It had been a real long time. I have been too busy. To be frank have been to lazy to take time and write something out here. I have been concentrating on too many stuff to write. Finally, I did decide on what to write.
MY CHEDDI GANG
Every set of friends thinks they are special and unique and they are the best. We don't. There is nothing special about us. We are just a bunch of friends who studied together, who hang out together once in a while, pull each others legs all the time and yeah forgot to mention this, Ofcourse a bunch of nice looking guys :P.
Disclaimer: Whatever that is written here are purely facts and everything that resembles to actual characters is intentional. :)
It struck me this week when we all met up as one of us is leaving for his internship to US in Surgery. First in our gang to fly overseas. What a bundle of contradictions is what we are and what a metamorphosis it has been for the past 15 to 16 years. From a bunch of mischievous teenagers to sons who continue to meet their fathers expectations as well as theirs.
Kaasi, Massa, Guddu,Patty,Bull,Tipple,Appa.... a weird bunch which has been holding together even while everyone of us were busy with our own goals and careers. I wondered,What had been holding us strong for so long. I felt, My gang is a 'Home-Bound' one and will always be, the only common thread between us that had held us so long.
Schooling was fun.
The first major funny incident(read intentional accident) and top one would be when one of the nicest chaps in the class was a victim of tipple n his badmaashi. Even now, that chap's mother asks me about him when I visit that guys house. That chap had been subjected to severe treatment on his bum courtesy: TIPPLE. The other major one was when patty introduced himself to us for the first time. We even laugh now thinking how funnily he had pronounced his old school name. The famous Panch Pandavas was the running joke since school days. Or be nonsensical egoistic clash between appa n guddu for something trivial due to which they two didn't speak for almost 7 years.
10th standard was founding stone where everyone was undergoing a huge character/attitude change towards life. To be frank, after 10th none of us were in touch till we actually got into our graduation. That 2 year period was a major transition in our Individual lives where each one came to know lot about life and other stuff. The most grueling period.
Why was that distance in spite of being near. I still don't know the answer. I don't even want to know the answer as that period was the time where we just entered the world to stand in our own feet and know what is it to be all by yourself. It came unannounced into our lives telling us there is a whole new world out there where the average guy what we have been in school was in process to find that we are not underdogs but guys who know what they want and know how to get it. Some have got it. Some of them are still in the process. We all will get it.
Enter graduation, where everyone was in different colleges and pursuing different goals and ambitions. The outlook towards life and to each other had changed to greater extent and most importantly, in-spite of so many changes, the inner most, core element of being 'Home-Bound' hasn't changed.
Now, whenever we meet I find this element that has been binding us together getting stronger and stronger. Far from the family, in a new world, new environment , we are still discovering the 'REAL' us. We all discuss the conservative mindsets we have been brought up in and how we are in changing those mindsets to our own individual convenience.
These changing mindsets made us become independent. The one great thing about us is that. We all bought what we always wanted with our own individual efforts. Not even once did we ever ask for a helping hand. Not because we are egoistic but because we know we could get it ourselves and we know we could handle ourselves.
While Each of one us are still in our paths of goals, fulfilling their responsibilities and nurturing their beliefs about life. One pursuing after something that is so personal and important to him to prove something to someone. The other in the process of finding his real self. One in the process of finding his feet back while the other in the process of fulfilling his family responsibilities.
As someone said, its a tough world out there, we all are facing the rough patches in our lives without relinquishing the true self and hopefully we come out flying
'Home-Bound'.
P.S: Guddu we all sincerely hope u complete your education before our chidren :) and hope u r having a ball in those formals out there. Will miss ya for sure....
Cos Oh my brother,
