A Tale Of Friendship

"When you are up in life, your friends get to know who you are.

  When you are down in life, you get to know who your friends are. "

30 years. Numerous ups and downs. Separated by a distance of more than a thousand miles. But our bond not only survives . It thrives. That's me and my best friend Appu. Though we hardly manage to catch up in person, technology has ensured that our friendship overcomes the barriers of corporeal separation. If not a phone call, a one line WhatsApp message ensures that we are more than aware of the happenings in each other's life.

I still remember when we met in the first year of school. From bonding over lunchbox and homework to squabbling over 'Pani-puri' and clothes and even visiting Dusshera fairs together, our relationship has seen it all. It would not be wrong to say that we have literally grown up together. Being together for the entire school career, it was an awkward moment when we decided to take up different courses in college. I stuck to engineering given my family tradition while she took up psychology. But we still continued meeting over the weekends or even sometimes on weekdays too. If everything else failed, the age old ruse of having 'Pani-puri' provided the perfect excuse to see each other ! However it is another story that we used to drive the old man crazy with our conflicting preferences of 'more onion, no chilli' and 'no onion, more chilli'. Needless to say, the poor guy often lost count of the number of 'Pani-puris' that he had dished out. Even a move to a different city, marriage and then motherhood could not put a dent in the armor of our friendship which continued to remain thick even as we bonded with new people.

Being with a wonderful person like her helped me realize that we need not have similar personalities to become friends. If anything, we need to accept people as they are and learn to enjoy the little  differences. In our case, we could not have been more dissimilar. Much like chalk and cheese. And yet we always find common ground. Or rather compliment each other in our own unique ways. When your best friend talks nineteen to the dozen while you would rather be happy listening to others, it is a win-win for both. That is exactly what happens with the two of us. And yet, almost by intuition, she knows when to hold her tongue and let me do the talking. Without ever judging me.

When we sometimes reflect about our friendship and wonder why we still turn to each other for every little advice, the most common thing that emerges is the fact that we never judge each other or try to impose our opinions on each other. Whether it was the time when she struggled with finding a decent job or when I was going through a breakup, we had an unwritten pact that we could reach out to the other person at any time of the day. A phone call or a chat was all it needed for one to hold on to sanity. It is the 'live and let live' philosophy, that we both hold so close to our heart, which has helped us keep going.

Coming to the 'Yaaron Ki Baraat' show on Zee TV that features celebrity friends and puts their friendship to test using some innovative and fun-filled tasks, it sure brings on a feeling of nostalgia. Watching this show in our respective homes, we are sure to be reminded of all those little things that one loved doing with a close friend. While in my case it was limited to homework, project assignments, picking outfits and some failed match-making efforts, one can be sure that these celebrities have much more to reveal. Do not miss the show for anything in this world. The curtains go up sharp at 8 pm on 8th October !!

There is more to an Hug than meets the Eye !!

Remember that hug that your best friends gave you when the board results were out and all of you had passed with flying colors. Or the huddle into which you guys went when one of you landed plum job on the first day of placement season. Whatever the occasion, to 'Share a hug' was a way of making it even more special. And the bond of friendship stronger than ever before.

image credits - www.liveinstyle.com

On the other hand, visualize a time when you were heartbroken. When the cute hunk/girl had turned down your proposal and broken your heart, it was a hug from a close friend that kept you from going into pieces. Or when your grades had not met your expectations and your parent had held you in their arms and explained that it is not the end of the world. During those stressful times, the hugs had acted as a miracle cure and made one feel better.

That is the best thing about hugs. It makes one feel warm and loved irrespective of one's mental state. The feeling is akin to a fuzz that envelopes one's brain and cushions it from all the evils that surround us. But wait before you discard the theory as a figment of imagination. Studies have found that this simple act results in the release of a hormone, Oxytocin,which makes us feel loved and makes us more social. Now that you the secret behind it, make it a habit to greet your friends with a hug instead of wishing them with a plain 'hello'.

But that is not just all. Hugs have a way of relieving stress by lowering blood pressure and alleviating our fears. No wonder soccer player and cricket players love going into a huddle every now and then. It helps them beat stress before and during an important match. Make it a point to hug a friend who is feeling particularly stressed out and help him beat the blues. After all, that is what friends are for.

Unlike other relationships which come with their share of expectations, friends are the people who make you feel good irrespective of what you are. One maybe a super achiever or a guy next door, it does not matter as long as one is with friends. While we do not have the option of choosing our family, we are fortunate to have the freedom of choice when it comes to picking our friends. Hence it is important to keep our friends close to our heart. And what better way of doing it than to 'Share a hug' !! But even as the clock races closer to midnight and it is time to pop the bubbly, do not forget to celebrate responsibly.


Disclaimer - This blog is meant for people above 25 years of age.