WISH YOU WERE HERE....

Once upon a time, not very far from now, in a small city there was a group of ingenuous friends. They were friends even before they vaguely knew what friendship really was. It was not their similarities which bonded them as one but in fact it was the respect for each others differences which tied them…some times these differences clashed causing fiddling spars but it was at all times a brief one, reason “ they didn’t knew how to exist without each other..”

Sooner the differences mixed and formed a common color which identified each of them. Their backgrounds and circumstances may have influenced who they were...But their friendship was most responsible for what they became. I speak so cause I happen to be one from that posse.

I never realized when but we almost made it a custom to squander our evenings meeting on the banks of Ganga (sounds more possessive than Ganges) away from the ghats, where we were all left alone by ourselves. Particularly I and Abhishek were most addicted to that tranquil corner away from the clamor of the city at a place where no one could hear us and no one could observe us.

Well at that day it was Abhishek who instigated, I who straight away agreed and Varun who had no other choice but to amalgamate. That was mid-summer time and the stream was partly desiccated leaving behind lumps of sand. Three of us were sitting by the river-side with our backs on sand and feet in water, feeling the unruffled breeze after a long scorching day spend partly indoor at Abhishek’s home and then at a countryside dhaaba, taking hot tea in mid summer afternoon.

“So in what direction is the wind blowing?” asked Abhishek.

I took some sand in my hand and let it fall freely, observing its drift I replied “eastwards”.

“Then you better come and sit on my right” said Abhishek “else the smoke will exasperate you” and lighted his cigarette.

“You know Abhishek there is this excellent thing in you” said Varun.

“Tell me out what do you find good in me”

“It is the way you care for others” concluded Varun and then jointly laughed with me.

“Chalo! at least someone realized my goodness” said Abhishek blithely.

“But there is a bad point too” it was me this time.

“Ok tell me the hell whatever it is?” voiced Abhishek sounding interested.

I pointed the smoke while shifting to his right. Now when he was to justify his so called manhood I became a Kid.

“Listen kid! It’s your first year in college. Let see how will you disapprove it later on” replied he.

“Let’s first see will we be like us that long” pointed Varun.

I didn’t bothered to react to any of them. I doubted Abhishek’s query and found Varun’s prophecy pointless. After that for a long while no one voiced a single word. Each one intoxicated partially by the smoke, second hand and direct, and fairly by their thoughts delved more into it. I have this awful habit of filling a gap in a conversation by my own voice but that day due to no particular reason even I too preferred to remain silent. May be, lying there, we were mesmerized by our sense of alienation from other people or may be we knew each other long enough that we didn’t needed words to convey our thoughts. Whatever it was, for a long while, we remained just like that.

It’s almost two and a half year since then and never again we three got a chance to sit there together. In fact none of us three has seen other since a year. What Varun forecasted, unfortunately seems to have happened. We are no more us. Today in the evening I recalled all this while wandering alone desperately. I am yet to form an opinion on smoking. But I wish I could go back to that conversation. I wish we could get those silent moments back to voice them. I wish we had never changed. I wish we had never grown and I wish you people were here today.