A Gang of Girls

“I swear to say the truth and nothing but the truth”. This is an oft heard dialogue in courtroom dramas of most Bollywood film’s. The reason for its reference here is because, what I intend to write in the next few lines is of utmost significance to me and I don’t want it to be coloured by my own biases. This is a brief account of a group of five girls in college. We may not have been the best of friends, yet some of my most memorable moments have been with them. Let me begin by describing each member of this gang, in the order of our first meeting.

Pallavi: She was the first one I met in college. We were together ever since the time we first met at Venkateshwara college, Delhi, appearing for our ECA trials in the debate category. Right from standing in long queue’s to paying the course fee at our college, to getting selected in the dramatics society of our college, we have been there, seen it and done it all. Pallo or Pals has been extremely popular in class for having the finest sense of humour that came naturally to her. In fact it was this humour that could help us be our normal selves when the two of us fought like cats and dogs. She would amuse me by saying things like “achha….ab mooh band karo varna makhhi andar chali jayegi” (Close your mouth or else a fly will get in.). She was an excellent orator, and even if she would be the least prepared during most of our presentations, she had the capability to defend anything and everything she said.

Preeti: My initial interactions with her were just restricted to the usual greetings of ‘Hi’ n ‘Bye’, but little had I realised then that she would later become the most bullied member of our gang. Her sympathy for rickshaw drivers made her the butt of our jokes. But must say this gal always put up a BRAVE front, as our pranks at times would go over the board. She would always keep her cool during some of the worst of our fights and try putting things in perspective.

Nalini: I have a faint memory of when and how exactly we initially met. Her impeccable sense of writing is her best professional asset. I would often run to her with my assignments and ask her to improvise on my language. Poise, serenity, simplicity are her other valuable traits. Her lunch box would be gone with the blink of an eye. We have feasted our hungry tummies on her Sambhar rice and other South Indian delicacies.

Rommani: The person I was closest to amongst all the other members. A bong to the core, very talkative. She has been a topper throughout in college. She was the one thread that bound the group together. Though the four of us were together for all class presentations, Roms joined a little late. But from then on, she has held us all together. No wonder, she was the most accommodative of the lot. All her personal qualities would reflect in my interactions with her. She was whom I would relate to the most in the group. From working closely in our presentations, to our film, to our radio program, I can sense that hard-work, sincerity and dedication come naturally to her. And that is precisely what I appreciate.

In spite of all these qualities, we somehow couldn’t sustain our friendship for long. The cracks had started appearing during the first year, when I and Rommani began grappling with the fact that other members were not putting in as much efforts during class presentations as the two of us. When we tried confronting the others with the same, the situation turned from bad to worse. So much so, that it was suffocating to stay and work together for our 'film'. I remember how much of a tough time we had during the shoot of the film. There were two camps in one group. One led by me and Rommani and the other led by Pals, Nalini and Preeti. We all hated each other and that made matters even worse. If one made a suggestion , the other camp discarded it, irrespective of the fact that the suggestion was good. This resulted in ego clashes over nothing! Yet, we have had our share of fun, be it sitting in the front stall of a theatre and watching a film or roaming around at Connaught Place and hunting for stuff worth 10-50 bucks! Those were indeed good timesJ All of us have parted ways today. I am only in touch with Rommani. The gang no longer remains, what remains of it is just memories…