The Siamese Triplets

We were called the Siamese Triplets – Jennifer, Prarthana and I. Because that is how we were, inseparable.

They were the divas of our batch. Pretty, popular, intelligent, talented, famous, every guy’s dream. And I was their relatively ugly, scared-to-show-her-face, hopelessly-unsure-of-herself batchmate. But despite all our differences, we bonded over little schoolgirl issues – exams, homework, peer pressure, pimples, Elle 18 nail-enamel shades, the latest movies and chartbusters, gossip, dirty jokes, crushes, and heartbreaks.

There were also those days, months, rather, when we drifted apart. Class 10 was probably the most difficult time for me. Jen was the House Prefect, Prarth was the Games Prefect, and I was the quintessential nobody, who could, at best, try her hand at random cultural activities. I don’t know if they went away, slightly swayed by that popularity, or I walked off, overcome by my inferiority. But then we pulled back again. And I’m glad we did. I will, in particular, remember one incident throughout: the three of us were studying at Jenny’s house, and a professor of ours called her up and invited them over for a party that he was throwing for his ‘selected’ students. He knew I was there with them, but clearly ignored the fact and did not bother to invite me as well. My friends did not accept the invitation either, and explained to (the clearly upset) me exactly why they had been called. (I’ll let the reason remain a secret here). And therefore, why such an invitation was irrelevant to them. That day, I realised that we were way above such trivial issues.

It has been eight years since we passed out of school. And even though we do not meet regularly, I have no complaints. In the interim, Jen was away for a couple of years, for her M.A. But I don’t think either of us felt the distance. She remains one of my biggest confidantes. We kept our bonds intact over phonecalls while she was in Hyderabad, and over coffee-conversations when she was here. Prarth and I have kept in touch too – not often, but I can still safely call her one of my best friends, because we always pick up where we left off.
Tonight, Prarth leaves for London, to do her post-graduation in Architecture. As we hugged each other good-bye this afternoon, I warned her to stay in touch at least from UK, because she can be painfully lazy when it comes to socializing. And that is when she said, ‘I know now that we are going to be in touch forever. If we’ve come this far, we can go on till the end’. I know that is true, and I’m proud of it.

The Siamese Triplets haven’t had the opportunity to meet up for a long, long time. And I do not know when they will. But I can vouch for one fact – whenever they meet, no matter how old they are, their topics for discussion may change, but conversation will still be effortless, because at heart, they will remain the same giggly schoolgirls that they were, not so long ago.

Much Love,

Me.