© 2002 Vidya Sigamany

I don't really believe in celebrating Friendship Day - I try and keep in touch with friends all the time, but I must admit to the sad fact that there are a few of them with whom I have lost touch, some many years ago, some recently. And in many cases, it would take just a letter, an email, even a phone call to re-establish connection, yet... I think, perhaps this Friendship Day I will send each a nice card and I am sure I'll be back in touch with them again.

Here's to their well-being, Friendship Day to forever!

Lakshmi - classmate and pal. Soft-spoken, gentle and intelligent. I still have her Botany notebook that she gave me in exchange for one of my notebooks, for remembrance sake. She must be married, I am sure. Wonder where she is settled.

Vara - classmate and devoted friend. We became friends after many bouts of arguing, as we always seemed to be at loggerheads with each other. Finally, when others deserted us during our "meaningful" discussions, we had to befriend each other! She came home to see me once after a gap of 7 years, but we have lost touch again. I believe she wanted to tell me something important about what happened to her in those 7 years - she never got around to it. It weighs heavily on me.

Lavanya & Pramila - hostel friends when on internship at Bangalore. Extremely helpful and generous, they never let me miss home. We exchanged letters and cards for about a year after that but somewhere we lost touch. I hear Pramila is working in Madras - maybe we will run into each other somewhere in this vast city. But will we recognise each other?

Lavanya - another hostel friend, at Hyderabad. Good-looking and always elegantly dressed. I had fallen sick as soon as I had reached the city. She, a stranger, had come back from work, got herself introduced to me, found out I was not well, and had called an auto and taken me to the doctor. She had unhesitatingly lent me her Walkman (that prized thing in a hostelite's life) for most of the 45 days I spent there.

Manoj - hmmm... friend and philosopher. A person I respect and like. Dedicated journalist, cynical yet humane. Gave me a lot of support during a bad phase. Somehow many attempts from both sides to get in touch have not been successful.

Akruthi - colleague at Pune. Petite and cute. Though younger than me, she displayed amazing street-smartness. We both were very different but got along pretty well. She had a steady boyfriend, but the issue was that he was younger than her. Hope they are happily married now.

Not to forgot a very dear friend upon whom a marriage was forcibly thrust and who has not been allowed to keep in touch with her friends. It's almost like she is not alive anymore. But I believe in my heart of hearts that fate will arrange a meeting with her and I can tell her what I have wanted to all these years: "I understand."

There are many more lost friends. I am hoping to get away because (hopefully) none of them will be reading this!

Then there a few who, as they read this bit from the corner of my heart, know most of the above friends and will feel the bittersweet pain with me.