One moment to a lifelong friendship
Amidst all the gloom, my college decided to arrange a virtual alumni meet for the batch of 2007. I was excited to meet my everyone again even though it was virtually. The invite took me back to the moment which laid the foundation of a lifelong bond.
But before I describe that moment, let me tell you why that memory is my favorite memory. I was raised in a typical Indian family; thus, my childhood was very sheltered, and almost all the decisions were made by my parents. My parents decided everything like our food habits, dressing style, and also the topic for our under-graduation study.
As far as I remember, I was not allowed to go anywhere alone except for our tuition classes. I used to envy my classmates as they had formed bonds over common topics like parties, treks.
Imagine my surprise when Dad decided to send me to a new city for my under-graduation studies. I was scared but at the same time excited. In August 2003, I moved to a small town in India for my engineering studies. So, from the comforts of my home, I was now in a hostel under the strict supervision of my warden.
Dad had given me a two-wheeler to ease my commute in the city. On the way to college, there was a large municipal water supply tank. Every day I used to look at it and wonder what the city would look like from up there. One day it was drizzling, the weather was nice, and I just couldn’t control myself. On the spur of the moment, I decided to climb the water tank and just enjoy the weather. No, I was not suicidal, but I felt like doing something crazy.
I started climbing and started shouting at the top of my lungs. Then I saw my room partner had also stopped and was asking me to come down. Instead, I convinced her to join me. Slowly, three more people from the hostel had joined us. I remember they were in the room next to mine. Five of us were laughing, shouting, and yes climbing to the top. It was drizzling, we were wet, but we were enjoying ourselves.
People stopped on the way and looked at us, waved hands, asked us to come down. But we were acting like literal maniacs and kept climbing. This went on for almost thirty-odd minutes, and finally, we reached the top.
It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Luckily, one of us was carrying a camera (we still wonder why the person had the camera) and took a photo. At that moment, the five of us looked at each other and started laughing like idiots.
We made a pact and swore that we will always keep our friendship first over everything else in life. From that moment onwards, the five of us were inseparable. This was a defining moment in our lives because, for the next four years, we were each other’s guides, confidants, support systems. For me, it was a liberating moment, as I did something impulsive and formed a beautiful friendship out of it. It made me more confident and made me look ‘cooler’ in the college crowd.
What happened next was even more interesting. Cops were called, and we were let go with a warning. Back at the hostel when asked who was responsible, five of us said that it was a collective decision. We were grounded for fifteen days and were asked to travel by college bus. But we made a game out of that too and learned to enjoy our punishment too.
Even now, almost 15 years later, whenever I am feeling low or deliberating a decision, I look at the photo and reminisce the memory of when I listened to my heart and came out as a winner. That experience taught me to smile even in the hardships.
