Something happened.

Naaz, what plans for this weekend. Ajith's text read.

I called him back.

"Hey Naaz, what's up?" He sounded cheerful.

'Ajith, I'm going to my native for a few days'

"Oh, what happened? When? For how long?"

'My granny isn't keeping too well. My mum and I are leaving tonight'

"Oops. I'm so sorry. For how long are you away?"

'For a week, I guess.'

"A week??????" 

'Yeah, she's my granny and I love her a lot. That's why a week.'

"I know that."

Brief silence.

"I'll miss you so much, Naaz"

'I'll miss you too, Ajith.' I said softly.

"We will be able to speak over the phone right?"

'I have no clue. May be we can.'

"Alright, you take good care of her. I will pray for her speedy recovery."

'Thanks, Ajith. I'll text you.'

"Sure."

'Bye, Ajith'

"Bye, Naaz"

Something weird just happened right? I thought to myself. We were very good friends, yes. Not lovers. We shouldn't be bothered about being able to talk over the phone or not. 

I packed my bags and left to the station. I couldn't stop thinking of Ajith. 

I helped my mum with her bags as we got into the train. She had the lower berth and I, the upper. I placed my luggage with hers and quickly climbed up to my berth. 

I checked my phone. 

2 unread messages. 

1 message from the bank guys notifying me about my bank statement generation for the month.

1 message from Bhargavi. 

No message from Ajith. 

Bhargavi wrote: Hey Naaz, don't worry. Your granny will be alright. You take good care of her and you also take good care of yourself. Love you. 

Naaz: Thanks di. I will. You take care too. Love you loads. 

I took out my train book, Ulysses. 

But I was in no mood to read. My mind was so occupied with my conversation with Ajith. There was something to the way he said he would miss me and the way I reciprocated. 

I didn't know I should text him. I was extremely restless. 

It was a 14 hour journey to Kerala and those 14 hours were my life's most restless hours. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't read, I couldn't eat anything, I didn't seem to exist. My mum didn't say anything. She was already overwhelmed with my granny's condition. She just touched my hand before going to sleep and kissed me good night. 

All night I kept staring at the phone. In the middle of the night, I got an SMS. 

It was a message from my phone provider telling me that I had now entered Kerala and roaming charges would apply here on. 

We reached Cochin early in the morning. My uncle came to pick us up from the station. All of us were dull and tired that morning. I wasn't looking forward to going to my granny's house because I just couldn't bring myself to think of her as a sick patient and being bed ridden. 

We reached home and all of my aunts, rushed to hug my mum and they all cried. As if it was not enough, they all looked at me with tears flowing down their cheeks. I couldn't cry. But I was sad. 

I walked up to my room and lay down on the bed. I don't know how, but I fell asleep. I slept for 8 hours straight. 

Nobody woke me up for breakfast nor lunch. 

I checked my phone and no message from Ajith. I took a bath and got ready to finally meet my granny. 

As I entered my granny's room, I forgot everything else. I forgot Ajith. I forgot my loneliness. I forgot Dev. Everything. It was just me and my granny from here. 

I sat down next to her and touched her hand. She had shrunk miserably and she couldn't recognize me anymore. I felt her bones as I caressed her. She lay calmly, she was unaware that there were so many in the family, filled with anguish and anxiety over her illness. She slept like a baby. 

When I was young, I would come every summer to live with my grandparents. I loved my summer vacations here because my grandparents looked after us with so much love and care. I once fell very ill while on my vacation and I remember my grandparents would stay up all night beside me, holding my hand and crying and praying that I become alright soon. My grandad passed away many years ago and my granny was inconsolable ever since. They loved each other a lot. That's what I admired in my grandparents. They loved each other through thick and thin and old age and sickness and everything that came their way. She was lonely after he left and she ceased to exist. She loved us, but she was no more my old granny. Part of her died when my grandad left. 

I took her hands in mine and kissed her hands. The same hands that took care of me, cooked for me, braided my hair. My mother sat next to me and cried. I think she knew something and couldn't come to terms with it. 

All of us were going through a rough time.

My phone beeped. 

I miss you, Naaz.

I kept reading that message like it had all my life's answers in it. Like it was my very purpose of life. Like it was all I had ever dreamed of. 

After Dev left, I was filled will loneliness. I was depressed and sad. And now somebody else was filling that void. And I liked it. 

I miss you too, Ajith. 

I meant it. I was really missing Ajith. He made me happy. The happiness I thought I'd never be able to experience in my life. 

Naaz, what is wrong with us? His text read.

I wish I knew. I responded. 

It hurts. Because you are my best friend. And it shouldn't hurt so much. But it hurts.

I didn't respond.

And then the saddest cry filled the room. My mother was shrieking. She wailed. She fell down. Everybody around me, fell to the ground as if great doom had set upon them. 

My granny passed away. She was waiting to see my mother. She died in the presence of all her children. She was calm. She just passed away. 

I love you, Naaz. I am sorry if this is wrong. But I love you. 

I cried. 

New Friendship. New beginnings. New joys!

After Ajith came into my life, I started living again. In one sense, his friendship completed my loneliness and mine, his. 

We went out for movies in the weekends, ate out whenever possible and did a lot of shopping together. 

Ajith always cracked funny jokes, and I would take the liberty to laugh out loud in his presence. He didn't mind. I didn't either. 

We were two carefree individuals, totally enjoying each other's company. 

Ajith wouldn't miss any opportunity to flirt with other girls and I'd laugh so much after he'd be let down by all those girls.  Yet he never gave up.

"Find a good girl for me no, Naaz" he'd ask me with his puppy eyes.

'Do I look a broker to you, you idiot' I'd laugh back

"Good friends will do that much at least na..."

'Well then this good friend of yours, will shed blood and sweat to find a beautiful girl, but I may die in the process and you'd still be single' 

"Heyyy... Hello Naaz! You just wait till I find a beautiful girl and introduce her to you. You will be all jealous and all"

'Ya right, in your dreams, I will be jealous. Listen, Ajith, honestly, if you did find a girl for yourself, I'd be really happy for you!'

"Hmm... yeah, you mean it" he smiled at me.

I smiled back. 

It felt good. I had a friend. A guy friend. 

Lunch with Ajith - Part 2

"Where is Dev, Naaz?" Ajith asked me. 
I didn't know how to respond to that question. 
"I don't know, Ajith" I replied slowly.

Both of us ate in silence for the rest of the afternoon. 
"Naaz?" Ajith spoke, after what seemed like eons to me. Sometimes silence can be so brutal. 
"The food here is good" I replied.
"Yeah, I told you so." He spoke and smiled at me. "How about some desserts?"
"hmmm... sure, I'd like some"

Ajith ordered cheesecake for both of us. We ate, paid the bill and left the place.

"Why don't we walk" Ajith asked me.
Though I was is no mood, I didn't have anything on my agenda and nodded yes. 

It was 4 in the afternoon, cars and bikers were zooming past us as we walked down the streets of Adyar. We didn't speak to each other. But we kept exchanging glances at each other throughout the walk. 

Every time I looked at Ajith, he'd look at me. Every time he looked at me, I'd look at him.

It was so weird. And uneasy at the same time. 

And every time we looked at each other, we'd just look into each other's eyes and then look down at the road again. Like as if our eyes spoke to each other. 

My mind was playing games with me. I was walking with Ajith, someone I didn't like and didn't want to be associated with, and I was feeling a sense of joy inside. My heart was actually happy. My mind was at peace. 

What was happening to me? 

I looked at Ajith one more time. This time, Ajith did not look like Dev's brother to me. He just looked like Ajith. My new buddy. 

copy cat a?

What ya, all weddings are looking the same. Same saree, same coat suit, same flower girls, same decorations, same old aunties giggling, same make up, same photographs. 

One minute, one minute. 

why all the photos of all the marriages are looking the same? 

One photo, both are holding hands.

Another photo, both are showing their wedding ring.

One photo, girl is in focus and boy is blurred.

Another photo, girl is blurred and boy is in focus. 

Same. Same. Same. Copy cats. 

All girls are wearing same saree. Some brocade green color blouse for red color saree. Then they are showing their bare backs to everybody in the world. and they are taking photos and putting in the Facebook. Then all are girls are simply bugging the photographer to take photographs, one side angle pose, then back angle pose, then front angle pose, then they will wear ray ban glasses and pose like minor, then they will keep their lips like pouting out and pose, ayyooo that photographer is uploading the next day in this photography page, in that album all pretty girls are there and all boys are putting jollu looking at the girls. Even aunties are coming for all weddings. But nobody is taking their photos. Even some non-modern girls are coming there, but that photographer is not even turning to their side. Why this partiality?

Then coming to girl and boy, all are posing same pose. Simply jumping up and down in the beach, looking into each other's eyes, their shadow will kiss... same pose, bore pose.

Suddenly everybody is getting married. In this Facebook, all the time only wedding photographs are coming. Or those trolls are coming. First it was nice to see wedding photograph. I miss many deadlines because of it. Now, I am getting only irritation looking at same wedding style and all. All are copying. Why we can't think of our own head? We don't have a? 

In our mummy daddy era, if anybody says, I am 'wedding photographer' means all will consider like third rated job and all. Now if I am saying that I am wedding photographer, then all will give me their number and book me and pay me lakhs, and fly me to exotic locations. Jolly! 

Anyway, what for me. I am not spending no, I should not bother :D

This is not social media!

Facebook, Twitter and the like - they are not social media sites. They are private podiums, for people to get on and shout their mind out loud, hurl abuses, express anger and then get off safely. Some people will clap, some will ignore, some wont even know you got onto the podium and some won't bother. 

What social media nonsense are you talking about? What is social about these sites?

We will like people's photos online and then when we meet them, we will not even realize who they are. What is this? huh? 

And marriages? What are people marrying these days? Their partner or their photographer? 

And what is this puppet like behavior we are all exhibiting?

One person is nodding their head for something, millions are following suit.

We don't have any individuality, huh?

Arrey, what is this? For everything we are shouting online.

Somebody will die, we will shout online.

Somebody will rape, we will shout online.

Somebody will not play cricket properly, we will shout online.

Somebody's movie is not getting released, we will shout online.

Somebody said something about my religion, we will shout online.

Somebody said something about my ethnicity, we will shout online. 

Why we are only shouting online? Oh, we can't go out and shout no? We will be put in jail. Anyway, we are so scared. Safely, we will shout here and go away. Correct? 

Then what social media you are talking about?

Breeding a generation of angry people, who will shout online and then go back to their work in office. 

Breeding a generation of people whose job is to indulge in 'BIG TALK, NO ACTION' , just like our old generation. They didn't have social media, we have. Otherwise there is no difference.

Breeding a generation of people, who will just not move their bums off their chairs. 

Arrey, did we vote properly?

Did we do anything for the nation? 

Did we enter college without paying capitation?

Did we join civil services?

Did we enter sports and play for our country? 

What we did? huh? 

What we did, you know? Logged into Facebook and twitter. All the time. 

That's all! 

We Indian employees!

We think that staying back late in office is one way to get noticed.
One way to get promoted.
One way to show people that you are extremely busy.
One way to show your boss that you have been toiling hard and you deserve to be the next boss.

Why? WHY?

Is it something we have been taught in school? Or college?

Personally, I feel staying back late in office is as shameful as coming late to office. Here I want to make a confession. I am no early reportee at work. Somehow over time, I have gotten used to the fact that its OK to go to work a little late. Trust me, it's not OK. They notice, and one day they send you a memo! :D
My question however is, why is it that staying back late is not treated with the same disrespect then? If I stay back late in office, I SHOULD be given a memo. Ya, seriously, if you can't finish your work within the stipulated time, you ought to be finished  punished. OK, fine, sometimes we cannot finish the work in the given time, so we overstay our working hours. But we shouldn't overdo it right? Working till 1 a.m. or 5 a.m. Hello!

But I tell you, these days such petty strategies work. People who overstay at office actually end up looking important and busy and in turn get rewarded with promotions or hikes.

Seriously, people should start looking at the work done, not the time when it gets done!

If you salute your Duty
You don't need to salute
Anybody,
But
If you pollute your Duty, You have to Salute Everybody 
A.P.J Abdul Kalam