#DostiDiaries: 'We are each other's second family'

We'd asked you, dear readers to tell us how you met your best friend.

Here's Prasad Kulkarni's story about his friendship with four people he first met in college.

They are like the Famous Five.

And, for 13 years, they have been an integral part in each other's lives.

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We are five friends who have been together for 13 years. We are each other's second family. Today, we are 31-32 years old.

We met as students at the Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad. It did not take us much time to become close friends since we all came from similar backgrounds (typical middle class families).

My friends are Asavari, Payal, Sunil and Swapnil.

We have nicknames too -- Asavari is called Saavari, Payal is called Badh, Sunil's nickname is Sunya and Swapnil's just Nil. And I am called Saad.

We are like the fingers in a hand, connected but with different characteristics.

Swapnil is a hardworking, fun-loving guy who has put all his energy to make a world which is socially acknowledged. He did all of this from scratch. He has taken his family from zero to the most respected family through his hard work.

His best characteristics are his sense of humour and his nature.

One will enjoy being with him as he is so easy going. He works with a multinational company in Qatar.

Sunil is a gem of a person with knowledge about every field. His command over his speech can make one spend hours listening to him and his views on various topics.

He is working in the United States of America for a multinational company in their research and development team.

Payal is a symbol of hard work and loyalty.

She is also fun-loving, non-fussy yet very clear about her ideology.

She works hard and honestly towards her goals and is very confident.

She loves to cook and often makes a variety of dishes for us. She has done it since the time we first became friends.

A Pune resident, she works for a software company as a team leader.

Asavari is a versatile person with a lot of skills.

She is well-read in literature as well as fiction. And a very good poet and writer too!

She often takes part in radio programmes. She is in Mumbai and works for a multinational company. She will soon be shifting to Qatar to join Swapnil, our friend and her husband.

In these 13 years, there have been a lot of ups and downs in our individual lives. We meet often in spite of professional and personal commitments. And when we don't get time to meet, we talk on conference calls discussing our problems, social matters and recalling fond memories.

We have accommodated our respective spouses in our world.

We have been with each other during tough times and happy moments.

We always feel that the time we have spent together and the time that's yet to come is like a 'golden journey'. I wish that this golden journey continues for a lifetime.

Love you guys! I pray that God gives all the happiness to those who have at least one such friend. A friend who makes your life complete.

Wishing a very Happy Friendship Day to my dear friends in advance, to the Rediff #DostiDiary team and to everyone who believes that your true mirror is only your friends.

Photographs: Kind courtesy Prasad Kulkarni

Do you also have a best friend you cannot live without? Where did you meet him/her? Tell us.

Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'My best friend') along with your NAME, AGE and LOCATION.

Kindly, if possible, also include a photograph of your best friend and you, and we'll publish the best entries right here on Rediff.com