98 Percent Ka Sach

Result aa gaya tha. Board pe naam chamak raha tha:

Riya Sharma — 98.4% — School Topper

Taaliyan baj rahi thin. Teachers badhai de rahe the. Papa ka phone aaya — "Bahut proud hain beta!" Mummy ro rahi thin khushi se. Relatives ke messages aa rahe the — "Humein pata tha Riya toh genius hai!"

Lekin Riya... Riya muskura rahi thi lekin andar se kuch aur mehsoos kar rahi thi. Woh kuch tha jo kisi ko nahi dikh raha tha.

Peeche Mudke Dekho

98% laane ke liye Riya ne kya-kya kiya tha?

Pichle 2 saal mein usne ek bhi baar doston ke saath bahar nahi gayi. Birthday parties? Nahi gayi. School trip? Nahi gayi. Ek baar Simran ne poocha tha — "Yaar chal na, ice cream khaate hain" — Riya ne kaha, "Nahi, mujhe Organic Chemistry karna hai."

Dheere-dheere doston ne bulana band kar diya.

Riya raat 2 baje tak padhti thi. Subah 5 baje uthti thi. Khana kabhi time pe khaati thi, kabhi nahi. Health kharaab ho gayi — aankhon ke neeche dark circles aa gaye, weight badh gaya, aur ek baar toh exam ke pressure mein panic attack aa gaya tha.

Lekin kisiko nahi bataya. Kyunki "Riya toh strong hai. Riya toh topper hai."

Woh Ek Sawaal

Result ke din dopahar mein Riya ghar aayi. Kamre mein akeli baithi. Phone pe 147 congratulation messages the.

Tabhi uski chhoti behen Pihu aayi. Pihu 8 saal ki thi.

"Didi, congratulations! Tum bahut smart ho!" Pihu ne hug kiya.

"Thank you Pihu." Riya ne force smile di.

Pihu ne innocently poocha — "Didi, tum toh topper ho — toh tum bahut khush hogi na?"

Riya kuch nahi bol paayi. Uski aankhon mein aansoo aa gaye.

Kyunki jawab tha — nahi.

Papa Se Baat

Raat ko Papa aaye. Mithai laaye. Khush the.

"Papa..." Riya ne kaha. "Mujhe aapse kuch kehna hai."

"Bol beta."

"Main khush nahi hun."

Papa ka haath ruk gaya.

"Papa, maine 98% laaye. Lekin is process mein maine apne dost kho diye. Apni health kho di. Do saal se maine ek baar bhi zindagi enjoy nahi ki. Mujhe nahi pata ki 98% ke alaawa main aur kya hun."

"Agar kal koi mujhse pooche — Riya, tumhe kya pasand hai? Tumhara hobby kya hai? Tumhara sapna kya hai? — toh mera jawab hoga: mujhe nahi pata. Kyunki maine kabhi socha hi nahi. Bas padhai, padhai, padhai."

Papa chup the. Bahut der tak.

Phir unhone Riya ko gale lagaya aur kaha — "Beta, humne galti ki. Humne tujhse kabhi nahi poocha ki tu khush hai ya nahi. Bas marks poochte rahe."

"98% important hai. Lekin tu 98% se zyada important hai."

Nayi Shuruaat

Agley hafte Riya ne Simran ko call kiya. "Simran, ice cream chalein?"

Simran hairaan thi. "Riya? Tu? Ice cream?"

"Haan yaar. Bahut der ho gayi."

Woh gayin. Hansin. Baatein kin. Riya ne 2 saalon mein pehli baar bina guilt ke time spend kiya.

Riya ne painting shuru ki — jo usne 3 saal pehle chhod di thi. Guitar bhi uthaya. Roz shaam ko walk pe jaane lagi.

Marks? Woh ab bhi acche aate the. Lekin ab Riya jeeti bhi thi — sirf padhti nahi thi.