F.R.I.E.N.D.S 522

True friendship does not come out of proximity; it is an experience that only friends can feel.

This is the story of some friends, who used to live in the same building. Though there rooms were different, but they usually resided in one common room, which soon became the place of their mischiefs, Room Number 522.

The room number 522 actually belonged to two young lads- Sahil and Sushant. The two were dialectically opposite to each other. Sushant, who was simple, silent and sincere, was very different from his roommate Sahil, who was naughty, spontaneous and adventurous.

Initially, the two lived peacefully, without creating any mess. There was a strange understanding between them. But this kind of unspoken understanding develops between all guys. The real story started to develop when the other members of the story entered.

Just opposite to the room was Room number 523, resided by yet another set of colorful persons- Sawan and Ketan. These two creatures were of same built, but of different nature. Ketan was an adventurous guy, who could hardly be seen alone; whereas Sawan was a different type. He was silent on the outside but a notorious kid from the inside. Both the roommates developed a fraternal bonding which made them look strong.

As it happened, Ketan and Sahil knew each other even before shifting to this new building. Thus, there was a connection between them. But like wine, the friendship took some time to mature.

Adjacent to room number 522 was Room number 520, possessed by Saikat and Surya. These two guys from East India were wierd. You would never see there room with lights on. There always existed darkness and a strange stench in their room. It is said that the room was resided by some perverts, before these two guys moved in. The evidence of the earlier occupants were left near Saikat’s bed, which often haunted him. Anyways, Saikat was a but young aged, and was thus, seen as the ‘cry baby’ by the group. However, he was equally caring, understanding and a tech-freak. Surya, on the other hand, was kind of a lost person. He would only listen to some songs and murmur them. Both the roommates understood and respected each other’s peculiar needs.

Moving on, at some distance there was Room number 647, resided by Keshav and Naveen, who were the last to join the club, but soon became imminent members. There was something paranormal in the air of the Room 647, that had made both the roommates mutant-like. Keshav was a love machine; with his huge size and aggressive stance, he would trash any opponent out of the ring, while summoning his friends/love towards himself. But he was one of the most caring and loving members of the group. Naveen, on the other hand, was another bullet in the holster, who, with his grassroot knowledge of the world, would make himself evident. But surprisingly, he was the youngest member of the group. His maturity level and intelligence would out-shame any adult.

There were two other stag entries in this group- Guneet and Nikhil, who belonged to different rooms, but often crashed Sahil’s room, in search of food, sleep and shelther. Guneet was a celebrity in the locality. People recognized him by face; authorities knew him by name. But he was always in a hurry, and made silly mistakes while in haste. Nikhil was the person who brought many of them together. He was popularly referred to as the ‘Didi’ of the group.

These friends lived in the building for about 9 months, but created havoc that would last for ever. There was no hour that would go without their fights, abuses and arguments, but the love and care that existed amongst them surpassed that of the lovers’ of the area.

This story narrates one such incident:

Exam time used to be a lazy and hectic time. Everyone used to be busy sleeping or watching movies (anything except studying). One such afternoon, our nocturnal friends- Nikhil and Saikat- woke up from their years of slumber, at around 2 pm. It was the last exam that they had to face in that building, so everyone was in a jolly mood. But hunger and frustration needs to be satisfised adequately. Thus, they began to find ways to satisfy their hunger.

During those times, the best way to satisfy one’s hunger was to call your friends, who have gone outside, and order something to eat. So, these two lads did the same, but by calling different people a number of times.

They called Sahil and Keshav first, but separately, and ordered a few Vada pav. Sahil and Keshav being good friends, agreed in an hour (without knowing that the other person has also agreed). But before they could inform Nikhil and Saikat about their decision, the same message was passed to the other members- Surya, Sawan, Gunnet, Sushant and Naveen. And fortunately or unfortunately, each member agreed to bring the same vada pav (individually, without knowing that others are bringing the same).

And so the evening came. Annoyed by the late arrival of the vada pavs, Nikhil and Saikat ate some snacks at the food court and slept. Everyone had kept 1 vada pav for either Nikhil or Saikat, hoping that they would eat it after the final exam.

The next morning, the final exam went away, and everyone, tired from the late night sleep, just went to their rooms and slept for the whole day. By the evening, the time approached when the friends had to go back to their real home.

Everyone was dying of hunger. The same scene was taking place in each of their room. They had 2 vada pav in front of themselves, but none of them took a bite, hoping that their friend would come and have it, as he is hungry. At last, all the friends disappreared from the building leaving nothing but a lonely set of vada pav, and a note saying:

‘this is for you my friend, kha liyo bhai tere liye he rakha hai’…

3 months passed and the lonely vada pavs still lie there waiting for a bunch of crazy people to appear and share their happiness, sorrows, dreams, and aspirations with each other.

This is love. It knows no boundaries, no language, no criterion. It has no form, and no conditions.

But it is often confused. Some prefer to call it Love, while I prefer to call it Friendship.

This is dedicated to all my friends of Room 522, with whom I shared a lifetime of happiness. I will miss you all.