On kindness, friendship & morals

We don’t always remember how friendships start. This one was as special as they can get.

While I was recovering from a reprimand from my 4th class Moral Science teacher for not having the textbook, a kind voice approached me - “I have an extra one at home. You can borrow from me if that’s ok with you”. I muttered a “ok” reluctantly while wondering how some people have 2 copies while I could not afford to have 1. And that’s how it all started, with a simple act of kindness. The friendship grew stronger over the years, through school, college and beyond.

I think about him quite a bit - sometimes with a smile, other times with moist eyes. Small, small things - the bowling run up while playing cricket, the steel bracelet in his hands, the “white scooty” commutes all around town, the Salman Khan poster on his room door, the dosas his mom would feed us with love every single time, his dad was the coolest one I knew, his shouts of “Rohnya Rohnya” while calling for playtime, discussions on relationships and pretty much everything there was to talk about.

We went our separate paths in pursuit of career and I did meet him later in life when I was going through some interesting tough times. He very calmly told me - “I know you from a very long time now and I trust you with your instincts and decisions”. It was reassuring coming from a longtime friend. As it turned out that was our last meeting and those were his last words to me.

While I sometimes wonder about what could have been, I will always cherish it for what it was and what it is.

Going back to how friendships start - they start with kindness and they are sustained by providing each other moral support in the hardest of times. Islands of support through this ocean called life. Everything else just withers away. What is left is precious. In hindsight not having that textbook was one of the best things that happened to me. Sometimes all you need is to not have something.

Now every time my kids ask me - “Who is your best friend?”, I close my eyes and live through these moments all over again.

It took me a few years to eventually pen this. Dedicated to a very special friend who left too soon.