Go with the flow

I am sitting in the room. There’s a piece of watermelon kept on the plate. I admire nature that it has given it an incredible color-combination, green on the outside, red on the inside with black seeds like some beautiful painting. I pick it up to taste the yummy sugary juicy fruit that suddenly I hear some voice, I recognize the voice, who is it? What’s this music in the background? I feel a jerk and come out of my dream. “Wake up, we’ll get late for the class and turn your alarm off, the sound is annoying!” my roommate says in a bossy manner. I take my mobile in my hand and turn the alarm off. I am still half-asleep with eyes almost shut. I crawl on my bed and pick the curtain aside and peep out of the window. Sunshine just strikes my eyes and I shut them completely. I turn around and pick up my mobile to check time. “I am not late, I am awfully late”, I tell myself. I hurry up and get ready for the class.

She starts a conversation while walking.

She: What’s with this deep sleep? You usually get up on your own. Who were you dreaming today? Some actor?  Some cricketer?

Me (with a smirk): Watermelon.

She: What? (Begins to laugh) Are you all right?

Me: haha! I don’t know, I guess I need a break. I have an intuition we might get a break in the coming days. And yeah I love watermelon more than any actor or cricketer.

We continue to laugh and walk.

It’ a hot noon.  We are desperately waiting for the lunch and simultaneously solving the assignment sitting in our room. I get a call from home. I go out and attend so that she is not disturbed. I join her after 5 minutes. In the meantime, lunch arrives and she arranges everything and puts the food in the plates.

She: Why do you look so sad? Missing family?

Me: YES! You know there’s a wedding in my neighborhood tonight. So our street is sort of cheery. I wish I was home and could have been a part of all the fun.

She (playfully): Oh! That means you are missing your neighbors.

Me (confused): Damn! Am I missing my neighborhood too? Hey, I hardly interact with them. Oh God! I am actually behaving nuts.

She (laughing): It’s okay, you haven’t been home for a long time. May be that is making you very nostalgic. Leave it; it’s your birthday day-after, what’s the plan?

I smile at her and look outside the window thinking ‘who cares about birthday’. I just want to be with my family, it has been such a long time. But I see no hope as practically there is no likelihood of a short-break anytime soon. But I feel something instinctual. I continue eating the tasteless food and wondering what would be happening back home right now. 

It’s almost 2:00 pm. It’s hot with no electricity. I hear the message-tone of my phone. I pick it up and open the message. It reads “No class tomorrow”. The message is from the institution.  I am astonished and numb for a while. “Hey, just check your message-box, did you get any?” I inquire her. “We are free tomorrow”, she confirms asking if I would head to home now.

Me: Oh no. I need a two- day break at least. I won’t go.

She: Okay. Hey, I have heard there is some fault due to which electricity may not be there until evening.

We start laughing. She also informs me that there is a possibility that there’ll be no water supply in the evening and maybe for another day so I should wash the clothes without delay if I wanted to.

I sarcastically reply “What an interesting day, sounds like real fun” and pick up the bucket and almost half of my stuff from the cupboard and head straight to the washing area.

I think about not being able to make it to home and feel disappointed. I switch on the radio as I always need music in the background while doing the chores.  ‘Ab tere bin jee lenge hum’ from Aashiqui is playing on the channel. I pause for a while, smile to myself and continue. Next song is played and it adds more feel and melancholy to the atmosphere; ‘Kitni Baatein yaad aati hain’ from Lakshya. I feel as if radio guys also know my situation and thus they are playing songs that sound relevant.

After almost thirty- forty minutes, I get back to my room. I pick up the books and sit by window side. I put my earphones and change the channel. ‘Baji padi hai band heer ki ab iss band pe naache kaun’ is what the song says. It’s ‘Heer toh badi sad hai’ courtesy Tamasha. Now I don’t feel sad, I feel amused. I look above and say “What’s going on? What is universe trying to indicate?"

It’s almost 3:10 pm. There’s a knock on the door. I look up and see that it’s the new girl who just shifted to one of the rooms on our floor. “Hi, please come in”, I invite her inside. “Hello, no thank you, actually I need some help”. She lost her keys and doubts she has forgotten them in the food court she ate lunch at. She asks me to come along with her to find the keys.  After some twenty minutes we head back to the building. She found the keys thankfully. It is cloudy outside, seems like it might rain.

I get back to my chair and am reminded of the facts I’d almost forgotten a few minutes back, that I have to be sitting in this isolated place for another indefinite number of days, miles away from family.

There’s a sudden vague feeling and I pick up the phone and dial the institution’s phone number. The receptionist answers it.

Me: I wanted to confirm if there’s surely no class tomorrow.

She: Yes, it’s confirmed. Next class will be two days later means you have a two day break now.

Me: Wh-what?

I feel the adrenaline rush but I literally want to yell at her hearing this at the irresponsible way of passing on information. I shout in my head with sheer anger “Why the hell could you not tell this earlier? I would have been halfway right now. Dammit why did I not call them before?”

I keep it polite though and continue talking.

Me: You should have written the complete information in the message.

She: Actually I wasn’t the one who messaged the students. But we have informed everyone now. Check your inbox.

Me: Okay thank you.

I keep the phone down and run towards the hall to see my roomie. “Hey it’s off for two days”. She reacts the same way as I did in my head while on the phone earlier. “Going then?” she asks. “I don’t know, it’s already 4:15 pm and I won’t reach before dark. I have never travelled alone so late before plus look at the weather. If I go tomorrow morning I’ll have so much less time to stay there. Why does there have to be a catch in all my stories”. I feel perplexed and waste five more minutes. I call my mother and tell her the scene. She asks me to leave right away if I really wanted to and not worry about getting late and stuff. I disconnect the call and by mistake press the music key of my phone that directly opens the last-playing song. The song is midway and it says “Jo karna hai wo aaj kar, na iss ko taal baawre… Kyon” from Barfi. I tilt my head to look up and smile and say ‘Okay and thank you’ to God.  

“Packing?” she asks. “Who cares? Anyway half of my stuff is getting dried up outside.” I change quickly but avoid combing hair. I don’t want to waste another second, I have already wasted enough. I put some required things in my bag and take a deep breath before departing.

“Wanna come along?” I ask her. She smiles and declines saying that she is planning to go to her relatives’ place that stay in the same city.

Me: Okay take care.

She: You too. Have fun.

We share a brief hug and I take her leave.

I rush towards the local bus stop and wait for few minutes for the local bus to go to main Bus-stand. There is no sight of it anywhere close. I don’t waste time and choose to go by an auto-rickshaw. It’s already loaded and I get little space but I don’t really care. I sit uncomfortably but somehow manage. It gets windy outside. The dust flies and gets decorated on my face. I feel the sandy layer on my face. “Ughh... Well, my sunscreen should take care of it”, I think to myself. I take out my dupatta from the bag and cover my face. The child sitting on the seat opposite to mine stares funnily at me while I’m still covering. ‘Guess I look like a Ninja’, I think while laughing at myself and looking outside.

I reach the stop; pay the driver and pace towards the counter which is jam-packed. I sneak out of the crowd to board the packed bus. I awkwardly get inside and grab the last unoccupied seat. ‘Yes!’ I murmur like I just conquered something. Bus leaves after a few minutes.

A girl, almost my age or perhaps younger, sits next to me on the window seat. She is constantly engrossed in her phone with earphones on. A few stations later, a ticket checker enters the bus. When he comes towards us I take out my ticket to show. The girl on my side is lost and busy talking on phone looking outside. I tap on her shoulder and point towards checker when she turns around. She checks her bag and replies “I don’t have the tickets, I think I threw them.” I instantly turn towards her stunned at her words and the ease with which she said that. Passengers in the proximity also watch. The checker asks her to pay for the ticket again and the bus- conductor gives her another one. She looks outside, her hair flying due to wind. I feel she is in tears so I rub her shoulder in order to calm her and tell her not to be upset. She turns around and I see she is not teary and is perfectly well. She says ‘arey I am fine, I know myself, and I am like that only, haha’.She again indulges in her mobile phone. I smile weirdly and look on the other side. I am astounded at her recklessness.

She departs at the next stop and I take the window seat. It starts to rain after some time. I feel the droplets falling on my face. It is soothing and the fragrance of mud is refreshing. I close the window as the rain gets heavier. Suddenly the bus comes to halt a few minutes later. People chatter that it’s a traffic jam due to ongoing construction work and rain has added to the turbulence. ‘Am I on some adventure spree today?’ I think to myself. Fortunately traffic gets cleared after sometime and finally I get closer to the destination. The rain stops but it is still drizzly.

I eventually reach and feel delighted to be in my city. My brother waits for me at the counter. At home, I meet everyone although they look busy getting ready for the wedding. Two hours later, I find myself sitting in the wedding hall; I was compelled to come here. I see all the familiar faces and greet them. It’s nice to be here finally. People dance on the beats of “Mauja hi Mauja”, that plays on DJ. I giggle after hearing it and only I understand why. “What a filmy life I have”, I say.

It’s the birthday noon. We are watching T.V and there is some news that’s sensationalized like anything, they are discussing the fruit-adulteration. It says “Kya aap jaante hain jo tarbooz aap kha rahe hain uske andar kyaa hai” , I immediately change the channel saying that these people only tell problems but never give any way out to erase them. ‘‘Anyway, what do you want to eat today? It’s your day”, they ask me. “Watermelon”, I reply and we all laugh together.

I look up, smile and say “Thank you” to the almighty.

P.S : This piece of work is part real, part fiction.
P.P.S :I wouldn’t have imagined that morning that I would get to spend the evening with family. This is life, full of surprises and fun. And universe is all the time trying to help us out. So, go with your instincts and learn to make fun of even the most dreadful situations.

Always in our Hearts

When a loved one passes away, there are no words left to say

Life gets shattered and you feel numb but time flies day by day

Their face is what you see whenever you close your eyes

But they are no longer with us, comes as the worst surprise

I look around and see sad faces; all I hear are crying voices

I wish we could undo this, I wish life gave us choices

I go back in time and remember happy days

Certain things are not in our hands, everybody says

I know it’s painful and sometimes you want to scream

But we shall face this together as we are family and a team

Life is hard and at times unfair, unreasonable 

Cry and mourn the misfortune but don’t let it make you miserable

He gave a million reasons to smile and happy memories to keep
He is with us always in our hearts down deep

Now stand-up, spirits up and keep your head high

Go make him proud, go live your life, go and touch the sky

Embrace the people around, as this is not the end

As we must move ahead, that's nature's law my friend

P.S : We miss you and you will always be with us in our memories. When someone so special is not with us anymore, it's hard to believe what is going on. Everything else seems unimportant and meaningless. It's difficult and it may take us really long, but we will have to move on with life.

Homesickness

I sit by window side, pen-paper in my hand
Teardrops from my eyes are falling on the land
Each moment seems a century when family is far
May time fly fast, I make a wish to the star
Family loves you the most, u always know that
But only they care truly, struggle tells u that

It's early morning now, I'm sitting at same place
I see birds chirping flying in the wide space
I wish I had wings, would fly right away to home
Wish I was still a child, would never have left home
Growing up is hard and I realize that now
I know I should be patient but don't know how

They give me life-lessons, tell me it's a race
You'll be left behind if this remains your case
They tell me not to cry as I am not a kid
They tell me I'll be fine when I'll reach the mid
I wonder what's the point in holding back the tears
It's okay to shed them off while fighting with the fears

I'm not as strong as them, I'm doing my bit by trying
It's not easy for me I always end up crying
But I shall never give up, come what may
I'll bounce back strong, one fine day.


P.S : Do not let anybody tell you that feeling homesick is something to be ashamed of when you are supposed to act mature as you are a grown-up. Well, absolutely not. Missing home while being away just tells how beautiful your bond with your family is. It's a reminder of the fact that you are a human being and not some emotion-less machine. 

Essence of Life

Some days are good, some days are bad

Good brings you joy, bad makes you sad

Sometimes people like you, sometimes they don’t

When they’re nice you’ll feel good, otherwise probably won’t

Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail

Success brings followers, failure makes you pale

Some choices are wonderful, some of them go wrong

Right choice makes you happy, wrong ones make you strong

Sometimes life looks harsh, sometimes it seems kind

But God is always fair, keep that in your mind

Sometimes you keep laughing, sometimes feel like crying

No one knows the outcome so never stop trying

Certain things aren’t meant for you, you’ve got to understand

there’s much better in store that destiny has planned

It’s okay to feel dejected, okay to feel low

‘cause you are simply human just going with the flow

But you can’t escape hardships, have got to face it all

‘cause you can’t learn standing on your feet until you fall

People come and people go, you simply can’t change this

Either keep complaining or take life as bliss

Days may be bad, people may not like you

Keep calm and have patience as God is there for you 



P.S : Well, I really enjoyed writing it down. The point is that all of us are sailing in the same boat. So stop crying and start living..!! :)  This is the first time that I have made an attempt to make words rhyme. I know the vocab and the lines are way too simple but I feel it's quite relatable and has the capacity to spread optimism and that's the sole purpose. 

In Conversation With Goodness

When exams got over much before than the expected schedule, I decided to spend a few days at my relatives’ place with cousins so that they no longer complain about my absence in almost every family gathering. It was my first morning in their house. Aunt and uncle had headed off to their respective workplaces. Both my cousins had two more working days left in school before a long summer vacation so they too left the house after a quick breakfast. After everyone was gone I sat in the lawn with my cup of milk and newspaper. However, observing that little blue bird was much more fascinating than that bunch of words in the paper. That bird sat beside that big container of water looking here and there, up and down swiftly. The morning sunshine was making her blue texture shine even more and when she dipped her beak into the vessel to sip in water; an automatic smile appeared on my face on seeing nature at its best.

After sometime the doorbell rang. I went and opened the main gate. It was the helper lady who used to do cleaning of the house. Aunt had told me about her coming and she was pretty much on time, very punctual. She came on her well-maintained bicycle. She smiled at me and I smiled back. She started her work and I was just looking all over the place because I had no idea what to say. “It’s unbelievably hot for past few days, no?” she said. “Yes, actually very hot. I hope it rains soon”, I replied. The conversation had finally started. She was surely a very talkative woman. And I also liked it all as I got a nice company, and more than that I got some astonishing real life stories to listen to. She told me about her family. Her husband was not much of help to her and her children. He was very much into drinking, wasted money and thereby had put the family into many unwanted situations. I was really shocked at that. She had three kids; two sons and a daughter. I had a smiling and surprised expression throughout the interaction.

She: So, do you study?

Me: Yes, I am doing post graduation.

She: Oh that’s very good. Education is very important. I also loved studying but I couldn’t because my family was not financially stable. I gave up studying and started working in people’s houses at a very early age. I was the eldest so I had a responsibility towards my siblings. And now, I’m glad that my youngest son is doing really well in studies. You know, he is among toppers in his class.

Me: Really? That’s amazing.

She: Yeah! He is a gem of a person. He wanted to study further so I told him to continue and study as much as he wanted to. Other two also went to school but started working after that to help me. My eldest son owns an auto-rickshaw and earns quite decent. My daughter got married recently. She arranged everything for her marriage by herself, be it dresses for her, her in-laws, and most of the other necessary stuff. She did overtime at her job so that I am not troubled and I had no idea about it.

Me: How’s she doing? Is she happy at the new place?

She: Yes, she is very happy. Her husband is a very gentle person. Thank God for that.

Me: You have very sensible kids.

She: I have always taught them to earn for themselves and never beg anyone for anything. God is there to watch over us. My kids are so wise that they haven’t ever asked me for a single penny. When they were small I used to take them to the village fair, one would hold my dupatta from one side; second would hold it from the other side and third would hold my finger. They would never cry like other kids for toys or eatables. We didn’t have any T.V, when they started earning; they bought it with ‘their’ money. These three never want to bother me.

She continued: My youngest son is very caring. He knows that I loved studying so keeps asking me to join his new batch for women that he will start next month.

Me: New batch for women? What batch?

She: He teaches old people who want to study.

Me: Really? That’s so great!!!!

She (smiling): He has been teaching old men for a very long time. Now he wants to start a batch for ladies too so asks me to join. You know, some of them could not even hold pencil in the beginning but now they are doing well. Now he is planning to take their final test. He teaches them for free and buys books and necessary things for them from his own money.

Me: His own money? But you said he studies.

She: Yes he studies and does part time job. He earns Rs.4000 of which he uses Rs.1000 to give instalment of his college fees and rest of the money is spent on his ‘students’. He doesn’t spend a single rupee on himself.

Me (with dumbstruck looks): That is so incredible. He is doing a great work. This is all your goodness that you have passed on to them.

She: No no, nothing like that. I am just glad that we work hard and earn each and everything and never beg anybody. My kids are far away from all the bad habits. I am proud of my children.

Me (smiling): Wow. I am so amazed. Would you like to have a cup of tea?

I brought her a cup of tea and biscuits. She smiled at me and tasted it. “Very tasty”, she said. I took her water bottle to fill it with fresh water. She said a polite ‘Thank you’ to me and left with a broad smile. And I was left with so many thoughts in my head; perplexed, amazed and enthused.

Our conversations continued for next 3-4 days that I spent there. She told me about her childhood and so much that she suffered after marriage. She was a very hard-working lady, loved her kids, was damn proud of them and loved sharing her stories with me. I am not sure if she used to talk this much to others as well. She came across like a blend of toughness and goodness.

After returning home I kept recalling her words. Story of her youngest son is a big inspiration for our generation. I felt good that humanity is still alive. I know we keep hearing such stirring stories in films, TV shows etc and I agree they are even more surprising and inspiring but I was hearing something like that in person for the first time and it was surely a thought-provoking conversation. Some of us keep boasting ‘When, in future, I have this much money I’ll do this charity, that social work etc etc’ and some others who complain that ‘If I had enough money, I would have done this or that’. But after talking to her, I realized that all we need to do something is a willing heart and purpose. Yes, money is important but not more than our determination. After all, “where there is a will, there is a way”.

We have just one life in our account so let’s use it for something that’s worth it. Let’s do at least one thing for which we can be proud of ourselves. I bet nothing is more cool than that-kind-of-satisfaction that comes on making somebody feel genuinely good. So let’s make someone smile. Let’s bring goodness and humanity back to life.

P.S. It was an impressive experience. I also realized that I am a pretty good listener. Hahaha. Anyway, she talks of her children in high spirits. Let’s we too make our parents proud the same way by doing something that can bring a good change in someone’s life.

My Inspiring Friend

When I saw her for the first time, I was like 'Oh she's so pretty but I think she’s too busy to talk to me'. And today, me and her are like the best companions ever and can always cancel all other things to take out time to talk to each other. This write-up is dedicated to somebody who has been literally the best company I’ve ever had, utterly ideal. This one is for you my dearest Neha Kumari and I hope you and others have a good time reading this one. :)

Those visuals are crystal clear in my mind even now and I am able to recollect all moments unmistakably. Class 10th, month of May, I was a recently enrolled student at my new huge school in Patiala. Coming from a small school in a small town in Himachal Pradesh, I was low on confidence. All strange, fresh and absolutely impassive faces added to my despair and solitude. There were not much of serious classes going on as the school was going to celebrate its annual function only two days later. So, many of my ‘new’ classmates including Neha were having an action-packed schedule and thus there was no typical warm welcome kind of thing waiting for me. Me and her had just a small conversation that too when we were introduced by another class-fellow and it was only limited to that as we had vacations immediately after the annual function. It was only after the school re-opened that we started knowing each other well. We were accompanied by another really prized friend, Malavika, and we three shared an incredible equation and this trio was great to be a part of. Since we were in 10^th class and had board exams, which used to be a big deal those days, most of our time would be used up studying and discussing projects and other general things. Although we were a studious and intellectual kind of group but we used to have lots of fun and a great time together. Innumerous amazing memories have occupied my heart which I am going to cherish whole life with a big smile. Months passed and after the final exams we were at home for almost two months. We all passed in flying colors and stepped in eleventh standard. Malavika’s father got transferred to Bangalore and we had to sadly bid her a good bye. Thus it was only me and Neha and one other girl out of all girls from our section who had opted for science stream. Now were bench mates too and used to spend most of our time with each other. Though we do have many striking dissimilarities but I guess we complement each other really well.

Neha plays every role of life with full devotion; be it the job of a dependable daughter, inspiring sister, brilliant student or a great friend.  She was always a bright scholar appreciated by everybody. She is the eldest among her siblings and therefore has naturally many other responsibilities towards them as well. One quality that drew me more and more towards her was her strong determination. Once she has decided something, she will do it at any rate, nothing can stop her. She had made up her mind very early as to what she wanted to do in life and left no stone unturned to achieve it. I remember she used to take up coaching for the engineering entrance exams at a very prominent institute.  We had a regular school and used to have loads of homework and many added activities to do. Thus she used to have double burden and very little time to finish off tasks but I hardly remember her complaining about anything. I don’t know how she used to cope with everything and still smiling. Few others from our class also went to the same institute as her after school. But I found her the most firm about it. She valued every second of life and always wanted to utilize it constructively, remarkable quality indeed.

But this doesn’t mean that she just studied all the time and spent time only with books. She was someone I used to share everything with. And she too discussed everything with me, family problems, emotional troubles or any other tribulation. At school, she had an image of being very reserved and not so fun loving. Yes, she is not very expressive and doesn’t display her emotions so easily but she is a very joyful person. It is just that she needs her own space and takes little time to open up. She used to enjoy music and used to ask me to sing and tell her about the newest songs. She has a very good-looking appearance and her simplicity adds to the beauty. But it is her beautiful heart that makes people to be fond of her. She has been an adorable friend. But I always thought that we shared a more formal bond than an emotional one. It was only after twelfth when we got separated that we came closer, when we took admission in our respective colleges. It was only then that we realized how emotionally connected we were and how important we were for each other. Once she called me up from a different number. It was the day she joined her college in Kerala.  She couldn’t speak properly. I could sense her tears and was aware of how lonely she must be feeling there. She started crying on phone and I still remember the words she said in a gloomy voice, “subah se hindi mein baat bhi nahin ki hai.. main tujhe bahut zyaada miss kar rahi hun.” Her sad expression affected me deeply. It was not any different in my case. But at least I was with my family, but that poor soul was struggling to adjust miles apart from her home. But we knew that time will heal everything. It’s been years that we haven’t met but I am happy that she is doing well in life and has fine-tuned everything. I am happy that she is happy. Now she has become calmer, friendlier and easy-going. We still discuss everything but on phone and not face to face. She tells me about all her friends, her everyday life there and the hardships she faces sometimes. She is the first person to read my blogs and give me a sincere review. I had friends before she was my friend, I have friends after she is my friend but I think I won’t get anywhere else the kind of companionship I got in her. Company does matter, and I realized this with her. We share n number of unforgettable episodes. Everyone admired our friendship, right from our juniors, our classmates to our teachers. We would always be found in each other’s company. Surbhi-Neha was one name then. We were great as a team. The projects we did together, functions we hosted together were appreciated by one and all.

Though life has changed a lot now and we are not in the same city but our bond has only strengthened. She has always inspired me to do better in life. I am glad that I have a friend like her, an inspiring friend. The time that we spent together is beyond price to me and I am going to value it all my life. I love you Neha.

( P.S - And to the other best ‘Neha’, my other childhood best buddy – tere liye next wala pakka :D . These NEHAs have engulfed my life I tell you. And I like it. Optimism you see. )

When I Met My Friend

 “Please try and think over it. Don’t you think it’s the perfect chance to meet?” Priti said in a persuading manner and ended the call. I too was dying to see her. It had been four and a half years that we had met last. She is my childhood buddy and we have been great friends since 2nd standard. My family had shifted to Punjab from Himachal Pradesh and therefore we could only speak on phone. Four years had passed and we both had joined college for higher studies. I took admission in Patiala and she went to New Delhi. We had been making plans to reunite but every time some hindrance would be there and things wouldn’t fall on their place and plan would be postponed to ‘next time’. But this time we considered the opportunity seriously.

It was March 2012, she had a week long break and en route to H.P she was going to spend a day at Ambala at her relatives’ place and that was where we could meet. She told me about the plan and asked if I could manage to come there. But I didn’t have any break nor did I have a merciful schedule. It was a tough call to skip a day’s class with all important lectures but I also knew that it was a golden opportunity and I might be busier ‘next time’. So I decided to skip classes and lab and cancel all the work plans for that day and told my parents about the plan and they were all cool about it. My father was going to come with me as I had never been to Ambala before.

Enthusiasm in me had hit the highest point. I was waiting for those two days to pass quickly. I was thoughtful as to what should I gift to her. I took my scooty and drove to the finest Gift Gallery and started browsing the shop. After twenty minutes I finally found the perfect gift- a cute little idol of Lord Ganesha. After coming back home I took a piece of chart paper and thought of making a greeting card for her. Though I am not very good at drawing and painting and it had been years that I last made any card or something but I still gave it a try. After an hour when I was finished with the writing and decoration part and looked at it, it gave the impression of being more of a huge letter and less of a card (ha-ha). Anyway, I kept the things safely in my room. Next day after returning from college I started doing preparations for the next day- ‘day of reunion’. I called her up at night and asked about the timing, location and all. We were all thrilled. “When unable to find each other, you’ll say I am wearing green and I’ll say I am wearing red and I am at this corner of the market and then there would be some song playing in background and we’ll run towards each other in slow motion in filmy style”, she said in a jokey manner. Keeping her words in mind I wore green to surprise her. I used to feel lonely as there was no close friend in college during those initial days but that day my face was glowing with the inner cheerfulness that this get-together had brought; I had a big smile while on the way to Ambala.

I was wondering if she would be feeling the same way or it was only me who was super-excited. Yes, she too was counting seconds. Her constant messages were the clear evidence. Finally, we reached the place and waited for her to come and take me along. She arrived after few minutes and we greeted each other. After that father and I decided to meet up at the same place in the evening and he went. Priti and I continued towards the place where she was residing then. We were behaving very formally which was quite unusual. That moment was a blend of excitement plus unease. May be, this was the effect of meeting after so long. There was so much we wanted to say to each other but none of us could utter a single word and we were just smiling and laughing. Actually, we weren’t able to believe that this was happening in reality. We reached the house and she introduced me to everyone. We sat over there and talked about the past and all the beautiful times in childhood and all the fun and mischief. The songs we used to sing together, how we used to start laughing in between during the English class, our amazing teachers, about my last day at school, about crushes, about all our friends and the gang that we six friends had etc etc. The moment of awkwardness was over and we were enjoying the time together. I presented her the things that I had brought for her and she said she loved it. We, then, went to the room she was staying in. The discussion shifted to more mature subjects; how things changed after I left school and how we struggled to manage at the new places, the difficulties in life, the rising level of competition and much more. But we raised each other's spirits and tried to give the solution to problems we were facing. We had our lunch and after talking for some ‘hours’ we went to market (Girls will be girls :D ). Since both of us were unfamiliar with the city, we were walking here and there on the streets. She told me how she manages in a big city all alone and all the lovely and caring friends that she has made, how life would be different if I too had joined her college. The neat and clean roads of the city made us like the walking and talking thing. She said that I looked the same just like 4.5 years back and I told her that she looked prettier.

The time for me to leave was coming nearer. We went back and I took my bag to go. She gave me a pack of chocolates and a hand-written note. That was overwhelming. We hugged and I said a good-bye to everyone. She accompanied me to the bus-stand. My father had already come there. Priti and I looked at each other and promised to meet-up again soon. She went and we came back to Patiala.

I was wishing for the day to come to a standstill. It was certainly a day to remember. It shaped-up exactly how we had planned; smooth, charming, exciting and emotional. Although there are multiple sources through which we are in regular touch but still I get nostalgic today when I recall that meeting. This was how I met my friend.

(P.S – We will keep busy all our lives no matter what. Learn to take out time to talk to friends, old or new. Don’t always wait for the other one to take the first step. Try and be in touch and keep the bond healthy  :) )