Friendship

Which is the most generalized relationship in the world? Think! Think!....... Friendship! It can just walk into any other relationship and stay harmoniously with it. Even if the original relationship fades away, friendship can stay and maintain its own identity. Truly something different, isn't it? We all get introduced to friendship long before we spell R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N and we tend to stay in friendships long after we have understood, tried, succeeded and messed relations. With the Friendship Day approaching I thought it would be cool to write about people who make up a big part of each one of us.

When I was a school kid we had this tradition on birthdays that the birthday girl could choose her best friend and take him/her around to distribute sweets. I always so eagerly waited for my friend’s birthday, because I assumed that on those distribution rounds the best friend got extra chocolates. So I distinctly remember when one of my best friends did not choose me for the tradition, I sulked for weeks to come. Come to think of it today it sounds cute but childhood friends evoke a strong passionate reaction amongst many. You had to be loyal to your friend, loyal in sharing lunch boxes, not getting too friendly with someone else and making sure that your friend was always the first to be invited to your birthday party. Since you almost grow up together in an era where other distractions have not yet taken priority, these friends are probably the most treasured (for many people).

In college, a friend is someone who rides pillion with you to college, bunks lectures and hangs out because you think the lecture is boring and completes your file while you try to impress the opposite sex. A friend lies to your mom that you are studying at her place when you are actually out with your date. A friend is the first person your mom calls up when she wants to make sure that you are indeed going on a safe trip. Everything 'extra' is promptly fulfilled by your friend without nagging you about it. It may be extra money for movies, extra time for completing your notes, extra butter-polishing so that you get to attend the lab session and many such extras.

As we all step into the adult world, this relationship quietly steps aside to make way for others. You become a professional, get hooked, become parents and go onto add many other feathers to your relationship cap. All this while friendship just exists! At times, you forget to invite it into your happiness, forget to share your grief or a momentous achievement but it never sulks. It definitely comes a long way from the childhood friendship we all adhered to. After the initial glitz and glamour, when the newness of many relationships wear off, we all cater to the neglected but still strong bond of friendship. You may have not spoken for years but just drop a mail and see the way your mail thread grows.

Friendships are like that, they do not really need a lot of attention; once the bond is set, it seems to exist forever. Anyone who makes you feel good about yourself, reminds you of your past and makes you laugh, feels happy about your present even if s/he is no longer a part of it deserves a special pat. So this friendship day raise a toast to all your friends with the age old yet contemporary proverb by Albert Camus -

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.


Happy Friendships Day everyone!