It was 35 years back , we passed out from a post graduate college in Chennai and last weekend 9 of a class of 48 met again to re live the memories of our college life.  It was as if time had frozen and we had just met at college during a break.  The memories were sharp and the relationship spontaneous.  Many of us had grey hair and may be receding hairlines but the emotions were strong as it were three and a half decades back.

We could share our stories with ease.  We could pull each other’s leg as we did in college.  We could laugh at each other and even at ourselves.  While the spirits were flowing down the throat and the smoke entering the nostrils, the human spirit was unrelenting.  Our love and affection for each other was expressed in words and deeds right through the two days we spent together.

I sometimes wonder as to why we do not meet more often.  I also wonder as to how two years of study in a college more than three decades back still keeps us close as friends.  We have treaded different paths in our professional career but the admiration for each other remains the same.  We may have grown personally and professionally but the child within us remains strong and enthusiastic.

I loved the child in me, which sprung up in these two days.  I wonder if we could keep the child alive in us every day we live.  In our day to day life, we pose as adults and do not share our emotions with others.  We refuse to laugh and we are afraid to cry to share grief.  It is such moments in our life, which make us believe that time may stand still if we want it to.  Relationships will last for ever where there is genuine love and care of reach other without any expectations in return.

I sometimes feel guilty as to why I am reluctant to spend more time with friends and family and share my feelings and joy with them.  It took us 35 years and we could meet only twice during this period.  What prevents us from meeting more often.  What prevents us from sharing our genuine feelings for one another.  What can be more joyful than sharing moment of joy with people who care for you.

It was indeed a great insight for me – I commit to spend more time with my family and friends.  It is worth spending physical time together reliving the glorious past, sharing the joys of the present and dreaming for a brighter future.  I realize that the more we share the more we rejoice.

Interestingly, as we departed on the  last day, we agreed that we should meet more often and we will make it happen.  Life is short and it is up to us to make it sweet.  Material wealth is mortal and relationships are immortal. We generally end up spending more time in managing our wealth than in enriching our relationships.

It is time to reflect and rededicate ourselves to our family and friends.

S Ramesh Shankar