Mere yaar ki shaadi hai!

Its official..DK and KK are finally getting hitched. After dating for 8 years!! 8 frickin' years!! Just hearing their wonderful news brought back a flood of memories.

I remember the day I first met DK. We met on a picnic in Class XI. It was supposed to be an ice-breaker, for we had all just passed our 10th Board Exams and had chosen to study at "Apte Prashala". I often wonder why I chose that miserable excuse for a college...it didn't even have a rest room for women...you read right...no Ladies' Loo! I don't even want to get started on the teaching( ha ha joke!), lab facilites (non-existent) etc. But I digress. This is about DK.

We met on the picnic to some village whose name started with "K" and ended with "gaon". I had a copy of "Emma" with me...yep I thought I would read since I knew I wouldn't understand a word of the gabbing in Marathi. And she had already read it. I was ecstatic. Here was a girl who had read "Emma"(not just P&P, but Emma!), loved Wodehouse as much as I did, and spoke perfect English.(In those days a requirement, since I was still a Marathi virgin and the Hindi that most Maharashtrians speak is comical to say the least!) We hit it off instantly. We remained friends through the 2 years we spent at Apte. We giggled over Magre sir's pathetic attempts to discipline the class. Stuffed our faces with the samosa (Rs.2 for 1 samosa and it was HUGE) at Indori Farsan. Railed incessantly against the ugly copper sulphate blue salwar suit that we were condemned to wear to college. Dreamed of going to Medical College together. Those dreams were quickly snuffed out. I didn't do well enough to get into GMC, which is where she headed for her MBBS.

But we stayed in touch. We chatted over the phone and we always met when she came home to Pune on a break. Serene and lovely Sunrise Cafe morphed into the brash and metallic Dosa Diner and then back into Sunrise cafe again (minus the charm this time around). Thats where we always met. Outside Sunrise Cafe. She would usually show up 40 minutes late. I would be on time every single time inspite of knowing she would be late. Then we would march down JM Road, debating the merits of Kamat versus China Garden and eventually end up at Shiv Sagar. Every single time. She would have Pav Bhaji and I would eat Cheese Onion Utthapa. Then we would gorge on the delicious Idli Chilly fry together. This was an unvarying routine. Oh, I might substitute an Idli Vada sambar for the utthappa, but that was as adventurous as it got. And we talked and talked. We never ever finished talking. I remember she would always jump into her Indiranagar bus in the middle of an unfinished conversation.

She and KK started dating in their 2nd year at GMC. I met him when he came down to Pune for a visit during a break. The dude was blessed with more than his share of good lucks. And he was sweet and funny and intelligent. She had snared the last nice guy on Earth! Those were fun times. There were occasional trips to Mumbai. I remember her sneaking me into the Ladies Hostel at GMC inspite of me being female!(Apparently the mama was very khadoos!)

I've known her for 11 years now. We've been the best of friends for all 11 of those years. I can't remember a single cross word spoken between us. She has been a supremely wonderful friend. If there is anyone who deserves this happiness, it is her.

11th January is the big day, and I will be there. To see 2 of the best people I know begin a new life together.

Here's wishing DK and KK a blissfully happy married life! I hope to be aunt to their 6 children. I shall spoil them all rotten!