Different views on Friendship Day

By Gopika Vaidya

When you hear about Friendship Day, you’re probably going to think, "Oh no! Not one of those soppy, sentimental days again!" You’re probably right, for Friendship Day has become a day of cards (these days, mostly the electronic variety), ribbons, flowers and loads of multi-calorie chocolate.

But if you were to distill the fluff and feathers from it, Friendship Day is a time when you can put aside your egos and problems and show your friends just how truly special they are.

"Friendship Day is a day when you can meet all your friends, old and new, make new friends and enjoy yourself with them," says Priya Nair, 23. "For me friendship is giving pure love without asking for anything in return."

Priya’s most memorable Friendship Day took place last year when she, along with a group of friends from her computer course took the day off and celebrated together. "All of us went for a movie and had a delicious lunch. Then we walked down Marine Drive, eating bhutta and bhel and enjoying the sea view. In spite of the huge lunch, we were hungry so we bought a cake and ate it all up! At the end of the day, we tied ribbons on each other’s wrists as a mark of out friendship for each other" says Priya.

This year Priya plans to call all her old college friends and organise a reunion.

Cake seems to be a Friendship Day favourite for 23-year-old Shweta Sharma as well. "Two years ago on Friendship Day a bunch of us bought a huge cake and ate the entire thing!" she laughs. "But for me, Friendship Day is one day when you can take off from everything and hang out with your friends. This year, I’ll probably go out for dinner with my friends," says Shweta, for whom friendship is trying to understand each others feelings and being there for each other.

Nemin Chander, 21, takes a more serious view to Friendship Day. "It’s a reason to celebrate with your friends and show them how important they are to you," he says. "A lot of people end up taking friends for granted and this day helps show them how special they are."

Nemin’s friend Rufus Lobo is a bit more sceptical. "As far as I’m concerned, Friendship Day is no special day," he says. "But friendship on the whole, is a relationship with someone whom you want beside you, to share your tastes and interests. What my friends do for me, I’d do for them in an instance."

For Prachi Chaturvedi, 21, "Friendship Day is important for me to make my friends feel important and special." According to Prachi, her friends have been there for her and helped her through every stage of life. "Even my current job in the merchandising industry is thanks to a friend!" says Prachi, who is in regular touch with friends from school, college and work.

Friendship Day is also about renewing contacts with old friends while making new ones. Shweta recalls the thrill of hearing from an old friend and finding a wonderful surprise in store for her. "A friend from junior college called me after two years. It was so great to hear from him and we decided to meet. Can you imagine my surprise when I went to meet him and found my entire group of friends from junior college there? I just couldn’t believe it! We were so comfortable together after all that time and we’re still in touch with each other."

Similarly, one of Nemin’s closest friends goes back to his days in kindergarten, with whom he is still in regular touch.

While Friendship Day is all about fun, frolic and celebration, the true meaning of a friend is someone who stands by you in good times and bad. Nemin realised the value of friendship one dark night when he had an accident. "My car went over a divider and I had an accident. The first person that came to my mind was Rufus. I called him and he was there in five minutes, just like I knew he would be," he says.

For Priya, it took a failed exam to realise how important her friends were. "After I failed, I was so dejected and disappointed and lost all sense of self-esteem and confidence. It was my friends who pulled me out of my depression and helped me study for the exam, constantly encouraging me and keeping me going. On the day of the exam, they dropped me to college and waited till I’d finished my paper. Not only did I do really well in my paper, but this experience also made me realise just how much my friends mean to me and taught me the true value of friendship."

They may be the ones we shout and scream at; the ones whom we are occasionally jealous of; the ones whom we share crushes and secrets with; the ones for whom we declare, "I hate that idiot!" But our friends become our extended family and our relationships with them are precious and true.

This Friendship Day, reach out to an old friend or a new one, to renew an existing friendship and give it a new closeness, make up with a friend you’re angry with or forge a new relationship. For by doing that, you will enrich your own world.