I am fortunate to have a great band of friends. I make friends easily, but close friends are few and far away.
Valan is my buddy from school. Used to play football, though now seems unable to see his feet standing - put on a nice and round tummy the size of a football. I am happy that he gives me company in this matter at least! Used to be a firebrand at school, getting into all sorts of trouble speaking up. You can count on him to be on your side no matter what. He is married and is settled in Bangalore with two adoring brats, who are never short of a mischief. His dad was a great mentor for us in our school days. His dad bought him a car-stereo kit that propelled us into the world of electronics. It gave us immense pleasure for a long time, playing out our favourite tunes. I have never forgiven myself for not being there when his dad developed stroke and was paralysed. There are certain things in life that has to be expressed in time. If we fail to do so, we can never do it again. This ranks as my greatest failure and everytime I think about it I feel a bit sad. I wish he will forgive me for this one.
This guy's got style! That's what he made us believe when he entered our life in school with a bang. We were the guys from a small town and he was the guy from the city. Was different by playing basketball while we guys hang out at the football field or the cricket pitch. Always, the guy outside the box. His mom is one of the finest cook and the time we spent planning/arguing/playing in his house was always interspersed with great food. His house was our mind-lab. His dad played a great role modelling us, most importantly, to take defeats in our stride. His dad was more a friend to us than a father-figure.
Prakash is now into import-export clearance and can clear your mother-in-law, if you wish, labelled as a kit of spares.
The guy with the most number of names among my friends! Built like a boxer, he still works out to keep himself fit. I met him for the first time while training for our school kho-kho team. He made it & I didn't. Took time to focus on his career. Stuck to IT like glue. Once this match was found then there was no looking back. Currently settled in Singapore with wife and an adoring daughter. Thirstily looking forward to his every visit!
His home was one of our favourite meeting places. His tape collection and the perfect acoustic setup of his music system played a great role in delaying our departure every time we visit him. I still have his amp kit! Will always remember the long cycling trips we used to have after every visit to his home. Got a sister who is one of a kind - pragmatic, level headed, and cool under any circumstance. Every little conversation we have had = food for thought.
Balamurali, Dinakar, Ramkumar, Vasudevan, Mohan, and a long list of them coming up...