Disclaimer: The incidents mentioned below are real and really have got something or the other to do with the persons mentioned. They are all living beings like you and I and some of them are still in touch with me one way or the other.
I cant recall what year it was – but it must be around 1998 or 1999 summers that I finally was getting used to yahoo chat rooms and messenger, picking up special people I was chatting and interacting with from rooms to my messenger for those personal sessions. During the same time I met – rather interacted with a lady from down south Texas, USA. She was the warden of children rehabilitation centre, divorced with two kids. Somehow we started interacting and chatting on chat and that went to the level of exchanging phone numbers and even addresses too. Why? Because she had nobody to confide in and I too was friendless as new in Noida and had hardly any friends than a couple of neighbors. She made it a point to wake me up by calling me on my landline and singing me a fundoo song on her piano and I made it a point to call her in the evening(her time) and wish her good night. None of us had any expectations from other but we were good friends and looked forward to talk to each other for hours and talk whatever. She is still in touch with me but now only thru mails.
I moved on** – became an expert on Internet – started writing blogs and then MS too came in my life. Unlike any other place MS gave me some real good friends and that too for life. It all started with writing reviews, ratings, commenting and so called chatting on anybody’s comments section, you always fall in the trap of like minded people and why not?
There is this guy who was a regular on my reviews and vice versa, when we were expecting our first child – I confided with him that I was wishing a girl child – he happened to be a parent of a cool boy, immediately proposed that if my baby happens to be a girl – we will marry them. Can you believe this that we adults can too talk like that? And then onwards we are known as Samdhi’s in our friend circle, I met him on my last visit to Delhi and this time guess what? Straight from Railway station I am going to his home as I know I am more than welcome their. We have shared our personal experiences, helped each other on professional grounds and a lot many other things as well and I can bet that he is one of the best friends I have got from Internet for life.
And then there is this another guy – this is the most recent example – I met him(on net) I guess just a couple of months ago – one fine day he wrote a review on a movie – which was exactly like my type of movie but my bad luck – I was unable to get the DVD – what was the option I had? Nothing – Just like that I mentioned this to him and asked him to burn a copy on a DVD from his laptop and send it to me by courier – I am sure you will be surprised to know that he indeed sent it – not even one movie he bloody burned my favorite 3 more movies on the same before sending it. Second – he even almost goes to the extent of investing in a current hot burning IPO for me on a promise that I will be sending him money in his account this morning.(Almost).
And then there is this girl I again met on the net who one fine day goes to Ganga Kinare and I somehow got that information– Guess what – I requested her to get a water bottle full of GangaJal and she really brought it, Just that somehow until now we have not met to complete the transaction but even this says a lot about our friendship.
And then there is this guy who is like a 50KM from my home town – just a couple of RRC’s later we became friends and a couple of years down the line he proved our friendship by going to an extent of taking care of my 8 months pregnant wife from Airport to our home, Arranging a cab for her, sending her comfortably and confirming the same to me twice –(Almost).
And then** I found / met this guy who mentioned in one of his reviews that he was going to Hyderabad the very next day and I had this cell phone which I was thinking of sending to my little bro in Hyderabad and was not so keen on sending it by courier as had heard of horror stories that people send cell phones in courier and the other party receives a vintage instrument – I m2med him and he was more than glad to meet me at the airport and surprisingly he indeed took the cell and gave it to my little bro in Hyderabad. He happens to be the second member of MS whom I have met in person.
And then I met this guy who almost every body knows here who was my brother and I was his brother – even he went to an extent of helping me by doing a referral check for a friend of mine(a non mouth shutter) for a fake job offer he had and was almost about to spend something like a 2000 pounds on the same. He checked the whereabouts of the agents and came back informing us that they are indeed fake and are just minting money from people who were looking for jobs abroad. It’s very unfortunate that he is not among us today.
And then there is this guy in pune who happens to be a geek on MS with one real and a dozen fake id’s. Twice we have crossed our ways but have been unfortunate to not to meet till now. Right now he is in Mumbai and I am looking forward to catch up with him in our upcoming Mumbai meet for sure. He is one of the best and the youngest writers of MS.
And then there are couple of real cool guys, whom I cant resist not to talk for a week or so and looking forward to catch them up on another MS quitters marriage – who just quit and came back with attitude again saying – “I am a hard nut to crack” – he indeed is a hard nut to crack. LOL.
Surprisingly I have not met any of these guys barring of course my Samdhi. Whom I have met once for a couple of hours that too at his home and what an evening that was. So late in the night we gate crashed in his office and his wonderful wife insisted on going home for dinner then to a restaurant which was right across the road where we met.
*Is this trust or what?
Are these guys in my trusted circle?
*PS: Thanks to Mouthshut for introducing so many of my types to me. Great friends for life.
Ratings and Comments are more than welcome.