3...

And then one day the three would meet…

So it was written… so did it happen!
Rewind back to Calcutta. Early, formative years.
Formative? Hmmm… can almost hear Appu and AJ nodding their ever so wise heads.

Screw all that! Back then we were 3 of us. Hozi aka Hozefa Meccawala (Gujarati sounding, gujju boy. And he is as weird as this sounds. Take my word for it), Sudhin aka Sudhinra Nath (Bengali sounding mallu boy) and me (Gujarati sounding mallu boy)

Hozefa was the bright spark. And so I made him my best friend. Let alone flunking any exam, he was never ever 'surprised' by those nonsensical 'Surprise tests'. He was the rubber-ball, badminton court- football champ amongst many others.

Then came Sudhin. His report card made me happy. It was a sea of red with the solitary blue (for PT) standing up and hoping to be counted.

We've been through it all. Porn. Fights. Chits. So on and so forth.

Hozefa and I have been friends from the age of 3. And my mother tells me that when we were in upper nursery he went to her with a complaint.
He accused me of having shown him my weenie…Man! Did I start early or what?
Something which he claims he has no memory of now.
I say, ask them other people…hmmm…

Anyways the first hurdle came. Class 10. All of us managed to jump over it without hurting our parent's ego or ourselves. On second thoughts maybe a few dents here and there. But the bottom line is that we crossed the finish line. With chest and head arched in front.

Sudhin left for kerala. Did speak to him once. But other than that no news.
Hozefa tried to become a CA. I tried to be Hozefa.
Life went on.

Many moons, a wife and a kid later, for Hozi, both of us were in Mumbai.
Then I went to Gurgaon. He went to Kuwait.
We didn't think much of Sudhin.

Fast forward. No news from Hozefa as well. Called his Kuwait number, they said he'd gone back to India. Well thank you! But where in India? Back to square one.

The other day I check my mail. See his name in bold shouting out from the Inbox. It's been marked to Sudhin as well. Shit! Can't be.

There's another mail from Hozi, validating my e-mail id. Ok..ok… it's getting a little boring…
So many mails and calls later, I finally speak to Sudhin.
THIRTEEN long years later!
This is what I got to know from him…
While I was in Calcutta and Hozefa was in Calcutta, Sudhin was in Kerala
Then when I was in Calcutta and Hozefa was in Calcutta, Sudhin was in Bombay
I was in Bombay and Hozefa was in Bombay, Sudhin was in Bombay
I was in Gurgaon and Hozefa was in Kuwait, Sudhin was in Bombay
And now…
When I'm in Bombay and Hozefa is in Bombay, Sudhin too is in Bombay.

Thank you Bombay… we're back…Me and my best friends!