Heartprints

Idols play a significant role in shaping our lives. We admire them; worship them; aspire to be like them. Idols leave prints on our minds. Can they leave prints on our hearts too? When we think about it, heartprints are forged by people whom we know at a personal level. These are people who accept us just the way we are and love us unconditionally.

If you had to come up with a list of people who have left a forever mark on your soul, you’d be surprised at the outcome. These are people who may not be celebrated giants. Most of them can be handed the just-another-person-in-the-crowd tag. Yet they shape you in the most sublime way possible.

Here’s my list:

Amee Lakhani: She is a mother and a child both at the same time. She’ll care for you like a mother and then the next moment she’ll do something so childish that you can’t help smiling. I am still smiling thinking about all the times we spent together in college.

Ankit Goyal: Another foodie who’s crazy about food! He’s crazy about everything! He’s always full of life. He came into my life as a junior Edison and now is a great friend. If you don’t like Ankit, then something’s seriously wrong with you. He’ll annoy you with his PJs. You’ll give him an exasperated look but then you’ll break into a smile. He’s resourceful, funny and a great organizer.

Deepa Nair: Deepa is a “Comedy Piece”. She’s one person whom everyone loved in college students and professors alike. She used to indulge in all antics that were least expected from a Class Representative. Now you know why we elected her the CR! She was the diametric opposite of shyness so much that we used to treat her like a guy. She will unabashedly laugh in a theatre full of people who would cast irritated glances towards her. She would treat her friends with awful maggi noodles (specially cooked by her). She used to dance in the Ganesh Visarjan procession. She was all this and more. She was the dearest friend anyone can wish for.

Ganesh Rao: He’s speaks whatever is on his mind. Yeah, little rough around the edges but a fantastic person. He gets a kick out of troubleshooting and solving problems. He is labelled as a “Know-it-all”, in a good sense of course, but not many people get close enough to know that he’s equally innocent.

Kausarjahan Mulla: One look at Kausar and you’ll mutter “khadoos” under your breath. I’m not sure how many people have lost out on a great friendship just because they chose to stick to their first perception. She’s a silent, mysterious lady to most and an emotional, fun-loving, wonderful friend to others. You’ve to look carefully to see the real Kausar.

Nedra Michelle Pereira: I always loved friends who used to offer me food. J I know you must be thinking how selfish. Foodies love food more than anything else. ;) Nedra was very sensible, more sensible than most of us. She was independent and smart. She was the first and maybe the only person who complimented my eyes as “Big & Beautiful”.

Preethi Ranganathan-Vishal: I remember Preethi as a warm, bubbly and expressive girl in school. We became friends during the intensive coaching sessions. She was always very insightful. And now she’s a hopeless romantic and an amazing cook. Vishal is truly lucky.

Rakhi R: She is an out and out fun loving person. She is one woman to learn from. She has a calm demeanor and is humble to the core. She is very inspiring.

Rishabh Tulsian: Rishabh is more brilliant than a genius at work and crazier than a child at play. Edison course and Yeti brought us together and we were alike in the sense that we both were silly always. We used to play marker fights during lectures. I used to point him to prospective girlfriends. The girl hunting is still on. That’s proof of Rishabh’s childishness. :D

Shailesh Hinge: He’s the talkative friend who’ll always be there for you in your hour of need. He’s simple, outspoken and honest. He never fails to appreciate not even his rivals. I’ve lost count of the times he’s given me a lift to and from office. A thorough gentleman.

Shalaka Virkar-Vaze: What do I say about Shalaka? She’s all that I’m not. She’s a lioness. She’s khaas, bindaas and jhakaas. She’s a lovely human being and an awesome dancer. She will always stand by you no matter what. We used to giggle at the stupidest of jokes all day. When she cried during her Bidaai, my heart went out to her. But yeah, that’s the only time I’ve seen her cry. Like I said, she’s a lioness.

Sreyas Ramachandran: He’s an unfathomable character. He gets along with friends like a house on fire. For everyone else he’s stranger than a stranger. He has a great sense of humor. He’s bloody brilliant and insanely enigmatic. He’s a Chhupa Rustam for sure.

Susmitha Iyer: The most striking feature of Susmitha’s personality is her cheerfulness. She is extremely friendly (even with juniors whom she barely knows), caring and absolutely adorable. She is so passionate about her work that it rubs off on her team too. I can never forget my first encounter with her. It was my first day at work and she had agreed to drop me home on her way back. On our way back, Mr. & Mrs. Iyer treated me with a big pack of fries as if I was a long lost friend of theirs. I was feeling awkward and bewildered for I had never experienced such warmth before. She is good at a lot of things yet the one trait I would like to imbibe is the easygoing attitude that comes so naturally to her.

Uday Biradar: What do I say about Uday aka the Ugly Duckling. He’s the most humorous, charismatic friend I have ever had. He’s a very busy person at work yet he always manages to make every friend of his feel special. He’ll always plan birthday surprises. He’ll always play pranks on you. He still stays connected to all his friends. When I joined GE, I was in one of the two innovation teams while Uday was in the other. One day I (along with other Tamilians) received an email from him informing me about the filter coffee that he had kept in the cafeteria. Yeah, he is a complete foodie. One day, he narrated to me our first encounter which I have no memory of. But I’m really glad that I met this guy. He changed my life.

Vibhuti Dattani-Kanakia: We both were inseparable in junior college. We were batch mates in school but our friendship really blossomed in college. We were together in every class, every practical session, every lunch, almost everything, almost. The love for food kept us together. We used to walk down to the vada pav tapri near college and relish vada pavs with extra chutney. She used to treat me to homemade samosas and chilly pickles. A true friend.

Vinda Shinde: Vinda is a go-getter. Awesome attitude and a sensitive soul. She’ll unabashedly ask you all sorts of questions and will rightfully give you advice. You always feel a connection with Vinda. Vinda is the most “innocent” person in our group (Why? Because she doesn’t really understand the hidden meaning in most dialogues). J She’s the brave karate kid who just doesn’t look the mother of a kid.

P.S. This list is not exhaustive. I have kept my family out of this list for fear of getting overtly emotional. J