Happy Friendship Day

Friends

Today is Friendship Day and it is being celebrated worldwide. 'Friend' is one of the most touching word which sparks in the mind with some images. More you dig into it, more images will come in mind. This follows with the old and new memories, incidents, events and so on...If we look into the collection of friends during our life we will notice every phase bring in different kind of friend, different character, different motives and different longivity. I wish to explain it further:

a) Phase-I (Between 1-4 years): Very fad memory will be of such friends. Only motive is to play with them, fight for trivial reasons and forget. Such friends are rarely come in mind unless they are continue in next phase. Such friendship is more of a protected environment.

b) Phase-II (Between 5-15 Years): This is the most exciting phase of mental development, education, developing dreams and so on. We make lot of friends during this phase who share our dream, share the challenges of education and of course share the joy of growing age. No one knows what we will do in life, where we will locate, what kind of family we are going to build up. Friendship in this phase is so pious that irrespective to the caste, creed, social status, we blend with the friends very strongly. Though bit immatured, the friends of this phase live in memories forever. So informal talks, useless discussions, sharing of every thing, fighting, criticizing, challenging, playing and what not. These friends are so much attached to us that any suggestion or advise or views by them carry more weight than the parents. Infact, we believe they understand us better than the parents.

c) Phase-III (Between 16-25 Years): Friends of this phase mostly include the second phase friends too. The friendship made in colleges, professional careers and struggle period is more matured, understandable, intelligent but slightly mixed with the motives. It may not be as innocent as the friends of phase-II. However, this friendship decides the direction of career, family and personality. These friends are with us forever during life, may not we meet regularly but always stay in our heart. 

d) Phase-IV (Between 26-50 Years) : By the time this phase starts, we start moving towards career ladder, family creation and most of the time dislocate the habitat. We make many friends in this phase but mostly  with motives. The criteria changes, innocent converts to intelligent, priority changes and thus the friendship made in this phase may last long but only till the motives are served. We become more selfish, conscious of society, purposeful. Even the friends have to be screened out by the family before cementing . In this phase decision of making friend is not taken unilaterally , it has to be vetted by the family.  Parameters like caste, creed, social status, benefit takes over the decision of building up friendship. However, friends of this phase are one who are always with us, well understanding, matured. Very few may be innocent too. 

e) Phase-V (Between 51-65 years) : By this age the kids start growing, their career takes shape and mostly settled in the life. This age gives throws new challenges in life where we are left with life partners only in most cases. The loneliness, frustration, depression, health issues start cropping up. Though this phase give very less friends, the need of new friends is also not much till we are surrounded by the friends of earlier phases or relatives. We pull the life by comparing with others, copying them and settling the kids. This phase also has more or less same character of friendship as of previous phase. 

f) Phase VI ( 66 Years and above) : We become rigid in nature, left out by the kids, become more spiritual, religious and social. Rarely new friendship is built up at this stage. May be some colleagues who are sailing in the same boat. 

A person maintaining friends of every phase will be the happiest friend. As said 'Every Friend is Necessary'. Friends of phase -II and III are the most long term. They may be Kamine, but very lovely and innocent. We never think who came last for these friends , any body can some as much as time without even appointment, can abuse you, can insult you but all this without motive, purpose or bad intentions.

I wish a very happy Friendship day to all my friends who have been associated with me during the journey of my life. May be I could not reciprocate same love and affection to them but still......

CP