Interpreter of Maladies
Monday, March 14, 2005
Would friends stay close with the passage of time ?I was on the phone with my best buddy around an hour back. We were trying to chalk out plans of a get together in Lucknow this weekend. The plan was-we would travel all the way from Delhi to Lucknow-meet up, talk, roam and then leave for delhi on the next night. I want to meet everyone. After all its been only one and a half years since I left college, and friends and fun still accounts for a substantial part of the happiness quotient. Though, this trip is tough to manage because of work back in the office and due to the preparations that I have to do for my forthcoming US trip. Icing on the cake is the fact that I have to anyways travel home the weekend after that and too much travel is bad for a non-adaptable me. But, still I wanna meet everyone and feel safe in the haven called nostalgia.
When I disconnected the line, a colleague looked up and asked me where was I planning to go. I told him, with enough excitement in my voice that me and my friends are meeting up this weekend and possibly this would be lots of fun. He looked puzzled as to why would I waste so much time even thinking of the possibility of going so far just to meet up with few "friends". I could well understand that college is a blurred stroke of memory for him and "friends" have gone far apart over time. He told me that since I am just a kid, recently out of college, it would take some time before I develop the surprise element on thoughts of meeting up friends. He is partially true. I have seen people drifting apart, failing to keep in touch and simply getting too caught up in their personal life. There are always strings which pull you back. Your parents or bf or gf would always want you with them, when you move out of college as you are now supposed to grow up and understand your commitments much more. But what about friends and the certain carefreeness which comes only with the nights spend talking with them. I sometimes wonder would my friends also drift apart with the passage of time ?
Would there come a day when I would just have my cosy family circle but no one on the outskirts, harking back to the old times, those lovely days ? I am too young to visualize that and I fear the day it would actually happen. Till the time, I wanna be with friends and just live my life the way I want to. If tomorrow I forget my words and forget friends, there should be some way to set a reminder which would just touch my shoulder and tell me that friends are important in life.
If I talk about friendships that last for a lifetime then I would think of her. She has been with me no matter what has happened for the last 14 years. She has been my friend, guide, counsellor and confidant at every step. Now, when I am busy in my professional life and cant give enough time to my family, she still makes it a point to visit my mom every evening and talk to her so that she doesn't miss me. We have seen enough happening with each other. Heartbreaks, maturity, new life and deaths...so much and yet we grow fonder of each other everyday. I wonder if there would be a day when she would lose meaning for me. I hope not. I just wish that never happens. And I should tell my colleague, that friends don't drift apart universally with time. It's you own decision to shut off your eyes, so that you don't acknowledge them.
