People Everywhere

Remember Orkut days? Remember those days where we used to compete to see who had the most friends? Granted, we weren’t even adults yet. Remember those days when everyone had a landline? Remember when we had to write down phone numbers in a phonebook?

I didn’t get a cell phone till I was 18 (this was 2008). How was keeping in touch so much easier back then? I probably had a literal handful of friends, so life was easier?

Social media was quite new then so hardly anyone was on it. Honestly, I don’t even remember how I kept in touch with people before social media.

I have lived in 3 cities (one of those on the other side of the world), met a LOT of people, and had the pleasure to have befriended quite a few of them. Are they really friends though? My friend Ethan used to say this about me: “Shri has a lot of acquaintances, not friends.” Maybe he’s right? Keeping in touch with people has always been difficult for me. So I open this question up to you.

How do you keep in touch with all your friends? It’s a serious question.

When you live in the same city as your friends, it’s easy to meet them in person. How do you do that when all your friends are scattered over the world? And I’m not even talking about acquaintances.

My parents (especially my Mom) have done admirably at keeping in touch with so many of their friends and family. She calls each of her 4 sisters (my aunts) quite regularly and is still in touch with her college friends AND school friends. I always admire my parents for their ability to compartmentalize their life. I have struggled with that. An easy way to cop out of this is the fact that most friends of theirs are based in India.

Video calling during COVID times seems to be the best way out. But that’s not my jam. I’d rather meet people in person.

I try to wish everyone I know on their birthdays. It leads me down a rabbit hole sometimes since I have some very specific memories with some friends.

Facebook has been excellent at reminding me of people’s birthdays. If I have their phone numbers, I wish them through WhatsApp. Americans, please try to use some messaging app because I cannot SMS/text you. Also, I have actively been trying to reduce my Facebook usage so I’ve started saving friends’ birthdays on Google Calendar.

Maybe I’m just a person who doesn’t have a lot of close friends? Maybe that’s a cop-out? Maybe my friend Ethan was right. Maybe I am one of those people who has a lot of acquaintances but not friends?

That’s not to say I don’t have friends at all. My school friends are still some of my closest friends. Since we’ve spent quite a bit of our childhood together, it’s easy to just meet them without keeping in constant touch. I also have close friends from my two attempts at graduation. I think the Indian education system helps you make friends for life because of how much time you spend with the same few people. Of course, you also need to keep in touch after that because life has a way of making people drift apart.

WhatsApp has definitely helped keep in touch with some friends purely because some groups tend to be active. I apologize if I haven’t been as good about keeping in touch as I hoped to be.

Having said that, I want to talk to all y’all, so please respond to this blog post? Or ping me on Insta or Facebook Messenger. Hell, LinkedIn works in a pinch.

I love you all. I hope to see you when COVID eases out. I miss all of you.

Death and All His Friends – Part 2

Okay, Ashmita, big smile. I finally found the inclination to write the second part of my latest post. So, let me continue with a few more of my classmates.

Mustufa Mukadam (Bhaijaan(?))

Mustufa studied in an all-boys school. And yet he doesn’t lust after girls. Now That is a wonder. Well, anyway, he’s the typical technosexual guy whol loves computer games, his cell phone and anything to do with technology. He also hates attending college, loves watching movies, and is brilliant at CP. For all the uninitiated, that is Computer Programming. Without being too polite, he is crappy at football (and most sports, I think). And loves to criticize and complain. That apart, he specializes in horrible, painful PJs which only I understand. Period.

Pratik Wagh (Prats, Waggy(?), Patrick(?))

Pratik is a guy who I knew since my Bhavan’s days but never knew-knew. You know what I mean. Patrick is a really great guy, is very friendly and has a decent sense of humour. One of the cleverer guys around, and a good dancer, he is the guy who will always buy a glass of juice when in the canteen. Lives on a liquid diet, that guy. Lives very close to college, yet always manages to arrive late.

Saumil Shah (100 Mills, Log Mill, Sau)

Just looking at him, you know you can trust him with anything. He’s one of those typical nice guys you hear about everyday, the ones who help old women cross the street. Not a bad streak in his character. Loves to dance and to hang out with the girls 😛 Big, strong and silent types, clever and very popular amongst the girls. That’s Saumil for you.

Parshva Shah (Parshava, Parshvanath, etc.)

Saumil’s best friend and one of the wackiest people you will find. Thin and blessed with the ability of talking at top-speed, he is bound to remind you of a nervous colt. Very mischievous. Life-blood of our class. A very fun person to be with.

And The Others …

Mayuresh Madbhavi (Mayur, Madbhavi)

Fat. Nerdy. But a very good guy, in whatever way you want. Except that he lies about his studies. Can’t write more for him.

And last, but not the least …

Ashmita Sengupta

Okay. I first got to know her because she has a blog. I can safely claim that she is the only living person in SP whose likes closely resemble mine. Both of us like rock (preferably classic). She  has been trying to make me complete this blogpost for a few days now. Even trying to tempt me with Cheese Pav Bhaaji. But that apart, she is a really nice girl who tries to get credit from people she hardly knows. To the tune of 500 rupees. Can get really boring on the phone. 😛

Okay, I only completed this post because I want to taunt you with the fact that I ate Cheese Pav Bhaaji and could not bear to not tease you about being broke 😛

Death and All His Friends – Part 1

Now into the second semester at my time at Sardar Patel College of Engineering, I’ve had my share of good times and bad times here. Mostly good times, thanks to all the great friends I’ve made when I came here. I will try to delve deeper into the characters of most of them, and how they’ve made life in SP better for me. And I’m not just referring to people from my class. All nicknames at the end are Sontakke inventions.

Pranav K (Prani, Baldy, Sanchi Manchi(?))

One of my first friends here, and at first glance, he looks like a typical Tamilian guy. The fact that he isn’t is pretty ironical. Both of us are partners in crime, being in the same batch during practical, and we’ve become thick friends in the past few months. One of the most helpful guys you could find, besides being an excellent cricketer and a brilliant person at heart. Even though he’s a vegetarian, he isn’t too squeamish about some of our non-vegetarian habits. Loves to get a few one-liners in and is a major abettor of our habit of admiring the opposite sex.

Ankit Agra(ar)wal (Anky, Daddy Yankee(?))

Still doesn’t know the actual spelling of his own surname. Again, one of the best friends I have at SP. We share many common likes, and many similar tastes, which is very uncommon in guys in college. Very silent and secretive, but also a very nice-hearted guy. Always on the lookout for minor mischief  possibilities. Pretty generous and always eager to go home (obviously, considering he lives in Thane!). Surprisingly enjoys chicken and dislikes football. Can you believe, he’s never read a book in his life!

Saurabh Sontakke (Sontakke, Sontakva, Sontakvi, Rain Man, Seelo(?))

One of the weirdest people you can find, we share a lot of similar principles. No cake-smearing and no littering. We’re pretty strong on all that. Also one of the cowardly people you could find (He’s actually afraid of camera flashes). Loves eating and visiting the toilet. Hence one of the nicknames. Also loves animals of all kinds. Very generous and decent and, surprisingly for a Maharashtrian, is a vegetarian. Always hyper about things, generally football and Dadoo. I’m not referring to Amitabh Bachchan here.

Vinayak K (Ramakant, Vinayaka, Ramakant Desai(?))

Again, weird. Always wants to do something other than the consensus. Is always broke. Loves eating, and is very ambitious. Still is disappointed about not getting into IIT, always harps on about it. Nice defender, and very very strong. Loves to dance, and playing the tabla on whatever solid surface he can find. Fond of music and singing, but strictly Bollywood music. He and Sontakke think on the same wavelength. Hence, they’re always together, i.e, if Sontakke isn’t with Dhruv.

Ashwin Awalgaonkar (Asswinder , Kameena, Asswin)

Easily the most studious of the lot. Hails from Nashik, but already knows Bombay better than the rest of us. Ok, Andheri. Lives in SP hostel, always completes his homework like the good kid he is. And then lets us copy :P. The only other person who eats in the mess everyday with me. But that’s because he has to, and always preaches about “the value of the cliched ghar-ka-khaana.” Ready to do anything for a bit of fun (except the aforementioned obsession with studies) because he gets bored in his hostel. But a very nice guy.

Dhruv Shah (Drrr…)

Typical Gujju guy, except for the fact that he prefers football over cricket. Loves to play cards. Hates to go anywhere (except for a sleepover) and hates to eat out. Cannot let a day go by without playing football in college. Very bold and easy-going, and always has his homework complete on time. Was in KC with Sontakke and hence they are fast friends. Very good guy and a nice friend. Has invented a weird name for me (Shwee).

Will continue with a few more in the next part. Don’t worry, all the rest. Mustufa, Saumil, Parshva, Pratik, Mayuresh, Ashmita, to mention a few.