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.

Eureka!!! :-)

You know the best way to feel happy when you are in the dumps?? Well, just think of someone who badly needs to smile, and be the cause of that someone's smile right then. Try it, and get back to me!!!

Much Love,

Me.

just...(part 3)

And I will be Me...Forever.

Distances
Have their own virtues
The virtues are greater than the vices
And the sooner we realize this
The happier we will be.

Everything in this world
Is part of a plan
A well constructed process
That will keep unfolding
As we go on.

On those days
When you are low,
Do not be afraid to dream of hope,
For darkness means that light is ahead,
Waiting to welcome you with open arms.

Have fun,
But remember, there are hopes someone has from you
Just the way you have hopes from someone else
Try your best not to disappoint
And God will do His best to keep disappointment away from you.

You may have cried yesterday,
But that is alright,
For Life is a blend of the Sweet and the Spice.
And besides, has anything that ever made you cry,
Not made you stronger?

I might not be able to change things for you in a big way
But I’ll be glad if I can make one little difference
Or rather, be that one transition from your frown to your smile.

No matter what
Everyday, in your own little way
Be your own best friend
And I promise you,
You will smile.

Most of all,
Do not ever, ever forget,
Come what may,
That there is a God.
He doesn’t just stay up above…
He is everywhere.
And He is doing His best
To make things better for you.
Because you mean a LOT to Him.
If he delays your smile,
It just means,
That he’s strategizing better, so you can smile for longer.
So give Him the benefit of doubt
And soon, what you most need,
Will be yours to keep.


There is only one thing that remains true
Happiness is always yours to keep
So smile, because there is no dearth of reasons,
Smile, simply because,
Life is Beautiful,
Or en route
To becoming more beautiful than it already is.

The happiest truth of life, is that no one can ever forget how to laugh.

To err is Human,to forgive,even more so.


Much Love,

Me.

College Days - Part I

I can’t believe how fast time flies. It feels like it was just the other day that I was struggling with my Mock-CATS. The frustration I felt back then was so strong, I can still almost reach out and touch it. But that is a different story altogether.

It seems like just yesterday that I received my IBS interview call letter. It was the 31st of December 2007, and my parents were thrilled that I had received my first call. “See, this shows that the New Year will be very lucky for you,” they said. Now that I look back, I think they were right.

I remember the day of my interview. It was raining like crazy, and in that biting cold weather, after cursing the illogical rickshaw-wallahs of Hyderabad, my father and I got into a crowded bus to the IBS headquarters. Ten hours later, I had my confirmed call letter in my hand. I was going to join this college. My MBA was about to begin. FINALLY.

And now, here I am, five months away from graduating. But now, I do not want to leave. I do not want this to end. I do not know where and how a year and a half just whizzed past. There was a time when I thought that MBA will ruin my happiness because I did not think I had the remotest aptitude for it – my fears worsened when my colleague at work told me, while I was preparing for CAT, that I will never make any friends in MBA.

But you know what? Everyone was proved wrong. Me included. Because I can vouch for the fact that my MBA is the most amount of fun I have had so far in my academic life. It hasn’t been the smoothest ride, but had it been one, I wouldn’t have been the changed person I am today.

And about what my colleague said, I can only smile when I think of how incorrect she was. I’ve met the most amazing people here, and I know most of them will be friends for years to come.

I know college life is still not over, and there is a teensy chance that, God forbid, my remaining months here at IBS may not be as much fun, but I just know that no matter what happens, I will look back on MBA, and smile. Because I will remember these moments – moments when I realized that God loved me enough to prove everyone wrong.

Much Love,

Me.