Place: Mumbai
Year: 2002
August
3rd, I was loitering around in the college campus alone, when three
girls suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stopped me. They were my classmates
and wanted to tie friendship bands on my wrist. I obliged and they introduced themselves
before happily tying the bands. They seemed excited and looked like they were
waiting for this moment to be friends with me for a long time. Well, for the
kind of person I was at that period, their actions were pretty obvious. Now,
before I make you wonder and fill your mind with questions, let me give you a
brief background.
I had enrolled myself to do
a Bachelor in Science from Patkar’s College at Goregaon, Mumbai after I got the lowest of rankings in Common Entrance
Test (for an Engineering seat in Karnataka). My father was very upset and had
given up pursuing an engineering seat for me. For my good deeds, I got an
admission in Patkar’s but somewhere deep inside; I knew I will get a seat for
sure. The reason why I was least interested in attending classes, listen to
lecturers or finish my assignments. Always dressed in black metal-band tees,
black beads on my neck and hands, ear phones plugged into my ears and a walkman
in my pocket, they thought I came from a different world. I was branded a
hippie because of my attire and attitude.
There were some incidents in
the classroom that made me ‘famous’ amongst my classmates. Be it me arriving to
the class very late and completely drenched in rain water or getting caught
listening to ‘Metallica’ on my walkman. I often used to observe these three
girls staring at me with amazement and questions, and found one of them very
cute and attractive. I was a loner in the class, and often ignored ‘friend
requests’ from wannabe guys (who wanted to emulate me) as my wavelength never
matched with them.
What happened on Friendship
Day left me amazed, and I was happy deep-inside that the cute girl was also a
part of that group. Her name was Anu, and Nirmala and Poonam were her best
buddies; now my buddies too. Anu was the most beautiful girl in the class and
had a line of admirers behind her. My friendship with them, especially with Anu
gave me more ‘enemies’ in the class. But who cares, we were an unbreakable pack
bunking classes, going to movies, eating umpteen ‘vada pavs’ and chatting
endlessly. Over a period of time, I and Anu became pretty close friends sharing
our lives’ stories and thoughts. We travelled together in the bus, as she used
to get down at Malad station, and I at Dahisar. She told me that she had a boyfriend who studied in Pune, but I seldom believed it for some
unknown reason. As time passed further, it became pretty clear that we both
liked each other, and that’s when the beholder hit the brakes on our story.
My father told me to change
my B.Sc branch to Computer Science as it had better job prospects. I readily
agreed but my friends were miffed. My decision meant a change in class and the
end of being together in the class. I ensured that I was with them during the
breaks, and post-classes. But another jolt hit our relationship; I found that
my chances to get an engineering seat were still alive through CET counselling
sessions. I went to Bangalore and secured an engineering free seat in a
never-heard-before place called Hospet in North Karnataka. I just had a month
to start my course, and sadness engulfed. I can never forget the final day of
my college, when Anu held my hand in the bus and cried endlessly. Her reaction
shocked me and put me into deep sadness. I can still remember her looking at me
with tears in her eyes when she got down from the bus. I promised to meet her
during my vacations and be in touch via emails and phone-calls.
Days and months passed, I
was in Hospet doing my engineering. New friends in the form of batch-mates and
seniors along with the testing subjects and exam-ordeals formed a part of my
life. I met Anu and other two friends during my first vacation. They were
thrilled to see me; Anu and I spent the whole day together after Nirmala & Poonam
left us alone. Sadly, my family left Mumbai to be in another city, and I never
got to go there again during my engineering. I used to try calling her on her
landline phone, even spoke to her once or twice but never heard from her again.
I cursed myself for not taking her email ID or even asking her, her full name. My
studies made me forget her gradually, but my efforts to search her on online
chat rooms and social network sites were still on.
Place: Mangalore
Year: 2005
I was in Mangalore for my vacation, and usually went to a
nearby cyber-cafe to make friends with strangers, and also search for Anu. In
the process, I made friends with many girls named Anu but never her. Until came
one day, February 14th, the Valentine’s Day. I went to a different
cyber-cafe and not the usual one that I frequented. As usual, I logged on to my
Yahoo! Chat. I saw a name, Anugya Sinha, and found it quite unusual but
beautiful, unheard of, and very captivating. I immediately pinged her. Compared
to other girls who never replied, I was pleasantly surprised when Anugya did.
We chatted for a while, and she agreed to become a pen-friend with me. Over the
years, what followed truly surprised both of us. We transitioned from
pen-friends to best friends to professional partners to being in a long
distance relationship and finally getting married in 2012.
I realised that people come to our lives for a reason, and
the months spent with Anu, Nirmala and Poonam in Patkar’s college changed my
entire life. I believe that Anu was an angel from above who came into my life
with just one intention, bring me and Anugya together for a lifetime. I told
this story to Anugya before we got married, and she was simply stunned. We
still wonder how it all happened, and wish to meet her one day; thank her for
the friendship that eventually lead to something very beautiful.
Thanks Anu!
