My dearest Brother

It was 3 in the afternoon. Blistering heat. Wobbly auto rikhshaw, the kind that can seat 6 people in one. Six of us friends heading for alibaug. Things were getting quiter as we ran out of ideas to play or talk about something. Sriram pops a question to us. What are the 3 BEST things that happened to you in these four years in VESIT. Almost instantaneously, a name flashed in front of my eyes...'Seshu' it read...

Seshadri NArasimhan - Not so Tall. Only bones and skin, No flesh. Typical madrasi looking. Noticeable glasses. Scholarly looks...Well this is the description of his which will not do any justice to the gem of a person that he is.

I met him for the first time in the first SFMC meeting in my second year. He comes across as an intelligent and caring person to everyone. That is how even i felt. I interacted quite a bit with him professionally regarding SFMC work with him in the second year. I never realised that a wonderful friendship was in the making. I found the kind of a friend that i think i was sub conciously looking out for. At the end of the second year, I tied him a Rakhi and officially made him my brother. And for the record...He didnt give me any gift. Not even a Chocolate!!!

"Seshu, Waste hai tu".
By the way. I keep saying this to him quite often. :) But what i really mean when i say is...
"I love you brother"...

You can just stop loving this guy...
He can read my pulse. Yes! he really can. He always knows the mood that i am in. At times when even my mom doesnt know that something is bothering me, seshu knows. He would deligently come into the class, stand besides my bench and look at me for a moment. I now what he is going to say next. And even he knows that i know!! But I behave like i am toally unaware of his intentions. I look at him stupidly and say an artificially cheerful "HI SESHU"... He would throw one of his "Shut up Stupid" looks and say what i know he is going to say "Aparna, Bahar Chal"...Well, sitting on the bench out side my class starts the counselling session. I have ALWAYS felt better after speaking to him.

We discuss almost everything under the sun... My deepest fears, stupidest ideas and craziest fantasies find reason with him. Something spectacular about this guy is that he says what we want to hear. 100% of the times, we are in tune. He understands exactly what i feel and says exactly the things i want to hear.

The third year, the most important year of our friendship, saw the both of us taking up very important posts in our college society SFMC. Through out the year, he has been by my side, telling me what i should be doing and what i should stay away from and appreciating my work. He has been my best critic too! He has been my greatest support on my most miserable days and has always come to me with his problems looking for support from me. Yes, we have had some misunderstandings, but very few of them, and I know for sure that these episodes have only strengthened our friendship.

That year, during Raksha Bandhan, i tied him a rakhi again, but this time I really wasnt expecting anything from him. And as usual he said, "Mere paas tujhe dene ke liye kuch nahi hai re!!" And for a change, i was not too upset at this. Coz i really didnt want anything FROM him. I just wanted him to be my side as always. That day, there was a surprise awaiting me in my mail box. It was a poem written by him for me. A simple yet beautiful poem. I would have read it atleast a hundred times that day and i continue to read it now and then. It makes me feel special. It was then that i came to know of yet another talent of my brother...He was a POET, and a really good one too!!! :):)

Three years of long chats and discussions in the corridors of VESIT, crying on each other's shoulder, scolding each other for some stupid mistakes and i know this is just the begining of our friendship. I know we have a long way to go. I know that i wont let go off him, succumbing to the geological barriers that may come between us. But still there is this fear... Fear of not having him by my side at all times...(come on, i have to be practical).

I would like Time to take a rewind, taking me three years back...I would gladly relive these three years just for one reason and it is him.

I will miss you brother...

P.S. : These lines still do not do justice to the gem of a person that he is.