Happy Friendship Day ?

The only way in which you can put values into the your children's is by telling them stories. A human child within 5 years of its birth develops 90% of its brain. The hustle bustle and the new age work pressure coupled with the desire to earn more has done everything well but created a distance between the parent and the child. Needless to say the increase in the number of crèche and the fact that most of them are almost full, further strengthen my statement. Then there is psychology that works behind the mind of the parent when you ask why this separation, most of them answer - it is all for the child. We want to give our child the best of the things and for this we need money. What they forget is that children need you now more than any time in their life. My spouse teaches in a play school. In the same play school there is a day care. She tells me that in the day care there are children as small as 18 months. No matter how much the they takes care of the child, it can never give the love of a parent. According to me it is the childhood time during which a bond can be created, if you miss it then a never filling void will be created. Tons of money cannot fill it. Look around you and take a note of how many nuclear families you see. This further strengthens my views. Since they have lived in separation in their childhood they want to continue doing it.

As a child I was very touched with stories. One such story that was deeply engraved in my soul was - A friend in need is a friend indeed. It is the story of the two friends who were crossing the forest and a bear started approaching them. One of the friend who knew how to climb a tree climbed, while the other who did not was left down. The friend who was down requested his friend to help him climb but he did not. The other friend was all alone when he recalled that bear does not eat dead animals. So he lay down and stopped his breath. The bear came and sniffed the body. Thinking that it is dead, it left the boy. After the bear went the other friend climbed down and told him that you had a narrow escape. He then asked him what did the bear whispered in your ears. The friend replied - ' Never trust a friend who leaves you alone in times of trouble.' In other words A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED.

This story was so imbibed in me that till day I have never found one person who would stand by me in tough times. There are many people who I know, with whom I stay and spend time but deep down I know that when the time will come when I need them the most I doubt if they will stand by me. I am about 40 years of age and in times of trial I feel this vacuum in my life. I am still of a belief that the world has not changed so much that it is bereft of people who can stand by you, I feel someday I will meet such a friend.

Friendship is more than a friendship band. Marketing has created such a buzz around the word friendship that on this day people party and have fun. Celebration starts from mid night and continues till early morning. While everyone is talking about friends no one knows the real meaning of it. Friendship is a life time of celebration in good time and in bad times as well. It is not as it is today, a one day beer festival that end the next day.

I was in my teens when a striking incidence happened in my life. I hail from a small town called Dibrugarh in Assam. Every year in Assam, we celebrate the Durga Puja for 5 days. In one such celebration year I and a group of my friends were enjoying in the night. We had formed a group of 8-10 people and walking in the middle of the city. We travelled on foot looking at the different idols of Durga at different location and snacking in between. It was 10:00 pm at night and we were cracking jokes. Unknowingly the group split into two but we were moving close by.

One of the person in the first group got into altercation with someone on the road. It soon turned ugly. People started gathering and they manhandled him. He was left alone. Fear grasped me. It was a large group of people who had cornered this person from our group. Another friend who was a part of our group told me to run. I was trying to approach the place where the action was going on. But this friend of mine told me I would be a mad person if I went to help him. He held my hand and told me to run. I ran. The person who was the victim looked at me when I was running. I had moved 10 steps and something in me told no you cannot do this. I left the hand of the person who wanted me to run and I came back to the rescue of my friend. The damage was done, I just acted as a savior at the end of the bout. When I returned, the friend who was the victim told me you left me. I said I am sorry but I came for you. He rumbled, you were not there when I needed you the most. I looked down and the guilt that I had with me stayed with me forever. It has been almost 2 decades, I and Dewgharia still talk to each other. The only thing that saved my association with him was that I had come back. Had I not made this move I would have repented throughout my life.

The understanding of friendship that I have in my life is of someone who stay with you till the end of time. In your highs. In your downs. In your success. In you failure. And to have such a friend you don't need to send a whataspp message or tie a friendship band. All you have to do is just hug him and say him - Thank You Being Such A Friend.

Happy Friendship Day !!