi. Usne bhi chuka diye aur ghar mein nahi bataya.

Aur main phir shuru ho gaya.

Aaj mere upar pachchees lakh ka karza hai. Nau lakh bank aur cards ka, baaki doston ka — bina byaj ke diya hua paisa. Ek dost ki shaadi do mahine baad hai, use nau lakh chahiye.

Bees din se maine kuch nahi khela. Ek course join kar liya hai taaki dimaag khaali na rahe. Raat ko neend nahi aati, dil ki dhadkan ajeeb chalti hai. Ab main bhai ko sab bataunga. Poora, is baar bina kuch chhupaye.