Memories full of nostalgia amuse the new mature you when you reconnect with schoolmates or friends after over 40 years. You realise that time has changed the perspective, allowing you to relive and interpret those exciting, at times silly, or misinterpreted moments differently. And then you realise the very truth in that strategically sound insightful laden ad, “Har ek dost zaroori hota hai aur har ek dost kamina hota hai,”(Every friend is necessary, and every friend is a rascal). It does not matter if you were best friends or mere acquaintances. You look at their pictures and achievements mostly on social media and often wonder how the person ended up and where they are now.
Here are three episodes which have a central cast of two. Involve a tall, beautiful girl who was the crush of many students and a happy-go-lucky, neither academic nor athletic, just an average boy. Let’s name the girl Radhika and the boy Sunil.
EPISODE 1: BISCUIT
It was decades ago when they were in 11th grade, or maybe it was the summer between their 11th and 12th grade. It would make them 15-16 years of age. Their school, one of the many Kendriya Vidyalayas in central Madhya Pradesh, had organised an excursion to south India. The trip, an extravaganza for the kids, was planned on an affordable shoestring budget.
Most students had gone shopping at the electronics market on the third day of the trip and their first-ever visit to the city of dreams, Mumbai. The remaining eighteen, sixteen girls and two boys stayed on the 4th-floor dormitory of the Dadar Gurudwara. It was hot, and they were carelessly huddled over the luggage in that small room, trying to be comfortable under a slow-moving but silent ceiling fan.
Divyajeet Kaur, one of the girls in the group, brought out a pack of Parle Biscuits. As the pack circulated, Sunil, trying to be polite, said, “Pass the BISKUT.” Divya, an army brat, laughed loudly and corrected him, saying it was “BISKIT,” not “BISKUT.”
Sunil was embarrassed, but Radhika came to his rescue. She looked at Divya and said, “In Hindi, it is BisKut and in English, Biskit.” Now, Radhika is still unaware that she gained an admirer for life. Sunilk, under his breath, mummerd- Friends.
EPISODE 2: JABALPUR DUSSEHRA
Jabalpur Dussehra was famous in the region, if not the country. It was as famous as the Ganesh festival of Mumbai. On the Navami, the 9th day of the ten-day Dussehra festival, a procession takes the various Durga murti (statues) stalled in different parts of the city for visarjan (immersing in water). People from nearby towns come early and grab vintage positions by the roadside for a better view. It is carnival time with balloons, ice cream, buddy ke baal, and everything a kid would and should cry for.
We are talking about the Dussehra after maybe six years of the Biskut episode. Late at night, between 11 and 1130 at night, Sunil and his family were returning home after watching the Durga procession.
A girl was walking a few paces ahead of Sunil, and he thought it could be Radhika. Gathering enough courage from their previous encounter, he increased his pace, and when he was almost by her side, he softly said, “Radhika.” She turned, and abracadabra, it was her.
The two ex-classmates and close friends walked together for another 750 meters before their path diverted. Oh, to be precise, Radhika reached her sister’s home. They talked a lot, even when there was not much to say. Sunil is entirely blank and does not remember what they talked about that day. What mattered was that he found Radhika, and she spoke with him. He realised she was leaving for college in a few days, and there was hardly a chance of them meeting again. It was a brief encounter, but it left a lasting impression on Sunil. Radhika 2.0 was a great success.
EPISODE 3: THE BIKE
The news of Sunil meeting Radhika was hot. It was sensational, so he wasted no time, and the very next day, he shared it with his best friend, Sujit. It was natural for him to share more than what transpired or what he remembered.
After thinking it over and considering every possible scenario, a well-prepared Sunil and Sujit decided to visit Radhika’s sister, Uma. There was no concrete reason for their visit. Maybe it was all about knowing more about the extra beautiful charm called Radhika.
They pressed the bell.
It took some time for the door to open; they were now face to face with Uma, who was a bit healthier and maybe 5-10 years ahead of Radhika. She invited them in and informed them that she was unsure when Radhika would return.
It was okay; Sunil and Sujit had not expected to stay longer and would have been lost for words if Radhika had been there. They were, anyway, not expecting Radhika.
They took leave after some 15 minutes of mild chit-chat and nothing more to share. But when they were at the door, Uma fired her last question. How are you guys going back? Shall I get you dropped?
It was Sujit who replied, ‘Thank you. No need. We have our bike’.
To this came a supplementary question from Uma that the friends will never forget. She asked- Does your Bike have a light?
Their game was over. They had no way out; they had paddled to her home. Their bike had no light.
They made a hasty retreat, but not before looking up to see Uma watching them from the balcony. Then, they read the board- UMA Maheshwari- Clinical Psychologist.
EPISODE 4: THE DILEMMA- YET TO BE WRITTEN.
After 40-plus years, Sunil has recently connected with Radhika on their school WhatsApp group. Connected means they are part of the group. Were they ever friends- is itself a question mark. The question haunting Sunil is simple: should he share these episodes with Radhika?
My advice: why not? These are innocent, silly incidents from their growing-up years, and they might even share a laugh over a coffee. But what would you suggest?
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