Har ek Friend Zaruri Hota Hai

I know it’s a cliché , but to me life is indeed a roller coaster ride …just when you think everything’s perfect you hit rock bottom and when you think that all’s lost , you get a ray of sunshine. But whether you feel like the king of the world (recently watched Titanic :P) or like a tiny ant in a world of dinosaurs…there is one thing that you can count on ….F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Yes , watching the sitcom always eases the pain,but I’m talking about the pyare dosts of our lives ;)

Friends are creatures that come in all shapes ,sizes and attributes.They approach you with a simple “Hi” and before you know it they seem to govern every aspect of your life. As with other species, there are different categories of these creatures :

First we have the Facebook buddies ….Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg we got a platform which redefined friendship . Open your FB account, look at your friend request, press “accept”  and VOILA ,you have a new friend. FB friends can be people you don’t know, you know but you hardly care about or long lost buddies who you just reconnected with. You like their status updates, comment on their pics and wish them on their birthdays. These friends are extremely important because when you get bored with your mundane life, they give you a reason to gossip :P

Second we have the ‘wanna be friends’. They approach you with (and delhi girls would agree with me) “Mujhse fraaaandships karogi?” They are the ones who keep coaxing you to meet, talk, chat and message . They don’t understand subtle hints and are the most difficult to hide from. Scientists are still trying to find a formula to deal with this category :P

Next we have our crazy friends.These are the ones which make you think that its ok to jump off a slide or to ring someone’s door bell and run away . They say ..”ek class bunk karne se fail nahi ho jayenge and at the end of the year accompany you to the professor’s office to beg for attendance ;). When you tell them about the miseries in your life they say ….“Its time to get you drunk “ :P . When you share your happiness, they make sure they invite everyone to empty your wallet. They evoke the devil in you but life wouldn’t be fun without them.

Lastly, we have our Chudddyy Buddies (Not to be taken literally ). They are the ones who have been with you through your best and your worst. They are the shoulders you cry on and the first ones you call when you get the greatest news of your life. They always know the right thing to say …” You are way more beautiful than the girl he is with”…”You will definitely crack the exam next time” ….”This hairstyle totally suits you”. They are the one’s who know about your first crush, your first relationship and your first break up. And after a break up they will listen to your sob stories for hours,even if they have far more important things to do.

You can give them a missed call when you don’t have balance and still get a call back. You can have random conversations with them for hours and laugh with them over the silliest things. You can pull their legs and know they won’t mind as they will surely return the favour :P. They will advise you when you are about to go on the wrong path but will never say “I told you so”.  You might not talk to them for weeks but, whenever you do, it doesn’t feel that time has passed. 

They don’t judge and they don’t point out your mistakes. They can see the truth behind your fake smile and find a way to cheer you up as well .They are your confidante…your rock ..your warriors .

If you are smiling after reading this blog, it means you are the lucky ones who have these special ‘creatures’ in your life J So don’t wait , give them a call ……or a missed call :P

The Story of a Rose

It was 7 am. I had just woken up. I was enjoying the fresh breeze and fluffing my petals when a hand reached out to me. In just a second I was being taken away from my family and friends. I cried out , “I’m just a kid mom ..what am I going to do ?” . She looked at me and said “Don’t worry sweety , you might just change someone’s life”

The florist put me in a green bucket. The sunflower next to me gave me a menacing look…”Hmph..another rose ..humans just don’t appreciate a colour other than red” . I felt a sprinkle of fresh water on my face …damn the florist ..didnt he know that I only bathed on alternate days !!!

  

I was trying to dry myself off when a young boy walked in. He was wearing a school uniform and stood staring at me.

Boy : Bhaiya , iska kitna ?

Florist : 20 Rs

Boy : Arre bhaiya , vaise to 5 rs ka milta hai

Florist : Aj Valentines’s day hai …yehi rate hai. 5 rs ka lena hai to kal ana .

The boy looked at his wallet…..then at me ….then again at his wallet ..then finally said “ Accha de do par ye pink hearts wali wrapping lagana” .

2 minutes later I was wrapped up and being carried by the boy. We reached a yellow bus and the boy hurriedly put me in his bag. I was scared of being in the dark and started praying to be back in the fresh air . After what seemed like eternity , I was taken out again. The boy took out a deodorant and sprayed it on himself .I almost fainted because of the overpowering smell. There was another boy with him who was speaking in a hushed tone “ Dude, just be cool . Trust me , girls love flowers .”  The boy , “But she’s standing with Tanvi . Why is she never alone ?” The other one replied , “I’ll take care of her….Tanvi…Tanvi  !!…Mrs Sharma is looking for you” .He winked at his friend and walked away.

The boy looked at the girl standing a feet away. He took a step forward and then bent down. I couldn’t understand why he was fumbling with his shoelaces as they were already tied. He got up , took a deep breath and started walking again. The girl was gazing outside the window.

Boy : Nice weather na ?

Girl : (Looking at me ) Hmmm…

Boy : History was pretty boring today …

Girl : Is that why you slept off ?

Boy : Well….You know me ..hehe. By the way I liked your new profile pic.

Girl : Yes ..I saw your “like”

The girl again moved her eyes towards me and then back at the boy ...The boy seemed quite fidgety.

Girl : Well , I better get back to class.

Boy : Hmmm…Simran…I just wanted to give this to you. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Simran (so that was her name!! ),started playing with her hair.  I on the other hand,tried to look as cute as I could for the boy’s sake ;). Finally after a lonnnng pause …

Simran: Its very sweet of you but I can’t take this..Its a red rose …and its Valentine’s day..and you know what everyone in the class would say….and how will I take it home ?

Boy : Forget about everyone in the class and you can hide it in your bag….Well , the thing is that .I….I..Like you ..I have since a long time …Please take it ….

Simran stared at the boy for some time….She was clearly blushing…Then she reached out and took me in her arms …..She turned around to leave and said , “ Thanks. I’ll call you in the evening “

She walked down the corridor and straight into the washroom. Tanvi was already inside, looking into the mirror.

Tanvi ( giggles ..giggles) : So, what did he say !!!!

Simran (gigges.. giggles) :Ohhh..he seemed so nervous …He was standing with the rose and I obviously knew it was for me… but can you believe it, he was talking about the weather !!

Tanvi (giggles giggles ) : You know hw guys are…Accha then..what did he say EXACTLY ?

Simran (giggles giggles) : He said he liked me …No…No..He said he liked me since a long time ..and then he gave me the rose.

Tanvi (giggles giggle) : Ohhhhh…This is soooo cool….The first rose of your life …and you are the first one to get it in our group …Yaaaayyyy….So what did you say..?

Simran ( giggles giggles) : I said I would call him in the evening

Tanvi (giggles giggles): So will you tell him you like him too?

Simran (giggles giggles): Hehe..I’ll make him wait for that :P

So…after an eventful day …I went back into Simran’s bag.

She put me in a flower vase …took care of me for a few days …and then put me inside her diary .I stayed there and grew old. I lost my fragrance and my vibrant colour .

15 years passed and Simran forgot all about me.  Then one day, she opened her diary and took me out. She held me close to her and looked at me fondly. She called out to someone and a tall man entered the room.

Simran : Do you recognize this ? This is the rose that you gave me when we were in school .

The man hugged her and said, “ Of course I do …It was the best 20 Rs that I spent in my life”

My first time :P

Here I am writing my first blog on this forum. So what really inspired me to become one of you ??

No, I’m not drunk….I haven’t had an ugly break up….I am not pissed off at the world … and I’m not here to talk about relationships  :P.  I am……………..wait for it…………..simply bored ;)

Many of you, especially those from North India would empathise with me. Whenever we are about to do something important such as iron our clothes for an important occasion… or switch on the television,to watch a movie we have set a reminder for….or turn on the oven to make pizza…we pray for only one thing----Let there be no power cut !!

This is precisely what happened today….I snuggled up in the blanket , with a cup of hot coffee in my hand ..I lifted up the TV remote and was ready to watch my favourite SRK movie for the millionth time.  But, the power authorities decided that that was all the fun that I could have today. Aggghhhh…sometimes I feel that they are blessed with some Godly vision to perfectly time a power cut.

After 10 mins of the usual cursing and contemplating ways to kill the Dept officials , my mind started to wander along a different course. I started wondering how much things have changed over the years.

Around 10 yrs back when “load shedding” was the order of the day the atmosphere in my house was completely different. We didn’t have an inverter (in fact most people didn’t ), but blackouts were one of the most enjoyable times . It’s true that tempers did run high even during those days but we made the most of it. It was a time for the whole family to sit together.

Who needs to go to an expensive restaurant when we can have a candlelight dinner sitting at home ;). “Baithe baithe bore hue to karna hai kuch kaam”---Antakshari singers at home would have given Anu kapoor’s contestants a run for their money .

I guess “ Let’s go out for an Amul Ice cream” owes its creation to power outages  :P .

From narrating horror stories to siblings to coaxing dad to go for a drive ---We did it all ;) And then when the fun is over , sleeping on the terrace under the stars ( Yes, I said stars :P)

The times have changed ….and I have changed..from a carefree kid to a cynical adult . But these memories are precious and on days such as today bring a smile on my face.

Back to the present -----A power failure---my parents are in the other room reading the newspaper while I am writing this blog ;)

And I finish just in time----Light aa gayi…..SRK here I come :P