Saying Goodbye to Friends

"Dude, dont forget we are having dinner next tuesday. Make it.", said Kaushik as he & Varun were leaving from my place after dinner."Tuesday . . . why a weekday yaar""'cause it'll be the last time we all will be having dinner together"

And, then it suddenly dawned upon me. Kaushik was leaving for Bangalore in 15 days as his second year of MBA began. And when he'll come back for Diwali - Yuvaraj & Varun will have left for their Masters (in comp. engg.) & MBA respectively.Shit. We were finally going away from each other.

This was 2 months back. We had dinner that day. No emotions, no sad goodbyes. Just like any other dinners for us.

US - we are . . . no, we were a GANG (the teachers called us Hooligans, goondas) of 5 - Kaushik (Kosik), Yuvaraj (Yuvi), Rahul (Ra), Varun & Me.

We met in the 9th standard in school and were inseparable ever since. We had lunch outside each day after our 10th std. prelims ( a feat we pride ourselves on, coz the other students were shitting bricks and we just din't care), except the Chemistry exam coz Kosik was worse than bad at it. (He failed in chemistry in the prelims).

We made post-Boards plans 2 days before the Board Exams were to finish. Varun played Holi in the middle of his exams.

College was different for us all. Yuvaraj & Rahul went into Engineering, and the rest into Commerce - Kosik & Varun in the same college.

I taught Kosik & Varun Maths & Accounts in the 11th & 12th for 1 & 1/2 day before the exam. They cleared with flying colours.

And then there was the common thread that bound us all. Cricket on Yuvaraj's terrace. We used to go there religiously. Let me explain to you the intricacies.

The terrace had/has 5 walls and the water tank. Hitting full toss on any wall was "out". Hitting 2 walls on the right gave 5 runs each, the wall behind the bowler 10 runs, the back wall 10 runs, the leg side wall 6 runs, and the water tank - 8 runs. Hitting any 2 in one shot - you are entitled to an addition of the runs of both walls. If the ball hits your leg instead of the bat - you're out. Anyways, this was the complicated system in which we played cricket every week.

Varun was an expert at the 14 - tank + back wall. I was a champ at the 10 - the 2 offside walls. Yuvaraj was the one bowler i couldnt face. Rahul, in all these years has made only abt 500 runs (keep in mind that under this system, there were scores of over 80 in an over). Kosik - he just came and smoke. Never played.

Well, life went on. We got busy in our own lives. Varun started working in a call centre. Yuvaraj n Rahul had their various classes, submissions and college. Kosik went to Bangalore post 12th for his BCom. I started my CA.

We hardly met, though we managed 3 trips post 10th - Matheran, Mahabaleshwar & a Maharashtra trip together. I went on my First independent outstation trip with them. I had my first overnight stay with them. I had my first sip of Vodka with them. I had a couple of other firsts which i can't mention on a public medium.

I am what i am today because of all of them. Before i met them, i was a studious, serious school baccha. My sense of humour, which im proud of and which all my friends like, was borowed from Yuvi. He was the original Funny Guy, and still is amongst us. Kosik taught me ti be adventurous, and think of everything from a completely logical and not academic or mechanical point of view. He taught me how to be a good friend. Varun taught me how to let go and completely chill. Rahul, well, he taught me how to shout, exaggerate things and pass comments on every possible things ... hahaha ...

And, then came the day Yuvaraj was leaving for Texas for officially 2 years, and unofficially for ever. He will come back for Christmas next year, but i think that's it. Me & Rahul went to meet him at his place. He already had other friends there. They were all joking, having fun, cracking jokes among themselves and Yuvaraj, and that is where i realised - that how people have changed. He had friends from college who knew hiim in a different way than i knew him, who knew him better than i knew him, who met him more, spoke to him more.

"That's not fair. He's my friend", my mind shouted. Its a feeling i've never got before.

It seemed only fitting that Me & Rahul & no one else went to drop him at the airport. His family was there, of course. As we were sepnding the final moments together, my talks & comments stopped. My characteristic humour, that i consider my defence mechanism - deserted me when needed most. The mood was made lively only by Rahul's unnecessary, forcibly funny comments.

Anyways, it was time. As we walked down the path leading to the entrance Gate, he proved he was the Original Funny Guy, and undoubtedly the guy i called Best Friend. He turned & said, "Mihir,cricket - next week ! 4-8 in the evening"