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
