BEYOND BORDERS AUG 17

L I T E R A T U R E | S H O R T S T O R Y
TO MY BEST
FRIEND
D R . R U C H I N A S A
I met her in the college hostel. My first day after admission to the medical college, my parents dropped me to
the hostel with my bedding and luggage. They were to travel back the same day.
Long corridors, and rooms like matchboxes facing each other. That was the only room with light on. All other
rooms were locked, as it was a long weekend, and girls who lived in nearby towns could afford to go home.
That was when I saw her. A thin girl with a big smile.Her eyes had that sparkle which one could not ignore. Our
wavelengths matched instantaneously. She showed me the hostel and told me the etiquette code for the
junior most batch.
From day one, We both bonded like sisters. We knew what other meant without even having to say it. I didn't
know at that time, what was it that clicked, but I knew if I need someone, to speak my heart out, it was she and
vice versa. Whether it was stress like exams, or a discussion regarding our boyfriends, we both had no secrets.
Whether we like it or not, but somehow the place of birth and the regional boundaries become so important to
us that wherever we go we are identified by that. So was I. A North Indian girl studying in a college in
Maharashtra. That became my Identity.
Colleges are the niche where such petty regionalism instead of being shoved away, is propagated. So, we were
time and again ridiculed about our choice of friends, by people on either side.
Yet, this Maharashtrian girl and me, a North Indian girl survived all the regional boundaries and our friendship
has survived till date.
We may not be able to meet as much as we want now, being miles apart. Infact after we completed college, we
have met less than 10 times in 13 years. Yet, we are still the best friends. Our kids, our husbands know this and
at times tease us.
Even today, if I write a sad quote, she will message me if everything is ok with me. We may not talk now on a
daily basis, sometimes we talk once in months, but whenever we need each other, we are just a phone call
away.
Friendship has different meanings to different people. Each stage of life, friends have a different purpose. In
childhood, friend is one with whom we share our lunch and the one who plays with us. As teenagers, friends
are those who share the study notes, with whom we hang out and who know our secret crush and still keep it
secret. In college, they help us survive heartbreaks and exams. After marriage, they give us a shoulder to cry on
each time we have a showdown with parents, in laws or spouse.
I have been lucky that I have had such a friend. As I finish this and share it with you all readers, she will know
and smile after reading this.
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