Friday, June 18, 2010

Keep in touch

Have you ever noticed a few phrases often used when bidding goodbye-‘See-you’/’Keep in touch’. Don’t we use them so casually? Do we take the extra mile to keep in touch?

Take out a pen and paper. If you haven’t still lost the ability to write, jot down the names of your friends from school, college etc. Highlight the ones you vowed you will never forget. Are you sure all of them are alive still?

11th and 12th were the darkest years of my academic life. The sheer size of the school overwhelmed me. I couldn’t make any close friends. Nothing went past the nominal ‘hi’ and ‘bye’. I didn’t mean I was a loner. We exchanged jokes, helped each other cheat in exams and helped out with notes. But I didn’t know where anyone lived. How many brother/sister they had etc.

But there was one guy, Mat, who was a persistent disturbance to this pleasant equilibrium. He disturbed us for lab records, notes, adult magazines, CDs and countless other things. He made surprise visits to our houses and made sure that we visited his (at least to retrieve our personal properties from him).

Even after the schools, he painstakingly collected all the contact information and shamelessly called us each up. He kept in touch persistently. He became one point of contact for any information. He made sure that we meet each other when we were back in town. Mind you it would have been tough to bring reluctant bunch of guys together.

Slowly we developed a bond with each other. We tried to call each other up. A few months back Mat flew out for his higher studies. Today, there is a strain in our bond. Simply because we no longer bother to ‘keep in touch’.

8 comments:

Rachna said...

Yes, keeping in touch is important. But, we all are so caught up in our routines that catching up with friends takes a backseat and people drift apart. I try to email my friends and check on them once every couple of months. I think facebook helps a lot to at least keep track of events in other friends' lives.

rohini said...

Keeping touch is nt very difficult these days coz of technology...only one needs the zeal and importance of being in touch...
i rem ...i m in touch with all those who were close to me...but yes smtimes we dnt get time to talk..but we alws share our good and bad...but there are times when u feel that even though u r trying to be touch bt other seems to busy that u back off...
two way effort is imp...

BK Chowla, said...

Those who don't remain in touch have an excuse or the other, it is matter of attitude.No doubt, the speed of life has changed, which must not be an excuse.
I for one, haven't lost touch with my friends of last 40 yrs, irrespective of which country-city they live in.
Just develop a will to do so.

Urvashi said...

keeping i ntouch requires just wish n desire to contact..the mediums are many... so place doesnot necessarily matter these days..!!!

just try to keep in touch n be bonded.. :)

Jon said...

@BK sir,
40 years...awesome... u r a text book

@Rohini...two way effort is important...but for some xtra effort might be required from one side

@Rachna,Urvashi...yes there are a lot of medium but meeting up and talkin thru fone. Nothing can replace it!!

Anonymous said...

For a long time I felt isolated from old friends but now (thanks to the great social networking now available to us) I have linked up with lots of old friends - and yes we do skype and eventually meet up again - its very special when we do!

Destiny's child... said...

Bless those who really keep in touch. I even am guilty of not replying to messages. But I am mending my ways...Your post just reminded me to call up a few friends and say, 'Hi' :) Thank you!

Jon said...

U made me feel good DC... go ahead!!!