“The program will start only after fifteen minutes as there is a delay in our honourable President's arrival.” The announcement made me travel to my good old days in school.
It was on 2012 July 30th that I was first curious about her, when Mathuri miss, our class teacher asked everyone to tell something about their best friend. Everyone was so excited when Ishani came forward. Our class – the K division was included that year and we all were new students. She was always quiet and haven’t made any friends in class. She seems to be an introvert – always be in her own world. While we all played games and cracked jokes, she was immersed in her novels. She ate lunch alone while we all shared our food. She never came to us for chit-chats and when we go to her she hardly replied. So the whole class was thrilled to know about her friends.
When she spoke about her friendship with Piya, her bestie, I yearned to see her. She told that she shares her worries and joys with her and that amused me. She was so happy to share her unbreakable bond with Piya. From her words, it was clear that Piya was so friendly with her that she never thought of another one. For her, friendship is something that doesn’t demand anything from each other.
Most students including me talked about the ones sitting near us as our best friends. Some friends became unhappy when they haven’t become anyone’s best friends. After that period, almost everyone in our class started to quarrel because of this. I noticed that Ishani was sitting calmly, she has no worries and was not angry with anyone even though no one mentioned her as their best friend. That shocked me, I was surrounded by my two other friends whom I haven’t named my best friend. They were angry with me as they named me and I named my another friend. I feel disgusted when everything ended dramatically - they stop talking to me and were behaving like that I had made some undoable sin.
I realised why Ishani was so different from all of us – for her friendship means happiness. I haven’t slept that day thinking why my friends behave so differently to me. When I go to class next day, I sat near Ishani and she didn’t tell anything. My friends were so furious with me as I changed my seat. Like Ishani, I too started to behave like her. A few days later when she took a novel to read in a free hour, she took another one and handover it to me without telling me anything.
Slowly there bloomed a friendship between us, which irked the whole class. In the beginning she didn’t talk much, but by the passage of time, we share our things, stories and enjoyed being together.
One day I asked her about Piya, her best friend. She was so excited that I still remember her friend's name. She talked a lot about Piya and when I told her my wish to meet Piya, she was so delighted. She promised me that she will bring Piya to school the next day.
I was so eager to meet Piya, my bestie's bestie. I came to school early and was so anxious to meet her. I can’t control my anxiety and I went near our big school gate in the entrance so that I can meet her when she reaches school. From there I could see her coming and I got the glance of her turning the curved road with her father. I was depressed when no other person was with her.
When they neared the entrance, a huge and terrible noise deafened my ears. I was dragged by someone near the gate and when everything calmed down, I saw Ishani lying near the gate flooded in blood. There was a hurry-burry and her wounded father and others lifted her and took her to the nearby hospital. I ran towards her and saw that she hold something so tightly to her chest. While lifting her to the van, it was dropped from her stern hold. I took it with me and entered the van when everyone asked me to step down, her father stopped them and I went with them.
“Tosha, Tosha, your name is called dear”, my mother's horrible shaking made me conscious of the event happening. I went to the stage and the honourable President handed me The youngest Environmentalist Award 2021 and I received it with tearful eyes.
When I reached home I ran to my bedroom and caressed the bonsai Bamboo plant. Tears flooded as I remembered the cost I had to pay for seeing Piya. Even though Ishani never returned to my life again, she gifted me her best friend before leaving everyone.
Ishani taught me that the whole of nature is our friend and a friend should be like nature. They never expect anything from us and shower us with unconditional love.
It doesn’t matter how many friends you have, what matters is that of which how many cares for you.
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