To a writer experiencing writer’s block for the past three months, their muse shall be their best friend. To a lonely wanderer, roads serve the company; to a roaring detective, perhaps a Dr. Watson would fill the gap.
To the night-owls, the flickering candle or their NETFLIX subscription or maybe the night itself is beloved. To book lovers, their leafy friends take them places and even awaken the bereft corners of their hearts.
Friendships are tagged, boasted off and even glorified at the cost of the reputation of another gender. Friendship for a better part is centered on the loyalty promised by one man to another. Sounds medieval dear readers? Perhaps it does and for most parts familiar because a friendship seems perfect with two men sharing their bro-code or at least we are made to believe in that fashion. Loyalty seems to be the trademark of men alone and that gossip is somehow everything two women would do.
Amidst all the hue and cry or cheers and boos for the bro- code there are friendships that exceed the slow-moving yet gripping train of patriarchy. Friendships defy ages, genre of interest and sometimes not so human by species. The warmth of your kittens greeting you home, a brief conversation with a 70-year-old fellow train passenger, the friend that only sends street food in your dm would all count as a friend.
Friendships should not be rodomontade of grand gestures or the kind that remembers you only in times of need. One must have the luxury of having that friend, perhaps whom you do not need but you have because that person right there is a luxury.
In movies, friendships between two women are often shown to lack the foundations of trust and loyalty. Perhaps it is the scriptwriter or even women believing the very same. Friendships are a music that one hears long after their ears and hearts fail. It is not bound by the narrow corners of gender, social status, bank balance or even the success one holds.
It is a consistent understanding between two people and sometimes not so amiable because they disagree and battle off debates until 2:00 am at night and yet the very next moment would share their deepest misery or loudest humour and boastfully throw away tales of how they did not make dalgona coffee.
A movie not having a fourth wall break and the director’s metaphors may be the only conversation they support but is yet the truest of all friendships. There are friendships where eyes do the talking and not even a brief “hello” be exchanged and yet the warmth of friendship might still soak the warmth of mere presence.
The boundaries that we readily set for the maintenance of #friendships in conversation and our social media platforms are all overwhelming and sometimes too far-reaching. The friendships that you want to hold need not be approved by the masses, it is the simplest of most human emotions.
So, this friendship day you could be available for a long break-up story of your besties; might only send a meme in response; might perform a loot at the Friendship Day Union or even sneak into the cosiest corner of your room to soak in pages after pages; could even feel monsoons soaking in. In short, let all friendships be appreciated and Salute! in advance.
GEETANJALI MALI
The writer is a B.Tech student at Tezpur University. She can be reached at geetanjalimalee@gmail.com