With A Little Help From My Friends

It took me eighteen years of my life to figure out the various moods of my hair and it also took me eighteen years to figure out the various phases of my friends.
Eighteen years was enough to realise that there is a striking similarity between the two.
Over the years, I've lost both my friends and my hair. They've thinned, they've changed and sometimes I pulled them out.
Eighteen years was enough to understand that be it my hair or my friends, what's lost is lost.
Those that remain are those that matter.
And those that remain are the special ones that hung on tight.

So to all the people, I call my best friends. We've been through a lot and we've done a lot. We've changed and we've grown. But most importantly we've stuck together.

Here are a few things you say, jaane-unjaane mein, that leave an impact and help me get by. 

Mari: You have such nice brown hair, which shines and s**t. What have you got to worry about?”

Me: Okay, one, I still have this whole big problem called Life. And two, I literally have no hair left.

Mari: Shut up, girl-with-head-full-of-hair.

Me: Maybe I need a thicker skull.

Mari: You have thick hair, okay. That is enough. Do you realise 87% people suffer from balding? You have one less problem than 87% of the living world.

Me: Way to make a girl feel good about her life.

Me: I really envy Anam.

Iffu: Why?

Me: Well, she’s got the brains to top her class and she’s so pretty. I’ve always envied girls with the best of both worlds.

Iffu: You mean yourself?

Maru: Sumoo, your life is a movie. Five years of being in it has definitely taught me that. And right now, you’re just in the early parts. Like the first 20 minutes. The first 20 minutes are always the slowest and the dullest. That’s why its okay to be late for a movie. Nobody cares about the first 20 minutes.

Me: Unless you’re going for Kahaani. Or Memento.

Maru: Actually, I take that back. Your life has not been dull for longer than a week straight. And you know what, I’m always going to be around, if only because I’m way too curious to see how this movie ends.

Me: This gives a whole new meaning to ‘Be careful what you wish for’.

Mai: Sumi, do you know the name of the person standing behind Shah Rukh Khan in the ‘Bhaago’ scene of Om Shaanti Om?

Me: Who? Sreyas Talpade?

Mai: Who is Sreyas Talpade?

Me: The friend of Om.

Mai: You’re the only person in the entire world who knows that actor’s name. But I’m not talking about him.

Me: Then who are you talking about?

Mai: The other person. Standing to his right.

Me: Who is this person? I don’t know.

Mai: Exactly.

Me: I am so lost.

Mai: Do you know why?

Me: Why what?

Mai: You don’t know his name.

Me: No, why?

Mai: Because he’s a junior artist. And nobody cares about junior artists in a movie. Sumi, everyone in your life right now is a junior artist. Don’t care so much about what they say or do. It doesn’t make any difference to the movie. Just wait for the hero to make an entry. And till then, just bhagooo.

Sania: What, what’s the name of the book?

Me: What book?

Sania: The one whose story you’re reciting.

Me: I’m not retelling a story, Sania. This actually happened to me.

Sania: Damn.

To be continued...