Firodiya days

She was two years junior to me. As engineering students we shared a common phenomenon in us - do everything else possible except studies. Studies were meant for the PLs. She was in her second year and I was in my final. Being in the college for so long, yet we met in the last days when our college participated in the Firodia karandak one-act play competition. Those were by far the best days of my college life. We started practice rather late which meant we had to practice double. The result was, we ended up spending every waking hour in each other's company. We shared similar interests [for eg. both of us were awesome painters]. We bunked lectures together. We hanged out at the famous 'chai ki tapri' outside our campus.


Our wavelengths matched. And in such circumstances if an obvious spark of friendship doesn't strike, you need to have yourself checked by the psychologist. We were no exception. In no time we were seen together in the campus almost all the time. My friends had already started pulling my legs. But I didn't care, for we were just friends, but the best of friends. We didn't win the competition but surely made the judges think twice before giving away the trophy to another team, and that was itself an achievement for us debutants. Practice sessions were over and yet we continued hanging out. When everything is so perfect, you tend to believe that there is no vulnerability, there is no way things can go wrong. But one fine day I get an anonymous call saying, ''I am Janhavi's brother, and it would be better for your health if you keep away from her.''


I tried to figure out what was the matter by approaching her in college next day, but she refused to talk to me. I backed away not because I was afraid of that call, but because it was made with her consent. College is over and I don't know where she is, but I wish to meet her once to clarify that I wasn't upto any mischief. All I wanted was true pure friendship. Even today when I go to the same 'chai ki tapri' sometimes, he asks me, ''Kya re, aajkal Janhavi nahi dikhti tere saath....?''