The first memory I have of Cool Cat (the name of my coolest,
nicest and craziest friend) is of me sitting in her house in 2nd
grade and making a collage with pictures of wild animals for some school
project. Suddenly in the midst of it, she stopped working and started telling
me how much she loved Akshay Kumar and started doing some steps from Main Khiladi Tu Anari. That obsession didn’t
last too long…unfortunately, the obsession that followed i.e. the one with SRK,
last until this date. (I was hopeful that Happy New Year would reduce it, but
that hasn’t happened.)
She was hands down the smartest kid in my class at school.
When the rest of us poured over our books before exams, she was busy listing
the merits of the Irish coffee in Prithvi theatre and yet managed to
effortlessly secure top grades.
We became friends only towards the end of school, and it
took me a long time to forgive her for ditching me and taking up science in a
townie college, instead of studying commerce at a suburban college as we had
originally planned. We had this routine-she would call me at 11 am when she
woke up (I still get panic attacks when she wakes up early these days) and then
we would catch up on every single event in our lives that had taken place in
the hours gone by. We would repeat the same thing at night. At that time, there
was an Orange (What Vodafone was then known as) 9 to 9 scheme, wherein calls
made between 9 pm and 9 am were free, so we would get onto a conference call
with a few others and discuss all sorts of nonsense. By that token, and figuratively
as well, she was my 5 am friend.
As with everyone else, I cut off from her too during a bad
phase in my life. She did something at that time that brings tears into my eyes
even to this date. She showed up at my house on one birthday to wish me and
when I tried to explain the reason for my disappearance, she told me it didn’t matter-all
that mattered was that I became fine. It was that very day that I met her then
boy friend, now husband for the first time ever. He is the finest guy I have
ever known and I couldn’t have been happier for Cool cat.
I call out all these random instances because, for some
reason, I can’t compose a coherent post to do justice to her. (And its not for
lack of trying-I have been at it for the last several weeks). She is
one of the most genuine and caring persons I have had the privilege of knowing.
She has a fantastic sense of humor and is this complete madcap party person. I
have yet to come across someone as large hearted and forgiving as she. She is
so completely comfortable in her own skin-its refreshing to know someone like
that in today’s world.
I don’t know what I did right to have her put up with me
until this date-but I do genuinely hope she stays in my life and remains
someone I can look up to and emulate, because she is a role model innumerable
ways for me.
Wish you a very happy birthday and all the happiness and love
in the world. Please do visit me-I promise on this semi-public forum that I
wont ditch you and vanish somewhere!
