Life is a vicious circle and at times it brings us back to the things which we leave behind. The trail of our lives is in a way circular so the people and the incidents we leave behind come to us in a strange manner. As I am traveling back to India the pictures of the lovely college days are flickering in my mind. I have traveled a lot of times in past to meet my dear friend Aayush.

But this time everything has changed, time changes everything I suppose but only thing which remains untouched by time is the ties or true friendship. It has been about 2 years since I have seen him and now when I am going towards him am not sure whether I would be able to see him talking.

God is gracious still he turns callous at times. Aayush has had multiple strokes and I still do not know what he must have undergone that he had such a grave illness. All his family knew was that he came two days back in quite a deluded mood and dint speak to anyone.

By morning he was a lot upset and asked everyone not to disturb him. His mother questioned him but he didn’t answer. After a day he complained of severe heart ache and was rushed to Hospital. All this news was given to me by Arnav, his younger brother on a phone call.

I was sitting in my balcony and reading the newspaper when suddenly the phone rang. I picked up the phone and there was a shaking voice at the other end, greeting me.

I got nervous and responded. It was Aayush’s brother and he gave me unfortunate news of my college friend Aayush being hospitalized. It took me some time to come in terms with the fact that he is on his death bed.

For a minute I could not stand straight and leaned against the wall. Aayush was my old college friend and I could hardly believe the chakra of time took such a quick turn.

Being neighbors, I got an opportunity to get close to him and know him better. Like all young and ambitious guys he also had dreams to conquer the world one day, but he did not have only dreams he surly had talent to back it. We shared similar qualities and thus in no time we became very good friends. He was an intellectual as well as a good sportsman and the love for sports brought us closer. But soon after I completed my college, I went to United States to pursue my Masters. I still remember how much I tried to persuade Aayush to come along and complete higher education there but he had other principle. He wanted to be an educator and not a corporate worm. .So separated by our aspirations and ideologies we moved on the respective paths of our life, Paths which suddenly met in a traumatic situation.

After receiving the disheartening news, I could not anymore hold myself and I took the next flight back to India to meet him, or to put it more appropriately meet him for the last time.

All throughout the flight I had mixed emotions. I was happy to come back to India and at least meet him and on the other side I was sad, sad to meet him this way. It would have been great if we would have meet at a more comfortable place but you do not get everything you desire and that was the hard truth of life I was coming in terms with.

[To be continued...]