Kyunki har ek friend zaroori hota hai

Humans are a social species and most of us can thrive through this arduous journey of life due to relationships with people around us. Out of all the relationships, I believe, friendship is most precious as that is one of the few relationships that one can choose on their own.

I, being one of those who loves to be around people, have always been critical of my luck that I haven’t been able to make as many friends as I would have liked. I landed in corporate life right after my 12^th grade, owing to the mandatory internship of 3.5 years for students of Chartered Accountancy. Consequently, I was robbed of my college life, leaving me deprived of the lifelong relationships that I could have fostered had I been in a less formal environment. When I read of this month’s WaterCooler Talk, it got me thinking about the kind of friendships I have had at my workplace. And to my surprise, I did end up making quite a few deep friendships in the few years of my life at work.

Some of my office friends still feel like a steaming cup of hot coffee you crave for on a wet rainy day. They refresh and energise you and help you shake off your lethargy. They are your “3am friends” and like coffee they are good and available at all times of the day. While some others are like daal chawal – my comfort food. They are easy on you, available for you whenever you need them and they are the best treat, be it your highest or your lowest point.

But two of my friends need a special mention here, both of whom I met during my internship.

The very first friend I made when I entered office was this girl of my age and my situation – i.e. joining office right after 12^th grade! I was a bit overwhelmed on the day of our orientation and after the first half of the session I had to run to the washroom to cry once because I was so nervous. But when I met her for the first time I felt a bit relieved because there was someone just like me at the office. We hit it off at the first go – exactly like love at first sight. We both were too immature to join office so early and we giggled and laughed like 4-year-olds at the slightest of things. After 2 days of joining office, everyone around us thought us to be chuddy-buddies, some thought we were sisters and some even thought that we were twins! We were like soul sisters – so similar in so many aspects. The bond and connection that we had right from the moment we met was like one I have never had with anyone else.

We were inseparable and even though we were in different departments and on different floors, we still ate together and did everything else together. After office and on weekends we would hangout together – movies, parties and just about everything else. We shared our boyfriend stories and breakups. Our families got to know each other and we prayed for each other to not get stuck or fail at any stage of CA exams.

But as people say, sometimes the best things don’t last forever. Something just went off and after clearing our CA exams, she started to drift away. I could never understand what it was. Maybe it was my fault, maybe I did something – but whatever it was, it was never intentional.

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The sparks that had so soon turned into a full-fledged fire of friendship had that soon turned into it’s dying ambers. We still do message or meet each other, but that happens once in 2-3 years despite us living in the same city. But one thing is for sure, that I can never forget that crazy clone of mine for the rest of my life.

But I have been lucky that not all my friendships have had a sad ending. During my internship there blossomed a beautiful friendship between one of my seniors and me. We have an age gap of six years, yet slowly and steadily that relationship became one of my most cherished friendship.

He wasn’t one of those whom I approached if I had a problem in office, but our friendship had grown beyond office. Over the years I have come to rely on him during my worst times. There is a sense of faith I have that there exists at least one friend of mine who will have my back even if everything goes wrong. He was the only one who did not hesitate even a second to leave his very important task at hand and travel more than 20kms just to be with me when I had reached my rock bottom. I had faced rejection from my other friends when I needed them, despite me pleading with them, they were all “busy” to even call me, leave alone be with me, but he was the only one to lift me up then.

Years back when I was still a giggly little birdie in office, in all my naivety, I tried to play the cupid of his life, failed miserably and was yet never blamed for it. In a world where you’re surrounded by toxic and “red-flag” relationships, where people jump at the slightest opportunity to put the blame on you for everything, he was my “green-flag” friend for more than one reason. Over the years we started knowing each other’s families well and became more like old family friends. He has been someone whom me and my family have relied on to get us out of rut when all our options had closed. In a single beat he was out of his house in the middle of the night to help us out of a very precarious situation. Its friendship like this that embrace you and make you feel protected, just the way you feel when you nuzzle away in your favourite old childhood blanket.

As I reflect upon all my office friends, I could say I have been quite lucky. Where most people encounter only “colleagues” in office, I have been fortunate enough to encounter some priceless people. People who have gone out of their way, when I was left all alone to figure out a project on my own, who have stayed back late (when it was not their work), just to help me out. People who have understood my situation and still been true friends and stood by me and helped me.

I cannot just pick and choose one out of all my friends mentioned above. They all have been very close and special in their own unique way and have had their own quirks to help me sail through quite a few bumpy seas. This friendship’s day/ month I would like to thank all those wonderful people who brought light into my life in what I may call as those few challenging years of my life. I know I couldn’t have gone through even that much without you guys and I will sincerely pray to God for nothing but the best in your lives.

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