A SINGLE SOUL DWELLING IN TWO BODIES
“By chance we meet;
by choice we become friends.”
Millie
This
morning, I saw a message from Naresh, a dear friend of mine. “Sir, Prem is in town.
He will be leaving tonight. So, if possible, try to meet him today.”
It was sometime in
1985-86. I was teaching T.Y. B. Com students in small batches all over our suburb.
Charan (a girl), who was a T.Y. student of one of my Anushakti Nagar baches,
had told about me to Naresh and his friend Prem… So, one evening, I saw these
two extremely handsome, young men waiting to meet me after Charan’s batch was
over. They came about exceptionally gentle, respectful and, as I said, handsome.
But, what has stayed with me is the first image: Naresh and Prem showed up in
identical clothes – black trousers and white shirts… Impeccably dressed…
Four decades
later, these two friends have remained inseparable… the best friends. Of course,
they live in two different parts of India… do different kinds of businesses… wear
no more identical clothes, nor do they look like Greek Gods, any more… The two
families are very close, but not as close as the two young men – soon to be 60 –
have been through the rain and shine of four decades…
I call Naresh a ‘conscience-keeper’.
For every event in Prem’s life – whether happy or sad – it is Naresh who would
call or message me and others in our circle… and inform…
Prem had lost
his dad a month ago, and his wife, Sheetal, has been undergoing chemo and immuno
therapies for some time. I wanted to meet Prem and Sheetal; hence, Naresh,
today, pricked my conscience and I showed up… Naresh and his wife, Sangeeta,
too did.
During the course
of our discussion, the subject of dementia popped up. Prem, casually, asked, “How
can we avoid it?”
I heard Sheetal
telling, instantaneously, “Keep a few good friends around.”
Well, that may
not be a medical specialist’s response. But, it made a lot of sense to me… I
remembered the two young, handsome men – in impeccable black & white – who had
showed up that evening, four decades ago…
(L-R. Sangeeta, Naresh, me, Sheetal and Prem)
Incidentally,
this morning, I, also, happened to see an Instagram reel and some pictures of two
other close friends - Vivek and Mukesh, both, my students, some thirty years
ago. Like Naresh and Prem, these two friends have remained inseparable… They,
too, live in two different parts of India; but, through every passing Moon,
their friendship has only grown… Mukesh had come down to celebrate Vivek’s 50th
birthday, last mid-night…
(Vivek and Mukesh)
“What is a friend?” said Aristotle in 4th-century
BC, “A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”
Was the grand-old philosopher exaggerating it?
Then, you must watch this, Sir…
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic’s: 1. Pixels/Sudip Paul 2. Rohan Gulrajani 3. Vishakha Kukreja
Video: Steve TV Show
Comments