While the Americans might be rejoicing their performance at the recently concluded London Olympics, I have never liked America very much ( both North and South). Since I was a kid these two continents(some countries distinguish them as two continents and so it should not be a problem calling them as separate continents) have taken away some of my best friends and one will never be back.
I very well remember when I was in the eighth grade one of my building friends and the only one of my age left India for Canada and has settled there since then. But he flies down to India every year or so ( now maybe it will be even more given he has a job a Microsoft) and so it has never been that big a problem to stay far. Ditto is the case with his two cousins who are also friends who had to go to the US for work and they keep flying between the two countries frequently. But after that there was some respite.
Then again as engineering came to an end three best friends having plans to pursue their Masters in the US again started going there since last July and every six months there was an exit from India and my already small group of friends( given I don't socialize much and believe in having quality rather than quantity) became even smaller. True that evolution in technology has given us Skype and Gtalk and I can video call them at the click of a button but it is never comparable to the fun and joy of the actual presence.
But the biggest blow was when my dear friend Priyanka aka my FFF left for her home country Chile after completing her graduation to be with her family. And I call this blow the biggest of all because in all the above cases I have mentioned there is that feeling of safety that sooner or later all of them will be in India and the good old, fun-filled days will be back again because they have not settled there forever. It is a temporary phase and will pass but this does not hold true for Piyu, as she is fondly called in the group. We became friends through a common friend Saurabh and in just three odd years it became a lasting friendship.
Having studied in an almost boys-convent, I was a very shy and reticent guy. Having friends with similar nature didn't help either. It was only until I became friends with Piyu that I opened up and now I can proudly say that she changed me and deserves the entire credit for it. I can safely say that she has an impeccable charm and a great power to attract people because of three reasons- one, I have hardly seen her have problems with people and if any they are for a very short period; two, because I would have never talked with a girl forget becoming great friends with the fairer sex. It would always be a formal conversation, if any, before Piyu and three, she always had someone to help her out no matter what including me. What she did or what changed me still remains unknown. So first of all a big thanks to her for changing me and for opening me enough that I can boast of it in front of my friends.
But besides this she has a great personality. She was always jovial and went about troubling everyone in the group particularly Rohan ( who too is in the US) and me. And I have not seen any other person who can take jokes on him or her so sportingly. And that's what is remarkable. It is easy to crack jokes on others but taking it on ourselves and enjoying it to the fullest is what differentiates people. Talking and chatting was never fun before. Apart from this enjoying food is her hobby and watching her is a delight. And even though I clicked her pics while she ate(only because of the only fact that she is very camera conscious while she eats) she enjoyed her food very much.
Apart from this her stay in India if observed carefully gives you many lessons in life. Being a girl she stayed alone far away from her family for years and managed everything quite well. Be it going to the bank or in the last few months managing the household chores all by herself, shopping and even staying alone without her family. But this did not affect her academics. It gives important lessons in life. Though reaching on time was always a problem for her, she completed most of the tasks on time( concessional delay is to be assumed) and that has to be learnt.
I am known to make enemies faster than friends and it takes a long time for me to make great friends( Akshay, Suneet, Nirjar and Abhijeet would endorse this). In spite of this peculiarity my friendship with her became quite strong and I consider her among my best-est of friends in such a short span of time. Skype and Facebook will definitely help in keeping touch but it will not be a fraction of the fun we had as a group. I believe in being practical to the core and not displaying emotions easily but when she left I felt sad like never before and expressed it as well. Such was the power of her friendship on me.
Right from the time we became friends it was a known fact that she would return after engineering but it was hard to believe when the time actually came. On August 7 at around 10:30pm when her aircraft started on the runway she uploaded a status on Facebook and I quote: " So this is it... bye bye Mumbai... you've given me the best-est memories one cud ever have!" and finally the time had come which I always secretly feared. She will only be in contact via Skype or phones henceforth but never in person. At this juncture I can think of only one quote " Happiness won't last, it will leave, without even the courtesy of a wave of goodbye". Her company will always be missed.
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