Enmity overcomes Friendship

‘The friendship tied with fake knots never lasts longer’

 “A boat, which is, lightly loaded, can easily cross the watercourse. However, the scenario would be different if it’s heavily loaded. There leaves greater possibility of sinking,” said Utkarsh Shrestha. He further said that it was difficult for someone who carries a burden, to go long distance or climb very high.

He further insisted that everyone longs for a chance to live a light-hearted life because only that brings cheerfulness and gives a chance to think about uplifting oneself. He was of the opinion that the friendship does not last long if the bond of trust is consolidated on untrue ground.

Utkarsh, a Law student in Gangtok city, hails from the Himalayan state of Nepal. After completing his four years Bachelors in Communication, he came to Sikkim for further studies. In an attempt to shape the would be-career, he applied for numerous courses and the best part was that he got admission letter from different universities. Ironically, his family members were at odds regarding his choice of studies. He was interested to join MA in English Literature or any media related subjects. However, the family members were reluctant towards his view.

After much back and forth, he then went on to float a new proposal before his guardians. He suggested his family members that legal studies could be an alternative of different Masters Degree subjects. Nevertheless, his parents again sung a different tune. They still remained indifferent. However, his brother came forward to strongly support his idea of joining Law.

In fact, it was his brother, who has earlier suggested him to choose LLB against all other subjects. After testing different academic waters, Utkarsh managed to join LLB at Gangtok. From the beginning, Himalayan City of Gangtok remained one of the beautiful cities in his good books. As Gangtok is the capital city of Sikkim, without any hesitation, he reached Gangtok to join Law. It was his friend Utpal Shah, who was also from Nepal, suggested him to join Ram Krishna Mission College, Gangtok. Without any iota of doubt, he trusted his friend Utpal and joined the college on very same day when landed in Gangtok.

The month of summer with low intensity of rainfall was adding a further beauty to Gangtok. By finding the city clean and green, Utkarsh thought that the people of Gangtok would also be jolly-type. From the very beginning, he was taught that the people of Himalayan region are good by nature against the people of other region. However, his friend Utpal suggested him to avoid those people who harm his pleasure.

Expressing strong confidence towards his friends’ notion, Utkarsh promised his friend Utpal that he would never join any thorny hands. In one way or the other, he had promised his friend that he would never find happiness with the company of naughty students. Time and again, his friend kept warning him. However, confident of standing up to the words, Utkarsh assured his friend that he was pledged to score good marks and study well. Later on, by hearing such a confident-remark from his friend, Utpal broken into applauds.

With the passage time and regular classes, Utkarsh found many friends. He thought that even those friends share unanimity of opinions like him. However, his thinking proved hollow with the passage of time.

Utkarsh met with a new student Abhinav Roy, and three other friends—Rupali Singhal, Manisha Mishra and  Smriti Chauhan. The three beautiful ladies were blessed with long black beautiful hairs with jolly behavior. Utkarsh thought in a half whisper that his three-year long stay at Gangtok would be to some extent wonderful with these four friends. The three girls were good chatterboxes. All the time, they used to find happiness in uttering words. Being with them Utkarsh used to tickle and giggle.

Abhinov, who hailed from Punjab, was a bit attracted towards the long hair of Rupali. Rupali was always a good busybody—who used to share her past experiences and family life. Utkarsh and all his group members were fond of her because she always used to crack jokes and made the friends delighted. Everything was moving in positive gesture.

“Hey my dear friend Utkarsh, Rupali had hit the bull’s-eye   in the first meeting,” insisted Abhinav. His love towards Rupali was deepening day by day. “You will know Utkarsh, sooner or later a day would come when our love would take a new height,” added Abhinav.

For a continuous two months, the friendship of these four friends remained tightly packed as if they were the four corners of a square. As soon, Rupali sensed that Abhinav was attracted towards her beautiful eyes and hair, she started maintaining distance with him. Because, Rupali had never developed any kind of feelings for him as she was not of that type-girl. She was interested to have a good mutual friendship with Abhinav. However, as like most of the ‘deshi men’ (rural types), Abhinav thought that the availability of women always means a strong signal waved towards the boy. He thought that equally Rupali was interested in him. However, his contemplation was fully misplaced. He was firing in an open sky.

With the waning strength of the friendship, the metaphysical friendship-building devastated with the passage of time as the four corners of the square were based on untrue and greedy grounds. One was badly attracted towards other. However, she was reluctant. The other three also went to maintain distance with each other as they did not want to cook stale foods.

Moreover, Abhinav used to suggest Utkarsh to make a strong tie with Manisha. It was Abhinav, who first suggested Utkarsh to make Manisha a girl friend. Though, he was not attracted towards her, Abhinav assured him that she was of good look despite of the fact that she was not so fair in look. In a bid to cross check the idea of Abinav, Utkarsh went to ask his Nepali friends—whether idea of Abhinav was admirable or not. His friends suggested not sail on any ship, which is away from his direction. Most of the time, Abhinav used to convince Utkarsh. However, he remained indifferent.  By hearing romantic words from his friend Abhinav, a part of his was suggesting him to move in that very direction. However, the other part of him suggesting to dispose off the proposal of Abhinav as Utkarsh was crystal clear about his economical status and looks. “Utkarsh Jee, you are an emotional guy…You get easily floated in emotion…You should not choose any path which could mislead you. You should be crystal clear without any iota of doubt that your friend—Abhinav—is disastrous for you and so is his piece of advice,” said Sanjay Yadav, a Nepali friend of Utkarsh.

So, with the passage of time, refraction started in their friendship. Though they tried their best to pass the light by shaking hands and whispering ‘hello’, the rays used to bend away from the ground-zero of friendship.

Amid escalating tension from round corner, Abhinav started throwing his cards. It is often said that a wounded tiger can do anything. And the same thing happened there. Abhinav told Utkarsh that Rupali and Manisha were not good persons. They were greedy persons. “Look Utkarsh, how they befooled us. At a time when, they were in need of us, they took as us granted. And later on, they surpassed us,” said Abhinav.

Utkarsh, you are from Nepal and moreover, you are living in Indian soil for the first time. You should never lend hands with these greedy girls. They might frame charges against you of molesting them. And you better know that section 376 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) envisages stricter punishments for those who capitalize their efforts to outrage the modesty of a woman. So, they could do anything to harm your pleasure. They would not leave even a single stone unturned to harm you. So, my friend, stay away from these chatterboxes. Even the policemen would hit you harder as you are not an Indian. We Indians believe in protecting the rights of our fellow citizen. If you trust them, they would ruin your career in one way or the other,” briefed Abinav in strong words.

The words of Abhinav made Utkarsh feel light weighed. He thought that anything could happen in this country as India is one of the south Asian countries where the crime rate is elevating day by day. He felt that the words of Abhinav might take aerial route and a day might come when he would be in receiving end.  Keeping these things into consideration, Utkarsh managed to stay away from the two girls.

Gradually the days were passing. The differences among them were deepening day by day.

All of sudden, while Utkarsh was taking a nap, his phone rang. Though he was not happy to attend the call, he managed to answer the call. It was none other than Rupali. “Hey Utkarsh, Rupali here. How do you do?? Hey man, I want to meet.”

Utkarsh asked his friend—“Did sun rise from the west today?” “Look, the girl, who was planning to frame charges against me, the girl who was hatching conspiracies behind the curtain to foil my career, look the girl who was all-set to ruin my world and the very same girl who used to pass comment against my ugly look, is calling me and interested to meet me,” Utkarsh told one of his Nepali friends. He friend suggested him to meet in a public place, not in a private place. He was wondering whether that girl would harm him. So, he suggested Utkarsh to meet Rupali within the premise of ‘Hamro Didi Ko Khaja Ghar’, a popular restaurant of sweet items located at heart of Gangtok city.

Though his heart was not allowing meeting that lady, he managed to meet her. Eventually, the two atoms met. There was possibility of bombarding. However, the two anti-poles reached an understanding not to fight for sure. She pleaded that the suggestion forwarded by Abhinav were tied with an untrue knots.

“Hey Utkarsh, why should we take initiative to harm your world, after all you are ours’ friend. We never thought to harm you. And, always learn for sure, that none of the girls would place charges of molestation against you unless and until you misbehave her,” said Rupali with eyes full of tears.

Confident of giving a benefiting reply to all constipated-people, Utkarsh promised Rupali that he would always trust her against the large world. Instead of distrusting her, he made it crystal clear to the lady that he would always respect and love her in the same manner as he loves his sister and other family members. The positive signals vibrated between two anti-poles. The two former opponents promised to untie the bitterness. The river of honey floated.

With the passage of time, Rupali, Utkarsh and Manisha started meeting again and again with full passion. The friendship among them became as closer as the molecules of a substance. Eventually, the journey of friendship continues and continues.

A soul of enmity departed from the miseries of Utkarsh’s mutilated body. He took a pledge to fight against frauds, for only that would bring peace to his soul. It became the larger purpose of his life.

The frozen relationship with Abhinav gave birth to a movement; a movement for change; a movement to trust on the words heard by your own ears; a movement not to trust other’s cooked words; and eventually a movement to quash anyone’s contentions knotted on untrue ground.

Utkarsh was wiser enough to learn that no one wishes to sail on a sinking ship. Moreover, he was quick to confess that its’ certain that a heavily loaded ship would sink in the midway. “The relationships based on untrue grounds, the relationships based on turmoil and the relationship stepped on the pillars of weak-base would never build a strong structure,” whispered broken Utkarsh. He was broken. He was wondering how a friend could go up to that level. Despite of the fact that the things were not going to constitute a positive remark in his 3-year long stay at Gangtok, he remained reluctant joining the hands of Abhinav with fullest. One part of him suggests maintaining some sorts of distance; however, the other part suggests remaining standstill.

With the development of such ‘scenes’, Utkarsh came to learn a thin difference between enmity and friendship. “Everybody is there to serve his vested interests. No one is idle; people will be with you until their interests are served at your hands. So, the world has become greedy. The world is full of opportunists,” added Utkarsh with furious mind.

“Never trust the greedy people. They might harm you. Moreover, never lend hands with those who always find happiness in back-biting. The two-side beaches are all time hit disastrous creatures.”