Friends

* Person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
* A person who gives assistance; patron; supporter:
* A person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile
* A member of the same nation, party, etc
* A member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

Well, this is what a dictionary defines a friend as.
Hmm… I disagree completely with what is stated in the last two sentence.
Anyways, forget what others define it as... I shall write wot friends mean to me...

Well, before that, just one question. Who is the first friend you guys made and are you in touch with him/her even now???
In my case, the first friend that I can think of, came into my life when I joined my school in the 1st std. He was my class mate and also a family friend. I knew no other language other than my mother tongue at that time. And the language used by my
Classmates in school was mostly Hindi (Don’t remember if English was ever used as a language for communication though it was supposed to be an English Medium School. English was always just a subject!!! ).
I still remember, I had once cried in the class during the Hindi period because of the miserable situation I was in as I could not understand what was happening around and was not able to talk to anyone either. My Hindi Sir (Ram Sir, My fav teacher :)...I know you all must have had your favorite teachers while in school...) consoled me telling not to worry and that I would pick up soon. Well, I did as he had said, thanks to him and my first friend :). That friend had been staying outside Kerala since birth so he didn’t know his mother tongue properly. So we had a mutual sharing and he taught me Hindi and I taught him Malayalam :).
There I learnt my first lesson of friendship that it’s all about helping each other and understanding each other.
Since he used to stay in the same colony as me, we used to be together after school hours as well while playing.
Since our dad’s jobs were transferable, we went ahead with our lives in different places and continued with our studies in our news schools.
Well, not in regular touch with him now but yes, since he happens to be a family friend too, so have a track as to what is happening in his life.

Have made many friends after that but don’t worry, m not going to list all of them… Anything that happens for the first time in your life remains special always rt.? Be it the first friend, first love or the first job. So just mentioned about my first friend, who still is dear to my heart :)

Well, will surely write what friends have been to me… Friend is …

* someone with whom I don’t have to think before talking

* someone who understands my mood from the way I say hello over the phone.. n if m upset, asks me “aye ashaaaaaaaaaaaaa… aap udas hein?”…

* someone who when upset, calls me up n says “ was feeling low, wanted to talk to someone so called u up”… or I wore the jacket u gave, so called u just like that…

* someone who takes out time for his friends no matter how busy or occupied he is

* someone who thinks that m still a kid and gives me advice for almost everything… I complain that M grown up now but somehow I like the way they care

* someone who feels more happy than me if I have a reason to celebrate…
When I got into my present company, that friend was happier than me :).
Well, this applies vice versa too… Recently one o my friends got into his dream company and I was more than happy for him :)

* someone who prays for me everyday n someone for whom I pray * one troop with whom I cud choreograph dance steps for any song for no particular occasion and no particular reason… those were my KT days…

* someone, when I was leaving Mumbai, asked me “ mera chotu jaa raha hei??? “.. sweet the sentence was… but not as sweet as the person who told it :)

* someone who threatens me that they wont talk to me if I don’t leave my bad habit of wasting food!!! Hmm.. yup, friends accept u the way u r but at the same time, correct u wen u go wrong…

*ppl with whom u go for long drives… ( hmm reminded of all those ride to the palm beach road… sitting near the so called lake and having a chat)… those good old days!!!

*The gang with whom I have had many memoral outings

*ppl with whom I have had lotsa memorable tea breaks in office…

*ppl of whom I am reminded of, when I listen to some song or see a movie… like RHTDM reminds me of someone, Veer Zaara and Kal Ho Na ho of someone else…. any guesses, who is this RHTDM fan???????

*Ppl who read my blog no matter how bad and still comment saying “I appreciate it” ;)… ( he he he even the ppl who criticize are welcome, pls don’t get me wrong here… was just referring to one sweet friend of mine)…

*ppl who give u the “obviously expected surprise” at midnight on your birthday with a cake and lotsa gifts… The usual way of your roommate switching off the lights telling she wants to sleep, then the door bell ringing at 12, and then rest of the gang entering with the cake and the lit candles singing “ happy birthday to uuuuuuuuuu”… Oops and the birthday bumps that follow… well, most of the girls used to escape this but me being light weight was always a pray of “ ek aadmi per pakdo , doosra haath pakdo and swinging in the air :(… fun it used to be but….

* Someone who replies to each and every mail of mine with a reply to each and every line :)

* Someone who mails me and tells that “ I always care for u and though u r elder (He HEE :)) I always treat u like a younger sister only”

* Ppl because of whose call, I used to get scolding from mom telling “agar ghar pe aake bhi doston se hi baat karni thi to ghar kyo aayi???”… hmm thanks to the free cell the company had given and the free roaming facility ;)

I got a forward recently about wot celebration means. Heres my version of it:
Celebration Means......

U passing out of college / School
Lose contact with almost all
Get a call from one of the sweet friends after an yr
And u realize that u still have the same comfort feeling with that person…

One normal evening,
Four friends,
Hot cup of tea (made by me or anyone of them),
Hot “friend made” poha as snacks …

Two roommates
Bottle of olive oil
Head massage
Heart to heart talk

Plan to go for lunch
And a lil drive
End up reaching the Amby Valley
Sitting under moonlight and chatting

One early morning walk
Friends meeting in the (lodhivali) mess for tea
End up planning for a trip to shirdi the same evening
And it materializes!!

A dance party organized at a friends flat
Lotsa masti
Moonlight dinner on the terrace

Cooking together in the kitchen
Me fainting
Roomie running to catch me
We laughing over the incident later on

Staying in guest house away from the rest of the gang
Finding a like minded girl there
Changing the old gloomy place into a lively girls hostel kinna atmosphere

Me going home
A friend coming to drop me
Waiting in the station for the train
Chatting endlessly till it comes
And a sweet goodbye though leaving just for a week

Someones birthday
Dinner in golden Punjab or Chenab or wherever
Clicking photographs

Well… if I go on listing like this, it will become endless I guess… but the punchline still remains the same…
" To celebrate all you have to do is spend your Time with your loved ones."

Hey ppl, would like to tell you guys, that the “best times of my life are the times I spent with u all”…
I cherish every single moment with u all…

Would like to tell each one of u today that…

You are one of life's PRECIOUS finds,
You are all the things
I could wish for a friend.
And i think to myself
just how lucky I am
to have u in my life...

You all will always be special To Me...

The Auto Strike

For me, the week days usually starts with my friend waking me up. Then me rushing to get ready for the office, walking till the bus stop, bus journey till the Electronic city entrance (which without traffic should not be more than 10 mins but the bad traffic stretches it to anywhere between 20-30 mins), then a ride in the shared auto from the EC entrance till the office. This shared auto is usually packed with around six passengers (I actually mean 6 passengers and including the driver makes it a total of 7 ppl in one rickshaw) for which the auto driver used to charge Rs. 5/- per head. If you take an auto separately, you will have to pay Rs. 20/- which actually if you see the meter, should not be anything more than the minimum. Since, it is outside the city limits, so the drivers make their own rules and their own fares. Well, life was going pretty smooth as I too had accepted these rules.
The scene at the auto stand is usually very systematic. All autos will be in a queue. Six passengers will squeeze into one rickshaw, it will move ahead, the other auto in the queue will come forward, it will get filled and the queue moves on.
One morning, I found some confusion among the passengers at the stand and not the usual systematic flow. People were reluctant in getting into the auto. Was wondering what had gone wrong. Well, came to know later that someone had complained against the auto drivers for packing the autos with six passengers. So the police had commanded them not to take more than three ppl in an auto. Well, I thought that was a proper thing to do. But, obviously that meant a loss for the drivers of Rs. 15/- per ride. And it was pretty obvious that they wont take it so easily. So, they found another way out and increased their fare from Rs 5/- to Rs. 10/- per head. I too was reluctant to get into the auto hearing the rise in the fare. Well, but had no other option as had to reach the office on time. I paid the fare but decided to complain to the police against the hike.
But due to some reasons, couldn’t go to the police station that day.
In the evening while coming back, I found that again the drivers were taking 6 ppl in one auto and the fare was again reduced to the usual 5 bucks. May be someone had done what I had intended to but did not ie. had may be lodged a complaint. Well, not sure about the reason of the change but, ya I was comfortable that way so didn’t bother to enquire either.
Well, today morning, when I had just started to the office, a friend called up and told that the autos were on strike and that she was walking down to the office from the EC entrance which will probably take around half an hour. I had to make some arrangement for myself, so called up a friend and asked to pick me up.
Though reluctant initially, but he agreed. That made me realize that may be I was asking too much of a favor. So decided not to pester him and find some alternative.
Reached the EC entrance to find many software engineers working in the many IT companies in EC waiting there for some bus to come. After a wait of may be 10 mins, a local miny bus came and ppl ran and got into the bus. Well, the rickshaw drivers had a problem with this. So they went and quarreled with the bus driver and made everyone get down. This was too much to take. I searched for the police standing there and complained to him (can read it as “fought with him”) telling that the auto drivers didn’t have the right to stop other buses. And that it was the duty of the police to stop them from doing so. Well, as expected, he had nothing much to say and was taking the auto drivers side. Have no clue how much he was paid by the drivers for being their “friend”.
Well, I had to get to the office so had to think of something to be done.
So thought of calling up the transport in charge of my company. On calling him, before I could narrate the whole story, he told that the company has arranged for a bus. I thanked him and kept the phone down.
After a wait of another 5-10 mins, a bus came. I couldn’t recognize it as my company bus but just thought it might be.
People started getting into it. But as soon as they entered, the driver asked them for money. I was horrified and was wondering how could my company think of making money even in such a situation.
I called up the transport incharge again to ask about the same. He told that, that was not my company bus and that it was just on its way. It reached in another five mins and I reached my office, though little late, thanks to the auto strike.
On reaching, the first thing I did was send a “thank you mail” to the transport incharge for making the alternate arrangement and also for attending all the calls and responding well. Though it was doing his duty, but I felt it was necessary to appreciate it as he had done that very well.

Have seen movies depicting the police as corrupt but saw it today… I wonder how one can trust them and with what hope a normal citizen will approach the police…
Well, have no clue what will be the result of the strike and how long it will continue?
Just hoping that the goverment and the auto drivers reach at some conclusion that is best for both the general public and the drivers too.