The following conversation took place few days back. Annu, not Anu, was my batchmate. She called me on my cell. I dont know from where she got my cell no.
Annu: Hi Chetan, Main Annu bol rahi hun. Kaise ho? (This is me Annu. How are you?)
Me:Hey am fine how are you? Long time no see.
This long time is 2 long, more than 2 years. Last time we had any conversation was me sending her B’day wishes.
Annu: Am fine. Chetan I have an assignment on C++. Can you do this for me?
Me: Am afraid Annu I can not.
Annu: Why?
Her tone is more of attacking.
Me:
Annu: Why no?
Again the same tone.
Me: Annu I am overworked. I leave office by 11PM and that too coz folks at home will not let me enter home after 11PM.
Annu: So you will not.
This time tone was threatening.
Me: I am sorry Annu I can not help you this time.
Last line again.
Me: I am afraid Annu I can not help you this time.
Annu: OK. BYE.
Upper case means shouting in computers. This Girl is one of my many So Called Friends.
Now the following is one of normal conversation that takes place between me and Navneet.
Navneet: Hellooooo Chetan, What are you doing?
Me
h no. No I am not coming to pick you up and drop you at your place.
Navneet: Chetan 
? Shut up and lisn to me. You asked me to buy some thing for you GF. I have it. Now If you need your stuff come.
Me:
This is blackmail.
Navneet: Its like that Chetan. 
I will go and spend next 2 hours with her. We will go for a coffee and as usual we will fight who will pay the bill for the coffee. Normally neither of us wants to pay for coffee.
This is what happens with me and Bhupinder.
Bhupi:Helloo, What are you doing? I am going for lunch. Wanna come?
Me: Oh man. I cant spare a moment. Can you come to my place.
Bhupi: Okie am coming. But I will not pay for lunch.
Bhupi will spend 100 Rs just to have lunch with me that costs me around 50 Rs.
Bhupinder and Navneet are one of my few FRIENDS.
A quote says, your number of friends is your age. I am below10. Many ppl call me a FRIEND but I classify them as
- Real pals
- Net pals
- Blog pals
- Email Pals
- Friendly ppl
- SO CALLED FRIEND
Of all these I will try to avoid the last one So Called Friends. But bad thing is that So Called Friends were once my real pals. I used to have blindfaith in them. Now they even dont respond to my b’day wishes and will not take my calls. Yes they will call me when they need some help from me. When they need some help in assignments, they are unable to connect to Yahoo! messenger or when they need tips for interview. These So Called Friends are from both genders. Males and females. Some of my BEST so called friends have backstabbed me. Still I dont have any grudges against them. They cant stand infront of me but still I will send them B’day wishes. They think Kumar Chetan is a fool. They don’t know I wont miss a chance to give them a blow. I will no backstab them, I will slap them on their face. I will make them feel the pain.
Once Nitin, one of my REAL PAL, asked me,” Why do you get irritated when I say YOUR FRIEND ANNU or SILKY? I feel like I have abused you.”
I respect Nitin a lot. He is the guy who tought me all the little business sense I have. I call him Boss. I answered, “Sir this may sound sentimentatl or emotional to you but friend is a sacred word for me. You know who are my friends. I dont like these mean persons to be called my friends. This is a kind of blasphemy.”
This valentine the very first call I got was from Devinder. Me Devinder and Bhupinder were roommates and batchmates. We had requested warden to shift 3 of use to one room. My image of a good guy in the college helped and warden alloted 3 of us a room in seniors block. We theree were not big guns. Me a an avearage 5 feet 3-4 inches guy, Devinder a simple sardar with totally Punjabi rural looks and only bhupinder was bit sophisticated jatt sardar. In our hostel if some one spotted any one of us he or she can tell that other 2 guys are around. Me and devinder even escotred Bhupi on his dates with Cherry. Cherry and Bhupi separate and me and Devinder on separate table. Then after studies Archu was my best pal. She got married and I lost touch with her. I miss her. We both used to do EVETEASING. We Whisteled at girls. Rated girls as HOT, GORGEOUS, COOL and SOSO. All my Girl Gyan is due to Archu. She used to tell me bout how CHALU girls are. I really miss her. Then In Chandigarh Shubhu and OOPS. I called Shubhranshu in Bangalore today.
“My Dear Garhwali Devdaas, How are you?”
“Am fine sir how are you?”
“Tell me when do the deluxe bus for Delhi leaves from Chandigrah.”
Now OOPS, his name is Upnish. I call him OOPS as it sounds more friendly to a PC Geek.
“Hey dude. Who are you? Why are you? Where are you and when are you?”
“Am kool wat bout U moron.”
“Tell me one thing does your girl friend loves me?”
“NO.”
“Did you ask her about my love?”
“Why the hell I should ask her? You mind your own business.”
“Why do you feel insecure yaar?”
“No I dont feel insecure for myself but for you as I will not leave your single bone in one piece.”
Wiered. Insane. Totally insane and wiered. Only my pals can bear me.
Me, Shubhu and OOPS used to bunk classes. Used to go to lake. Try to find a group of three girls to balance our group. Used to argue very strongly on some useless points. Suddenly Shhubhu decided to leave Chandigarh and he shifted to Bangalore. And OOPS also dropped the course. Now I was part of a group where I met my so called friends. Friends who today will not take my calls. Wont send a thanks If I send them a B’day wish. I met Her and Navneet. Navneet, a good looking girl. Although doing shopping with females is a nightmare I used to accompny Navneet for her shopping sessions. We shared bills for coffes and sandwitches. I used to demand 400 Rs for a bottle of Bacardi if she kept me waiting for more than 15 mins.
Mah, she is one of my best Net Pal. Then Mangesh. Cool dude. He renamed Mah as Mahalaxmi and I like this name. Neelu is offline most of the time as she is working on her new project, “How to be a good mom”. Otherwise I will keep telling her to make sure her husband is not having some extra marital affair and she shouting at me, “You keep quite or I will $&%^&$%^&”
Some of my blog pals have turned into my net pals. Some, not all.
(Some are still more cryptic to me than differential equations. And most of them are girls. Not you yaar if you are reading this. I think you know whome I am reffering to. Eggjaktleee.)
What makes a simple human standing in a crowd a friend or a pal?
Trust.
Said very simply. But its a real trait to build and maintain trust.
It takes years to build trust and just seconds to break it.
Wine and friendship. Older the better.
PS: The Miss Cryptic Commented on this entry. Senorita its Kumar Chetan not CHETHAN. Am Not THAMIL. I dont use TH for T.
ME cryptic!i got u r point chethan…
good post