Happy Birthday SID!

Gawd he is celebrating his 28th birthday today...and I am smiling my big shark smile. I am sick and tired of running into 18-20 year old interns in our office and it gives me a lot of sadistic pleasure to know that some one, miles away is ageing as fast as me. Teehee!

Sid is not only my best friend, he is my simian twin! I don't remember our first moments of friendship but it started in the classroom (6th), budded during games period and was a full bloom when we passed out school. Sid and I hated sports. When the entire class played football, we stood behind one of the goal posts, under a tree, wow-ing at the crawling black ants and counting wild mushrooms around. Our discussions as irreverent as our mutual crush on Sri Devi and as stupid as the number of hair strands in Sir Vijay's moustache.

Then there were art classes. We both were the Michael Angelos and MF hussains of our class. Though Sid was good. He was bloody good man. Art runs in his blood as aunty ji is an arts teacher. Sid always helped me in the subject. I had a wild imagination and he helped me put it on canvas. I can never forget those wintry mornings when we spread across the lush green grounds of the Army public school to participate in NAFENS, a poster making competition. I loved using his colors and he never fretted. In fact he gave his final touches on my painiting after he was done with his.

And then there were afternoon fridge raids at his house. Aunty ji caught her siesta in the background and we roasted Britania slices, all red and crispy, slapped it with sinful layers of cheese and stuffed it with some irresistable Haldiram namkeen. And as we gobbled the most unhealthy snack of the world, the microwave made some frog-hopping sounds in the background popping some really delicious corns. Sid's lunchbox too holds a vivid picture in my mind, a white one with a colorful cartoon character on it. And the insides were more interesting than the outsides- world's best French fries that could give any Mc Donald's or Nirula's a run for their money.

Prima facie it might appear as yet another stupid silly childhood friendship but to me it means so much more- a sense of belonging, a feeling of acceptance, amazing compatability and most of all a large-hearted gem of a friend- Siddharth!

Love him to death!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SID!