J and me ....

During the course of your life , you come across a lot of people. Some stay with you, become ur friends, some remain acquaintances, some are just faces among a crowd and then some who stay...  some who affect you like no one else. Some people who have the power to tell you what they really think. Some people who are just meant to be... their purpose in your life is not defined but its damn too important to let go.

For me that person is Juhi --- My sister, my chhotu badu sis. Any guesses if she is my real sister ??  I will tell you this in just one word. YES SHE IS...  She is my real sister...  she is my confidante... my backbone... my support system.... my harshest critic......  my protective elder sister..... someone I never had....

To clear one more thing... we are not related by blood. But who gives a damn!! In a day and age when blood seems thinner than water and backstabbing is the norm in the closest of relationships... Juhi and me remain inseparable. We may hate each other.... tear each other's hair for something as simple as a camera.... argue over rights and wrongs .... but something keeps us together...  and the best part is ... we dont bother about that because that really is not important.

Going back to my first memory of her, it has to be at Max Mueller Bhavan, Delhi where I had enrolled for German language classes. On the first or second day I noticed this little short girl who seemed as if she would be ready to blast you if you say 'hello' to her,( i have told her this umpteen number of times but she doesnt agree!! )  :). I dont remember when we struck a conversation but I will share an incident which was played as a practical joke by her but was out first point of bonding --

There was a test scheduled on a Sunday and I was petrified about it. I was absolutely sure that I would flunk it so there was some sort of fearlessness that I had (just a macho way of saying," I dont know shit ,  am anyway screwed, so why bother!!  ). Like fate would have it , Aishwarya Rai's BRIDE AND PREJUDICE had just released and I was dying to watch it for obvious reasons. Truth is , had I told mom about the test she wudnt have allowed me in seven lives to go for it -- (this is no reflection on the merits of the movie coz i just was in love with ash so good,bad, terrible, who gave a damn!!) . So I lied and went ahead with the movie. 3 hours later , after soaking in Ash's radiance I came back home with a smile on my face when I saw mum all charged up. Now this was the last thing I hoped to see after an evening date with Ash(okay am stretching it but what the hell!!). THWACK!!! next thing I know mom slaps me and asks me if I had a test tomorrow. There are certain moments in life when you hope that you are passing under a railway bridge and the train passing above it changes its routes and comes towards you!!!
A full 2 hour session of Q and A and a silly glum expression on my face followed. All the while I was thinking how on Earth did mum get to know!!! Who was the culprit here ??
Then horror of horrors , mum took a name and she said ," There is this girl who said that you were worried about passing the test tomorrow. Whats her name? ummmm... Juhi?  "
Aaaaaahhh , got the name!!! Juhi you are gone!!!! 
Next day I went straight into the classroom  and see her chatting with a friend of hers and I start my Oscar winning performance," You, yes you!!! tune call kiya maa ko!!!!  teri wajah se meri pitaai hui ghar pe!! pata hai kya kya sunaaya gaya mujhe!!!  mujhe apne aap pe sharam aa gayi kal!!!!  bata kya bura kiya maine tera!!! why???? why juhi why???  "

Imagine her reply on this... no just imagine ... she just gave a beat and then  1....2.....3... " HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA HEHEHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH.... MY tummmy!!!! "
I was standing there all anger and everything and she laughed like no tomorrow!!!!

Surprisingly , this little incident created an ease and we soon became friends. From then on, it was bhasad full on. In that class some more gems followed, I went down on my knees with a rose in my hand and offered it to our teacher aftr she had taken out her anger on us for a mass fail test!! 

During this very time....  Juhi went through a phase that was tough, terrible and which we both wish no one has to pass through. Our friendship had slowly begun going beyond the convention and soon I realized I had found a sister in her. I will tell you how. When I was checking out the chicks in class madam would keep telling me ," yeh achhi nhn hai, woh achhi nhn hai!!! tere type ki nhn hai" . very typical elder sister behavior.

Over the period of time I have known her , there are facets that I have discovered about her and myself which I never knew existed. There are times when she calls and we both know there is a problem but what follows is silence... long drawn silence. There have been wailing sessions where both of us have cried on phone togetherr and then ended up laughing like crazy.. What helps is that we have almost a smiliar sense of humour which borders on witty to downright silly and at times maha scandalous!!  hehehehe  And one more thing is that we believe in laughing without any pretentions. heheh it simply means if we feel like laughing we go the full HAHAHAHAHAHA way instead of hehehe ahem ahem heheheh ahem ahem!!!!   Only we know how we have annoyed the hell out of the Coffee outlets of the city. :D

On a more serious note... Juhi is that DOT of  my life which has played a big .. biiiig part in helping me stay sane and believing that everything has reason behind it.. It does get tough at times what with both having an element of cynicism in thinking... but we do end up agreeing that life aint that bad after all...

We dont need to stay together to know that we are there for each other... we just are there and thats what matters the most... example... my screwed up office life and her screwed up love life was discussed over a period of 5 months when I was in Chennai and she was in Delhi!!!  Forget fone bills , the conversations were priceless for their sheer irreverence..

hehehehe... she brings a smile to my face and on a parting note I would just say this...

Juhi u rock jee!!! I wont say thanks for being there coz I feel u r too special for a simple THANKS. Meri chhotu sa sis...  dont worry so much... good things are coming ur way so brace urself for all of that..

hehehehe NAACH NAACH ke duniya hilaa le!!!  hehehehe sorry for that but cudnt help it!!!

Love u sis... really do!!!

cheers...