Roughly 14 years ago I was in college, trying to gain some acceptance into any one of the groups around. It wasn't an easy thing for an average guy with not enough pedigree or pocket money.
Then out of nowhere senior students barged into our class and beat up a batchmate (that asshole is an IAS officer today). I volunteered to be a witness at the police station. It was the first time I was seeing the insides of a police station.
Looking back it was a turning point for me. New friends, politics, ideology. Things did a 270 degree turn after a couple of years but the memory still remains.
Needless to say after graduation all the rival gangs compromised the case on realization that survival matters more than the politics.
A few days ago I visited a local pub alone. My regular drinking buddy was touring Europe with his wife and I was missing my vodka. The stench of the place is unbearable but you get adjusted in minutes.
After the drinks I was riding my scooter home when I saw police on the curve I was stopped and asked to breathe out and was caught.
I sat morosely at the station as the in-charge asked me to call up a friend as I realized to my horror that I had none.
Guys as a word of advise take pains to cultivate friends. We easily tend to recline into a self-coccoon. But over the years we will not realize all the good times you would have missed .
