Dil Chahta Hai

I watched the evergreen film, 'Dil Chahta Hai', today. I couldn't resist to recall the happiest moments of my life with my two best buddies, Viraj and Mandar.

It was the first year of my college, the foundation year, with new people, new environment, new world. I was no more than a kid. I met Mandar, who was studying in the third year, on the Swargate bustop, where I used to board the bus sharp at 6.40 am. Me and Mandy, become close friends in a short time, as if it was destined to happen. Later in a couple of months, I met Viraj, who was studying same as Mandy. Viraj used to boast himself in front of the first year students like he always did, every year.

Mandy and Viraj were kind of elder brothers for me. They used to imitate my innocence, bust me off watching dirty assignments, and also help me impressing a girl. I recall incidences when I used to call them all of a sudden in a serious manner. We would have a meeting and my disclosure was that I was in love. Later, it became habitual for them. We experienced all human senses in extremes, emotions, laughter, fights.These two bastards used to visit my classroom in a disguise of giving a demo of their work. Their actual motive was to impress the girls in my class. Once measured our biceps at Mandy's place, I remember, Viraj was the strongest in size and strength.

Mandy was a flirt, he used to experience all different kinds of girls, as if a doctor is performing multiple DNA tests. He was the most impressed and happening person in our families as well. He was a resemblance to studiousness made by my parents. Of course they didn't know the hidden facts. He was a mastermind in uniting couples, he was always busy giving advices and suggestions to guys on this subject. He was the most hated person by the teaching department in our college.

All these things never mattered in our friendship. I never cared, nor do I now, about what he did to other girls, guys, or any other mystery he has not revealed to us. I only cared about his friendship with me and Viraj. That was always intact and the strongest. I still can't believe that he got married a couple of months back!

Viraj, was always an expert in computers. He was patient yet an angry young man. Me and Viraj are working together since 6 years now, on many different projects. The best experience we had together was when we met Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the honourable former president of India. We also have a couple of photographs with the honourable president.

I call Viraj, "Bhauji". I don't remember when I had his naming ceremony done, but he likes it as well. He was in an unprecedented love with a girl in our college, for four years. He fought, yelled, slapped Mandy outraging his anger in support of his love, but that never affected our friendship.

You would think that why am I boasting our friendship and relating it to the classy bollywood flick, 'Dil Chahta Hai'? The answer is that we had absolutely similar incidences, except we never went to Goa. I think Farhan Akhtar stole our story and added Goa to hide his conspiracy.

Instantiating the characters from the film their resemblance with three of us, Mandy was comparable to Akash, Viraj to Sid and Me to Sameer. Clarifying the earlier facts, one: Mandy wasn't ever serious in girls except flirting, two: he was slapped by Viraj, which was consequential to a quarrel on Viraj's unprecedented and one sided love, three: he had to go to his wife's home (before marriage) to ask for permission of marriage in front of her huge joint family, four: he was never serious in anything until marriage. Considering Viraj, one: he has limited hair on his head, two: he is understanding, controlled, creative, three: he slapped Mandy. About me, one: I was always in serious love with many girls, which were all infatuations of the colourful college life. Two: I was always a mediator in Mandy and Viraj's grudges, helping them to resolve their disputes and enjoy the threesome beauty of our friendship.

I remember a couple incidences when, me and Viraj went at Mandy's place for submissions in my first year. The environment resembled to the scene in DCH when, Sid(Akshaye Khanna) presents his artwork to Sameer(Saif) and Aakash(Aamir). We had colours spread all over, brushes lying down, two or three containers full of water ready to get spilled on the floor, while working on our assignments.

We used to laugh out loud, creating scenes in the public without being shameful. Our typical 'Katta' was Sarasbaug. I remember once Mandy had bought all the balloons from a balloon seller to gift them to some of his girlfriend. That was hilarious. We used to sit, sleep, play, roll on the grassy landscapes in the garden. The chats used to last for hours, without keeping any relation with the existence of time. They comprehended, serious family matters, girlfriend experiences or even a lecture on seduction points of women, by professor Mandy.

Both of these bastards didn't have a specific time to visit my place; one of the informality I adore, which kept our bond intact. We used to eat 10 samosas each sometimes when we were at my place. Amrit sweets near my place was almost irresistible to the three of us. Years passed without disturbing or interfering our friendship or even weakening it. Even if I call Mandy or Viraj after a couple of months, years or decades, the tone and informality of speech is and, I am sure, will be the same.

The last time I met them was on the airport before departing from India. In the morning that day, I was the most angry, I had ever been in my life. The reason was Viraj and Mandy had refused to meet me or come to the airport. The said they were a lot busy in their respective work. I felt like something was fishy, but my anger didn't let me keep a hope of them meeting me. Unless they arrived at the airport directly, one and a half hours before my check in, totally surprising me. I was the most happiest person on the earth, I felt. I was overwhelmed with happiness by their presence. I was almost in tears, but these were 'Khooshi ke aasu',(tears of happiness). They neither said bye or good luck nor did they wish me luck for my future prospects. We exchanged a firm hug and then they just admonished me to make a girlfriend as soon as possible and... (censored)

I think that's what make us different!


"ya toh ye foto 3D hai ya fir humari dosti gehri hai" - bad joke! :)