I would have not got the chance to write this if that one person hadn’t come just 5 minutes late on the 2nd day of our college orientation program. I can imagine a movie like scene where he would be hurrying from his hostel room to reach college on time only to be late… Little did I know or he knew that in that hurry, the seat he chose to sit was the one next to me in the 2nd row. It was the 2nd seat from left that he chose. I was in the 3rd one, if I remember it correctly.
One of the greatest problems with introverts is that they don’t strike a conversation at an unknown place so easily. Anyways the only thing one could do to strike a conversation was to ask “Tumhara naam kya hai?” (What’s your name?). What I don’t remember is who did it first. Me or him. But accidentally we shared another statement. “Your roll number is just next to me :)” [Note: It was next-to-next just for that semester :(]
[Read more about my first 60 days in college here :)]
Maybe it isn’t supposed to be difficult at all to make new friends. I remember we were once talking about being new to college and we shared a fact common to both and that was that both of us were pretty bad at striking a conversation to make new friends. Not a very big problem. Because all it takes is time to get a new bunch of people to stay with, to enjoy or to learn.
No need to talk about learning, I guess that would be stereotyped and then made boring. I can’t say much about staying because I’m a so called localite… or in my language ‘semi-localite’. And well I am not the person who can actually explain about enjoying. Its something I haven’t experienced completely as of now.
So what should I talk about…. Hmm… Lets see.
Time. This is what it took to make a few strong bonds. Maybe it took less than a week for the bond I am talking about today. Right from orientation to last day before exams, there was only one person I would expect to sit next to me, not because nobody else wants to be with me, but because there is someone whom I want to be there the most. People always say ‘My best friend has always been with me even in rough times’, I would say I don’t have the experience of facing a deadly fire in college or getting caught by a bear or rather a dragon some day 😀 :), but yeah in all the college troubles I had faced, he was there… facing the same 😛 Just joking. He was there saving me, to teach me some values, some unique things you won’t learn from being a crazy person’s friend. No I didn’t mean you are crazy!
One such value is what I realized today, on his 19th birthday.
I realized that if someone says you that you can bring a change, a small reason to smile or make someone’s day just by doing small things… then its true. If someone says that it needs help to push a rock when you are not strong enough… then its true.
When I would have checked his birthday on Facebook, I would not have the slightest thought that there would be my small hand and wish in making his next birthday some special. And I must say a student who works hard whole year staying away from home does really need some special days. Yesterday when I said to myself that I want everyone, yes everyone to do something for that special friend of mine, I took it far more seriously 😉
In this world(ok I mean college) of varied cultures where people are full of talents like resource management (ok I mean giving creative ideas), its not difficult to find a few friends who can help succeed in spreading smiles across a face sad by his French exam paper. Everything went as expected.. well almost.
I will always remember the smile we brought to his face by bringing the cake and covering his face just like how we covered his gift – a chart containing our photos and comments we wish he would remember always.. and even implement them, except I guess those silly ones haha 😛
As I watched him cut the cake and watched all those smiling faces around him I knew he knew how special he was, even more than ever. Reading this post, he would understand the incompleteness of my comment in his gift chart, not because I didn’t say something good and small on that paper but because he is worth a lot more words…
Happy Birthday Tarun 🙂
You remembered the row and seat that I chose to sit !!
It is an awesome way of wishing birthday to someone.Moreover I liked the ‘Minion’ theme of your blog.
Thanks a lot.
Sometimes I remember these type of small things accidentally 🙂 Hehehe.
You’re welcome. Have a nice year ahead!
Mmmm. That cake looks yummy!