MY BEST FRIEND

Last night I had a marathon conversation with my ‘bestest’ friend – almost 2 hours I think. It was as if she reached across thousands of miles and gave me a warm hug. I went to bed with a smile on my lips and a prayer of gratitude in my heart – for having her in my life. I woke up feeling rejuvenated – it was even better than a pampering session at the beauty parlour!

I have known Ranjana almost all my life. We were classmates – studied together till the tenth in a lovely old school in sleepy Bellary. But we really got close only in the 9th. Before that we had some silly fight and were not on talking terms for a long time. But in the idiotic fashion of school girls we would make blank calls to each other! In the 9th when we were both Vice Captains of our respective Houses, we decided to bury the hatchet and became good friends. It’s a friendship that I treasure to this day. There was never a dull moment in school with Ranjana around. She was a great mimic and had names for almost all the teachers. I remember when we had to a page of writing for each Hindi class. The first few lines would be faithfully copied from the Hindi Text Book, then after that the lines morphed into the lyrics of popular Hindi songs!!! And Miss Shamu (Shyamala) never noticed! There are so many fun and mischevious memories of Ranjana in school.

Despite going to different Colleges and choosing different streams we kept in touch. I remember the eagerness with which I waited for Ranjana’s letters while I was studying in Madras. I even penned a poem on it… Holidays meant spending long, lazy days in each other’s houses. I remember the mutton curry her mom used to make and Ranjana loved the kichdi-kheema made at home. Sometimes there would be months when we wouldn’t have spoken to each other, but could just pick up the threads of conversation as if we were in touch all the time… I guess that’s because we are always so close mentally and emotionally.

We shared the same dreams, the same ideas, the same beliefs and the same values. And many, many times the situations in our life seemed to overlap. My situation mirroring what was going on in her life or vice versa.

Like me she wanted to do Journalism but Life had other plans for her. She went on to do her MBA from Dharwar University. We embarked on our careers more or less at the same time. And I have watched with great pride as she has grown from success to success. She is the example I hold up for my daughter and many other youngsters. She is a true role model – having achieved so much, and all on her own steam.

Ranjana is my daughter’s godmother. My alter-ego. And my soul mate. She is one of the very few who is privy to my darkest secrets, my innermost feelings, my every dream. I am grateful that God brought her into my life. And I pray that our friendship will grow richer with each passing year. Amen!