A Prosaic Ode to my Pals...

I'm not an extrovert. My social skills are pretty dismal - I've never really learnt to network and have never been great at making friends. Friends, when I do eventually find them are for life - none of the "Best friends today, strangers tomorrow" business for me. Ofcourse I've made mistakes - (who hasn't?) and each of those few times I was shattered by the betrayal. I'd like to believe I've learnt from my mistakes and my choice of friends is not so erroneous anymore ;-)

My list of "friends" isn't terribly long, but I take immense pride in saying that I know that each and every one of these people would stand up for me come what may, and it goes without saying that I'd do the same. Each and every one of them is quite crazy in their own way - my brother often says that I wouldn't befriend someone if s/he wasn't a freak. I think I love that about my friends - there is never a dull moment when I'm with my friends - whether we are just fooling around, chilling out or butting heads over something, it's always intellectually satisfying, not to mention incredible fun!

Messieurs, Mesdames et Mademoiselles, je vous présente mes amis :

The Inner Circle - My guardian angels, my support system - they are my oldest friends and I simply can't imagine life without them. I've grown up with them, they know me inside out, they are the ones who've truly accepted me as I am with all my eccentricites and weaknesses and love me despite them - sometimes I think they love me for them! :-)

Kunu Baba - What can I say about him? He's my dearest friend - I don't know what I'd do without him. I'd be quite, completely lost without him. And if Kunu ever decides he doesn't want to be friends any more, I'd be shattered. Kunu and I have shared so much - all those lovely evenings and memorable conversations over coffees, our trip together to Udaipur, his trips to Pune, staying at his pad when I'm in Bombay, the long walks on the beach - we've known each other for over 15 years now... and in this period, I've learnt so much from him. He's responsible for single-handedly pulling me out of my worst phase and continues to be my pillar of support. Our connection is so great, it's no wonder so many people have thought there's something more to the relationship than 'just' friendship! It's not something I say often, but I absolutely adore you Kunu Baba!

Appu - My adorable, eccentric scientist friend. Mark my words - she's going to make it big one day. I'm so proud of her - so often intimidated by her intelligence as well and have even wondered why she chose me to be her friend. Then I stop myself and think "Well she's made that mistake now and she's stuck with it for life." We've been through our rough patch when we didn't talk to each other and if we did it was to hurt the other - but we've crossed that now. Grew up somewhere along the way, grew closer as well. She's going to fly away soon and I'm going to miss her so much - am going to miss her crazy ways, her stubborn refusals to go out when she's broke, her Bambaiyya rasta language. I'm going to miss hearing her call me "Kamini" or "Raapchik". I'm going to miss seeing her huggable form in those well-worn cotton kurtas and jeans. I'm going to miss talking to her. I'm going to miss her. Period. Wish we'd made one last trip together - it's been a long time since we went somewhere together. I know we're probably going to be on opposite ends of the world for most of our lies, but know this sweetie - I'll never stop loving thee!

Mansi - My craziest, maddest, most frustrating friend ever. She's my rock. She's heard me rant and rave. She's heard me bitch and slander. She's heard me wax lyrical about my latest passion (book/song/movie/interest/man). She's seen me cry like a baby. She's seen me laugh with wicked delight. She's driven me up the wall with her arguments. She's made me tear my hair when she refused to budge from her position. Mansi, is undoubtedly one in a million. I once threw her out of the house for trying to teach me Maths - and didn't talk to her for an entire year...can't believe I wasted so much time. Had I known that one day she wouldn't be within reaching distance, I wonder if I'd have done the same thing. I remember how lost I was when she moved to Muscat - after years of turning around and always finding her there for me, I simply didn't know what to do without her. Even today when she comes down to India and we meet - it's me who talks and talks and talks...and Mansi still has the ability of making me screech in frustration in the middle of the street. Something's never change. My Mansi will never change!

The Puneris - They are going to take my hide for referring to them in this manner, but let's face it guys, you'll are all from Pune! In the short span of one year or so, they've grown to become good friends and have been allowed to step into the inner circle. :-)

Titu Dada - My first friend in Pune - we met through a Writer's Group and bonded over a common interest in fiction writing and later our disgust with the group...only to discover we are alike in so many other things. I've shared so much with him in such a short time, it's wierd. He made Pune bearable - hell, he made me start discovering the good things about the damn hamlet. I think he's my maddest friend after Mansi - ofcourse he is Bengali, so that contributes to his eccentricites. Muhaha - I'm going to have a heated discussion over this comment. Heated discussions - that's our favourite thing to do. Actually, one wouldn't call them heated discussions, as much as fights. Neither of us would be able to digest our food if we didn't fight and argue like juvenile kids over the strangest, silliest, vaguest of things. I usually win, ofcourse, with my superior intellect and memory! LOL! I thought I would lose him as a friend, but I've come to realise that friendships like this one are rare and not only worth fighting for but worth caring a damn about the rest of the world to preserve...and worth tolerating Savera! ;-)

Kitana - Until recently, she had the honour of being my youngest friend. The baccha with whom I hang out with at Law College Road Barista, with whom I gossip about the latest at AFP, with whom I indulge in girl-talk and French-talk and Literature-talk. Sometimes I wonder why we are friends - apart from the age-gap, there was that glaring difference in our personalities. She's the quintessential hep-n-happening, smart-n-with-it collegiate, something I never was. But she's also one of the most genuine, most giving, big-hearted and warmest people I know - her bindaas attitude often leads to her being misunderstood by others, but she's a real gem inside, this kid who brings out the fun-loving, crazy girl in me. We bonded somewhere along the way - and I'm really glad we did Kitana...and sweetie, do what you want, you'll always be the baby keeda for me! ;-)

Mlle Avocat - Well not yet, but she's on her way to the Courts of Law and Justice. Strict, uncompromising, unrelenting, she's someone with a deep integrity. Aloof at first, she's someone with an incredibly warm personality and the best person to talk to when you need sensible, practical advice. Ofcourse, she can be silly and oodles of fun as well - when in the right company, read Kitana who brings out the mischievous devil in all of us! The three of us are so different, yet get along like a house on fire - I haven't spent as much time with her as I'd like to, but I hope to remedy that in the months to come. Mlle Avocat, you are truly a good friend and I'll never forget that.

...and the new kid on the block AR. A really sweet, charming guy, who very recently moved into the slot of my youngest friend, thus successfully displacing Kitana from her place of honour! ;-) In a rather short span of time he's wormed his way into my affections - I'm still not sure how though, specially since he talks non-stop about a topic I know zilch about. Wierder yet, he still manages to keep me entertained (and might just end up educating me on that subject - *shudder*) ;-) I didn't think I'd ever meet a person who could out-do me on my habit of running on like a tape recorder without a stop button, but I've actually found the person! I hope we stay in touch. I have a good feeling about this one.