friends......

it was July 1981. The 25th of july saw me losing my father, an event out of the blue which sent me, a lone child into a tizzy. the event hardly had sunk in when I had to start a new life. I had just completed my class 10 and moved into the freer world of a "college".The mind in turmoil, in incessant conflict. Why did it have to happen to me? Why did I lose my father?

a group of friends entered my life then...Manoj, Ganesh, Jaijiv, Suresh....was it destined? probably so...friends with whom I have shared so much...i have other very dear friends too...but this group has a special place in my life...we spent all of 2 years together in college..handling an awkward adolescence...playing cricket, going on treks and hikes....working on projects and journals together.

after our 12th we went our individual ways into professional courses and the like...but we always were in touch...jaijiv's house at Dadar was the common meeting place...after engineering yet another separation was in store..jaijiv, salim and suresh went to the usa.we still were in touch..albeit a bit lesser...Marriages and spouses arrived and the relationship has blossomed...

today, it is 25 years since my father passed on...though it seems like just yesterday...it is also 25 years since we came together...thanks to ganesh who remembers this milestone, all the gang members are in India over the next couple of weeks as we celebrate a bond that has enriched us all...and which is woven into the fabric of our existence...

Thank You , guys...we have never been very emotional in our expressions as friends...but whenever we connect it is like there has been no gaps...

it has been a privilege knowing each of you.....