Nov 29, 2010

Single Serve

Single Serve would be something or anything that can be used only once - for a specific need or purpose. For example tooth picks or tea bags or the single serve butter stick they serve on a plane or a bus ticket you buy when traveling from point A to point B are all single serves. Did you know we also have "Single Serve Friends"?

Classmates, team mates, batch mates, room mates, they serve a purpose in time. There are hundreds we grow up with in the same school, hostel or college but only a rare handful remain in touch through the years. Others - though we have had good times with them - have disappeared.

This prompts me to recall my single serve friends. I was in 8th grade when Papa took us on a family vacation to Delhi. In the same guest house where we stayed was another family who also had a 8th grader. We became quick friends in a day or two, but alas no contact after that. I am sorry to say that I can't even recall her name now.

There was Jeeva who was my junior from college who looked up to me a lot. She took me home for a weekend where her mom made fresh plantain chips for us. I do think of them often but where to track her down I don't have a clue.

Revathy was my room mate - a blind girl - a music teacher - who once suspected me of stealing her Rs. 80; all I could tell her was, "I will pray that you find it before I come back in the evening so that you will know I didn't take it". In the evening when I returned she told me she had found the money and just when I was happy for her, she added, "How is it that I found it just like you told me? May be you put it back..." I was speechless. She definitely was a single serve - I knew that!

But all of those fun loving friends in college hostels Divya Rodriguez from Darjeeling & Sister Rose - both  went on to become doctors, Rachna Mishra from Patna, Sheeja Thomas from Calicut, Nisha Anumol from wherever and the three sisters Jessica, Thanuja and Janet, and of course my favorite Honey Ann Joseph from Ernakulam - it is hard to believe they too were single serve...

8 comments:

SG said...

Very thought provoking post. In this world, many friends are single serve friends. What we say in Tamil "Rail Snehidham". They are friends with you until they reach their destination and then they are gone.

Amrit said...

How do you remember names of Single Serve people? I don't.

Very good post.

NRIGirl said...

Thank you SG! You are true about Train friends...

Thanks @A! Try it, you too will be able to recall a few names...

Bikram said...

i got a big list myself thankfully my single serve friends are now very good friends some of them :)

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

Yikes, Revathy sounds not so much single serve as just not a friend! But I've had many single serves myself. Often at university...

Black Walnut Pearl said...

There would have been a purpose in our lives in meeting/having such single server friends. We ourselves would have been a single server friend for many. The friendship lasts longer only for those who upbeat to retain the harmony.

Renu said...

Since i have changed so many residences, I also have many single serve friends..there are many friends who never take initiative to meet or call, but if I take then they are all nice and cordial.

NRIGirl said...

Absolutely @Black Walnut Pearl!

@Renu! It sure takes people like you to keep friendship blooming. So, keep up your good efforts and do not give up.

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