Friends I Miss a Lot - 2

This one is for one of the longest and most eventful friendships in my life. To a person I have seen mature from a irresponsible brat, to a super responsible, level headed, determined, go-getter, from someone who slept on the day of the dreaded sessionals, to someone who stayed late in office to finish her teammates' work. From someone who would perpetually announce to the world how broke she is, to someone who can manage and run an entire house single handedly. And the ONLY person I have met, who has achieved EVERYTHING she has aimed at. Hats off to one of my Best Friends - and I Proudly mention her name - Pankhuri Patni.

The first memory I have of her is from my first day in college, an excessively fair, chubby little child, with Bloodshot eyes, walking off to the hospital inspite of the ragging threat Looming large on us .

While most of us were busy cowering behind our hostel room doors, this little braveheart had been 'Tried' and 'OK Tested' by the most terrifying seniors in all Seniordom. Then she shifted to my impeccably tidy room and life with her untidy mess (Read- Belongings)and changed them forever and for good.
I was a nervous, just out of convent school, super padhaku girl who didnt know a SINGLE swear word. Naturally, I used to shudder at her before exams when she calmly unfolded winnie-the pooh blanket and went off to sleep right before my hazy-with-sleep-from-mugging-up-environmentalstudies eyes at 9 PM SHARP. I would shake my head in dismay and look across the room at a person just as scared as me. Both of us would silently mouth the long boring environmental studies answers while our hearts wept for miss P.

First year passed by in a haze of BET lessons, Chemistry lessons and EVS lessons.. Lessons from me to Miss Patni. We progressed into second year of ECE where not trying to flunk took most of my time, the rest of it being taken up by my first experiences of Boy Trouble. Patni was by me through it all like a loyal little shadow, never silent like a shadow though. Her perspective on life and its various oddities could pull me out of the deepest rut I may have fallen into.

Then came third year and final, where we were recruited by the same bigshot company. From being my college friend Patni graduated to being my colleague. But some things did not change, including her sleeping off at 9 the night before an exam and so on.
We spent an eventful year in hyderabad as housemates. The highlights of the year were moving from one crappy place to another, getting our second hand furniture moved from one place to another, riding around in trucks with our luggage, trying to get used to the idea that we were no longer in manipal, and learning more about ourselves and each other. This was the big bad real world, where electrical appliances got damaged and had to be fixed and the fixes had to be paid for, where maids bunked every other day, leaving the kitchen looking like a crime scene, where income was always less than expenditure and where you always wondered how was one supposed to deal with all of it, and still work and survive.

Patni and me grew up together . And like a fledgeling that leaves the nest one day, she left the cocoon of comfort and went off to MICA to follow her passion - Creativity. She is one of the most creative people I know and the creativity manifests itself at the oddest of times, in clever little one liners.

Unfortunately, we didn't catch up before she left for college. I wish I had.

Well, there she is today, Kicking ASS like always, and this time it's even harder, because she is doing what she really wants.
So if there ever was a person for getting things done, while others were busy wondering how on earth was it ever going to get done with the dozing off by 9, It is Pankhuri Patni. Keep making us proud Girl !

Friends I Miss a Lot - 1

Life isn't really the same again now that A is gone. Yes, My Friend and Bro, A has gone off to sacrifice himself at the hallowed alter of MBA in Finance. It is a dream come true for him, but those of us whom he has left behind really miss him.

I have known A closely for almost a year and a half now. We went to the same college, and back in college I knew him as the Geekiness Personified. A is your regular, decent, charming, as-good-as-they-come 10 pointer and much more than that

I discovered the latter when I began working with him in the same company after college. I came to know of his great sense of humour, his extremely colourful vocabulary,his adventurous streak, his 'cullinary' skills, his absulute devotion for his mother, his immense affection for his lady love, his loyalty to his close friends.. I really came to know and admire A a lot.

He would rise every morning with regularity that would shame an alarm clock, get ready, do his starting MBA prep for the day,and read the paper all this while his flatmates were exercising their muscles by hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock.Then he would arm himself to deal with the hostile corporate world, by taking in healthy breakfast in FIXED quantities. There are many stories around this , my favourite being the one where A clamours for oranges and claims "If i dont get vitamin C, I'll DIE".

While in office, he'd give his best to the work there, even though, he claimed he hated it. He was very good at it for somone who claims that.

After office , it was again his daily grind of MBA prep.

Somewhere in between all this, he'd always find time to drop by my desk with a cup of tea/coffee for a quick chat, or ping me on our internal messenger, send me invites to Toastmasters meetings or listen to me crib about work and agree wholeheartedly with me. He has helped me get through a lot of bad workdays.

And A in the Kitchen ! This bit deserves a separate blog post, but I will do as much Justice to it as I can. Back in our early days in Hyderabad, A, his flatmates V & SMA , and me used to cook together at their place. V and me were the operating chefs, A and SMA were the assistants. we knew it was time to start cooking when A began to get restless. A would then help us by chopping up tomatoes and onions along with SMA and abusing SMA to the maximum extent possible , just to amuse us.. Perodically, he'd warn us that the food was not going to be enough as he was very hungry and he had a lion's apetite. We knew him well enough not to believe him :)

I could keep on writing.. but this food talk has reminded me that its dinner time. If A is reading this,
You Rock Bro !
All the best in life.