The True Friendship

NOTE TO READERS: This story had been written inorder to celebrate the Friendship Day. Infact, it's a story dedicated to Friendship Day as one of my special works like the few stories, which were dedicated to Indian Army and Indian Police Officers respectively.

"The friend indeed is a friend of the self by which the self can be subdued and the self indeed is the foe of one unsubdued." Lord Krishna says there are two self's. The capital SELF which is the consciousness and the smaller self which is your mind and senses, also known as the gunas.

AUGUST 1, 2018- 11:50 PM:

In the midnight of 11:50 PM near to the place of Ukkadam in Coimbatore district, four friends consisting of: Ashwin, Dinesh, Adhithya and Aravinth are standing in the upstairs of their house, with their cakes in a chair.

After lighting candles, Ashwin waits for the right time to cut the cake. As the time rolls towards 11:59:50, Adhithya counts down saying, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

"Happy friendship day da, buddies..." The four friends shouts in a fury voice and cuts the cake, after which all threw the cake in their friend's respective face and enjoys for a while, after which Adhithya tells: "Buddy. Let's go inside da. It's already time. We have to go back for work tomorrow. As we are in such kind of a job."

They agrees and goes down for sleeping. The next day, all goes back to their respective work in Infosys company. Adhithya is working as an chartered accountant in the field of Sales sector. Aravinth and Dinesh are working as specialists dealing with computer softwares. While Ashwin is working as a Cost accountant, dealing with sales management.

All the four guys are hailing from simple middle-class family background. Ashwin is the son of a retired employee Ramakrishnan, who worked in the SPB peppermills for 34 years. He have an younger sister Amritha, who is a student in PSG College of Arts and Science. Since, he had been raised up by his widowed father, Ashwin have to shoulder his responsibilities of taking care of his family. Ashwin have dreams to create bikes, with car seats, airbags, which prevent the frequent accidents. He is researching for this.

His father often ridicules the value of his job. But, he is the source of inspirations in the family. Aravinth is the son of a Cardiologist Doctor Uttarraj. He is in love with Adhithya's younger sister Darshini and is further planning to start a separate software company, after getting settled financially.

Adhithya wishes to pursue a career in Film Industry after getting financially settled with his present job. He is in love with Ashwin's younger sister Amritha. His father Raghavan is a widower and Army man, who wanted his children to be good and settled well with a family.

FIFTEEN DAYS LATER, 6:30 AM:

The friends were having different goals, different motive, different ambitions and plans in their life. When they are going well with their respective agendas, the guy's close friend Shasank enters into their life. 

Unlike the other four guys, Shasank is hailing from a rich family background of Mettur. His father Murgesan is an industrialist, who have connections and links with various politicians and MPS's and is very powerful. During school days, Shasank is the don for the guys and they have been very close and gone to the extent of doing anything for him.

Shasank is a calm, quite possessive and arrogant guy, who respect elders and understands the feeling and emotions of other people. As he came to the guy's apartment and rang bell, they goes out to see him and Adhithya tells, "Hey Shasank. What a surprise da. Come in."

"How are you my buddy? I heard that, you are taking care of your father's business empire, after learning how to work!" Ashwin said to him.

"All good buddy. Business is going well and I am now settled well. What about you all da?"

"Yes da. We are working good in an MNC company." Aravinth said.

"After this, we are planning to finish our respective plans and goals da buddy." Dinesh and Adhithya said to him.

After five minutes, Ashwin said to the guys, "Friends. Let's take him inside the house. For how long, will we talk like this by making him stand outside the house?"

They takes him in and all hang outside for one day. But, the friends are shocked when Shasank attempts suicide due to the love failure by trying to jump off the cliff from Noyyal River of Perur.

The four guys manages to rescue him and Aravinth asked him, "Hey Shasank. Are you senseless? If you do like this, then we would land in trouble da. I have to answer your father."

"You wait for one minute da, buddy. Let's talk with him now." Adhithya said.

"Buddy. What happened da? Why did you do like this da?"

Shasank said to them that, "He is in love with a girl named Anjana. She is the daughter of their arch business rival and distant relative Ramachandran, a businessman based in Karur. Due to problems like family conflicts and troubles, they parted ways and eventually broke up."

The friends promises him to reunite the lovers and sets out to Karur for this purpose after taking a leave period of one weeks from their company. In Karur, Ashwin enlist the help of their friend Yash, a North-Indian from Delhi, who works as a hotelier.

They takes shelter in his house and by making a proper plan, Ashwin abducts Anjana while she is visiting a temple with her family. Despite following a lots of challenges and troubles, the guys get the lovers married.

This creates problems and clashes between the family members of the respective people. The girl's father learns through her friend that, Ashwin and the other three boys are behind this.

Angered, he sends off his goons to finish them off. Ashwin escapes along with his friends. However, in the chase and ensuing fights, Ashwin gets severely injured in a car accident. While, Aravinth becomes paralyzed temporarily after being hit by a truck beneath him.

Adhithya suffered from Amnesia for temporary period of time, after been hit in the head and goes missing for weeks. Dinesh was disowned by his family members and is sent out by his father.

FEW DAYS LATER:

Ashwin, Adhithya and the other two slowly recovers from their respective health problems. Adhithya was found out by Dinesh, after a search of several weeks. They takes him to a hospital and gets him cured after struggling for months.

Ashwin is now completely normal and all sets back to do their respective jobs in again. At that time, Ashwin's collegemate Ishika meets him co-incidentally and they became good friends.

Ishika and Ashwin are close friends since college days. She had been raised up by her widowed father, once her mother is no more due to a heart disease. She is everything in the family. Now, Ishika is an employee in a private company near to Coimbatore.

Ashwin's care taking nature impressed Ishika and she slowly starts to fall for him. Once in his birthday, she proposes her love to him, telling: "I love you, Ashwin. Love you eternity."

Initially he is taken aback. Because she is a brahmin and he is Gounder. Inter-caste marriages are against in his family traditions. He tries to make her understand about this and advice her.

But, Ishika tells him saying: "We are all souls, spiritual beings (Gita 2.13), entitled to rejoice in eternal love with the supremely lovable and loving God, Krishna." When our loving nature is contaminated by selfishness, we start loving things more than persons, especially the Supreme ..."

Ashwin didn't answer her for so many days. After being consoled by his friends Adhithya and Dinesh, he eventually moves in and reciprocates her love. Meanwhile, Ramakrishnan learns about the love of Adhithya and Amritha, after going through her diaries and notes respecitvely one fine day.

Angered and vexed with this, he shouts at her and goes to the extent of slapping her.

"Dad. Stop this kindly. Why are you beating her up?" Ashwin asked him and intervened.

"She loves your friend Adhithya itseems da. Then, should I keep quiet?"

"Is it wrong dad? He belongs to our own caste and have got settled. Additionally, he would take care of my sister well. You too know him well right, dad."

Adhithya also convinced his family in the same way and manages to get his father approved for his marriage. Both families accept and decides to get them married. Meanwhile, Ishika's father learns about her love and admonishes her for choosing to love a guy, belonging to other caste and worries for consequences.

However, she tells him: "According to The Bhagavad Gita, the nature of your thoughts decides the caste which you belong too. In the Gita, your thoughts are divided into three categories- sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. In the above verse, GUNA means the nature of your thoughts and KARMA means the work that you do. Love doesn't need caste, religion and culture dad. Just understanding other's feelings is more than enough."

He realizes his wrong philosophy about caste and decides to meet Ashwin's father, with whom he speaks about the same and manages to get his daughter's marriage approved from him telling him: "I have heard that, your son have been source of inspiration in your family. He have been everything in your family. Such a good guy can't be found in any part of this world."

Aravinth, Ashwin and Adhithya's marriage gets fixed and it's set to occur in 2 months as per the plan of their family members. Dinesh again reconciles with his family and have started his own business with his own funds.

ONE MONTHS LATER:

One months later Aravinth, Ashwin, Dinesh and Adhithya meets Yash, who have came for a food contract. They goes near to him and asked, "How are you da Yash?"

"Haa. I am fine da buddy. Going well."

"How is Shasank da? He didn't even called us for so many days?" Adhithya asked him.

Yash becomes silent after hearing this and tells them, "Buddies. Let's speak about that later. First let's celebrate the bachelor's party in favor of Adhithya and Ashwin."

They agrees and enjoys the party by having drinks and the next day, Adhithya again asked Yash, "Buddy. What happened da? How is Shasank?"

Yash remains silent and refuses to answer the question. The other three also asked the question, pressurizing him a lot.

Unable to control his anger and regret, he replies telling them, "All your sacrifices, hardworks and efforts are waste da. He have cheated us da. He have got misunderstanding with his wife and they both got divorced within a month da. Now, they are ready to do second marriage. See, how money is dominating the world. You all have done lots for him, since the school days."

Ashwin is shocked and sits down heartbroken. Adhithya then angrily tells them, "Buddy. Then all our hard works are waste ah da? Our sufferings are just a fun for them ah da?"

"I temporarily got paralyzed da. Didn't even expect that I would recover again back to normal. My sacrifice too is not a worth of value da."

Ashwin then tells them, "Why our sacrifice is not a worth da? We suffered a lot and went through painful problems and troubles. Still more remaining silent is not good. Let's go and question them da."

The guys decides to go for Karur and gers their necessary items ready. Ishika comes to him and asked him, "Dear. Please don't go with your friends."(in the car near to Avinashi roads.)

Ashwin becomes furious and tells her, "Why Ishika? Why? The Self indeed is the friend of the Self by which the self can be subdued and the self indeed is the foe of one unsubdued. Bhagavad Gita told about friendship. We did so much for his good life. But, he in return have betrayed us like this. Will you leave this and move forward as such, if your friend did such thing? Aravinth got paralyzed temporarily, I suffered for months and there are lots..."

Intrigued with their sufferings and pains, Ishika agrees to their journey and she accompanies with them to help them out and support. The guys tries to speak out with Shansank. He in return, ridicules and rebuffs them, without showing any kind of remorse by telling them: "We are rich people da. We will marry for entertainment and divorce after feeling bored. Middle-class people like you don't know this and got us married."

Hurt and angered a lot, the guys make a drastic plan. Aravinth and Dinesh joins with Yash and kidnaps Anjana in Honda City car. While, an angry Ashwin and Adhithya goes and kidnaps Shasank. The guys brings them to a secluded forestry where Ashwin yells asking him, "What did you tell da? You all are rich and would marry for entertainment ah? You told us as middle class. But, didn't we act smart? We all gathered and got you duo married by taking risks and sacrifices."

"Do you know how much painful journey this is? We suffered a lot because of you da. We respected you and considered you as our best friends. But you didn't even respect us." Adhithya said to him.

"Stop it da. We separated due to misunderstanding and lots of reasons."

"Then, why did you go to the extent of committing suicide da? Why did you took our help?" Aravinth tells and tries to take a stick to hit him up.

"Stop da. Stop it. If you also behave like them, what's the difference between you and he. Hey. You duo one thing ah da, at first? Good souls have been preaching for ages, "love is key to all doors". Even Krishna has adhered to this belief in Bhagavad Gita; he quotes, "The only way you can conquer me is through Love and there I am gladly conquered". We make enemies from emotions like hate, anger, vengeance, and such feelings. We can win people to our sides by spreading love and losing such emotion. The need to be loved is omnipresent in every sentiment being and to gain their trust we need to love them." Ishika said to them and Ashwin asks them to reconsider their live together, so that their sacrifices don't go in vain.

Shasank recalls about his lovable days with Anjana and his support for her. She recalls about his hardworks and memorable times. They both emotionally reconciles and heartily apologizes to the guys for hurting them and for the betrayal too...

Ashwin then tells him, "Whenever a problem comes, the only people who are with you around is your family, your parents and true friends like us da. Don't ever try to hurt or ridicule their sacrifices."

Adhithya tells, "Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps, and whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues. What ineffable joy does one find through Love of me, the blissful Atman. Once that joy is realized, all earthly pleasures fade into nothingness."

The guys goes from the place along with Ishika, in their car after Shasank reconciles with Anjana. While going in the car, Ashwin notices a board stating, "True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart."