What's Friendship?

August 6th is Friendship Day. I did not know about it until I got a forward from Nisha.

Friendship days used to come and go. It never meant much to me. I had too many friends around me to start thinking of them on any one day. But, here, staying away from all the people who mean so much to me, the importance of the day hit me like a brick.

What is it that makes friends so special? Is it because they share your experiences? You share that with parents and siblings. Is it because they share your ups and downs? This is shared with the colleagues at work or class mates in the college. Then, what is it that makes them so different? Maybe it’s because as friends, we share a lot more than some moments of time. We probably share a part of life, a few ticks of clock that not just becomes a part of your personal history but a part of you!

Come to think of it. When you are staying so far away, the only people who make an effort and try to talk to you and know what you want are the friends you left behind. Sure, there’ll be new acquaintances. But, is it the same thing?

You go to office. There are people around. You smile at them, make small talk and ask them what they did over the weekend. But, do we really care? Does the answer they give really matter? You could as well be talking to the chair and furniture and it’d make no difference. But, when you ask the friends, after a few moments, you get to know something that they never even told! Isn’t that a miracle by itself? What is that gave away you true feelings or thoughts? Is it that these special people in your life get to see a glimpse of your soul?

Not a day goes by when I don’t think of these *old days*. Those days filled with no responsibility, days filled with a lot of laughter, banter and fun. Invariably, the heart comes up with the question, “Can those days ever come back again?” And the mind answers, “Sorry”. With a loud sigh and heavy heart, I look around shake the head and move on. Yes, it is hard to be away from the people who really care for you. But, that is life. Everyone moves on in this journey called life.

Maybe it is because people move on that we finally start to understand the meaning of a true companionship. Maybe if things were to like a fairy tale, we’d never be able to appreciate the good things in life….

But, one thing is for certain. Once the paths of life have met and an exchange has taken place, there is no need to renew it. Unlike others, with friends life continues at any point in time. You may be engrossed in a big business, a major crisis and yet when a mail, call or a forward arrives, you are transported back to the days and moments you’d spent with this person called friend. And that is enough to go on in this world of aliens.

Happy Friendship day to all of you and thank you for being my friend.