JHU - 25K

Ever since we finished the JHU’24 volunteering last year, I decided to get back into running more regularly, given I’d taken a break from Ultimate. I’d signed up for a 10k at Vagamon in January 2025, and ended up making my brother and my 5-yr-old son both of them run (a.k.a hike) the entire distance with me. Going to Vagamon together with the CTC gang was one of the best decisions ever. CTC has always been like family - the people, the conversations, the care, everything brings a sense of belonging to anyone who is a part of it. I’m always in awe of this community and the people who make it so. With the last couple of years dedicated predominantly to Ultimate, I didn’t have a chance to connect with these people regularly. But JHU’24 and Vagamon’25 gave me the chance to become an active member of CTC again. 

Also, Vagamon sort of reminded me about my love for trail runs, making me want to hit the trails more often. I started off with 5k runs for two to three days a week, mostly on road. The initial days were quite hard where I had to struggle to push beyond the second kilometer. But gradually the 5K’s became regular and easy. As May approached, the recce (surveying the route) for CTU began. Given I’ve always only volunteered for any of the CTC organised runs, I have never been through the actual trails fully. Joining the guys during the recce seemed to be a good idea to have a peek into the trails. And so, I joined a couple of recces and managed to comfortably cover 15-16km without any injury or fatigue. That gave me some confidence that my endurance game is still going strong. 

Once CTU’25 was over, the team started preparing for the Jawadhu Hills Ultra (JHU), which is a trail run along the scenic villages of the Jawadhu Hills. I wasn’t able to go for any recces to Jawadhu, hence, I signed up for the Simulation Run that happened over the weekend. A Simulation Run is like a pilot before the actual event with a small group of runners, but with almost all the support (aid station, food, timing) that is given during the actual run. In total, there are about 3 categories in the current year’s JHU, 25km, 50km and 85km. The simulation run happened for 2 categories, 25km and 50km. I had opted for the 25km run. We had 10 runners for each category and a handful of volunteers who came by to support these runners - brining the total group size to around 30. The 50km run happened on Saturday with 10 runners, and the rest of us supporting them with food and hydration. They started off at 6:15am in the morning and had to finish off the 50km distance in 10 hours. The goal of the support team was simple - we had to reach the aid station spots on time for the runners to come by and provide water / electrals / food. The group had seasoned runners, a couple of first time 50k runners who had put in their due practice to be able to finish it, and all of them finished the entire course and within the 10-hour cut off, which was the best part! 

the 50K Finishers

Once the run was over, it was time for some food, a dip in the well, more food (dinner) and back to the school (which was our place of stay). There seemed to have been some issue with the power supply at the school, and hence, we didn’t have any lights. The place was pitch dark and you always had to use a torch or headlight to see what is ahead. As I was trying to move around prepping up for the next day’s run, it happened - I slipped a step, and got my left ankle twisted. The pain was initially mild, and I was thinking it was due to impact and not really an ankle twist. I stood up silently, and immediately went to sleep, all the while hoping and praying it isn’t going to cost me my run tomorrow. The whole night, I kept waking up almost every two hours, trying to turn around my feet and see if the pain has reduced, every time hoping against hope that I’d be able to run tomorrow. For the first few hours, it felt very devastating to think that I wouldn’t be able to run - because this has been a run that I’ve been really looking forward to, my first longest run post Malnad 50K (which was 8 years ago!). As the night moved on, and I kept realising that the pain isn’t subsiding, I started to make peace with myself and decided I wouldn’t run the next day, but instead be part of the support team and cheer the ones running.

As the alarm beeped at dawn break, and I woke up to inform the folks about my twisted ankle and my decision to skip the run. People felt sorry for me as I tried my best to stay calm and not break down, because it was really very hard to accept.

Then came Nilesh bro, our Race Director (RD) asking why I wasn’t getting ready for the run. As I narrated him about my ankle twist, he was like - “Oh no! I really wanted all of guys to run, so that it’d help us understand if the cut-off timing would suffice”. Gosh, I felt a fresh wave of guilt rise through me, for not being more careful. But then, he didn’t stop there, and went on to offer if I would like to have my ankle taped up and give a shot at the run. It felt as though everyone was waiting to hear something like this, and the moment he suggested this, all of them pounced on it and urged me to give it a try. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about this, as I didn’t want to aggravate an injury and make it even more worser. But then, a small part of me, jumped at this option with joy and wanted to try. And so, I agreed. Our BYU Champ a.k.a Bigil Mani was the man to the rescue. He woke up midway through his sleep and very kindly plastered me up, with not just one, but two tapes (I’m still clueless on what these tapes were). His only advice to me was, you can be really strong in uphills, but don’t push too much in downhills. I tried to walk around and jog slowly, the pain had significantly reduced (could feel the tape doing its work perfectly). 

So off we all walked towards the start point, 10 of us, together with 3 pacers (who’d finished 50K yesterday). The run started at 6:10AM, and our cut off was 5 hours for the 25K distance. 

25K Start Line

The initial 2kms were mostly flat and road sections. I stayed at the end of the pack, consciously jogging at about 8:00-8:30 pace per km. The roads slowly opened up to trails along paddy fields, and got a little narrower as we moved from paddy fields to wild bushes, the terrain becoming a little rocky-ish causing you to alternate between jog and walk. And before we knew it, we entered a village, and reached the first aid station, which was at 7.5km mark and spotted our support team cheering for us. This brought a new surge of energy as I gobbled up a few chikkis and oranges and continued to run along. It had taken me almost an hour and 10 minutes to cover this distance and that meant I was still on track to finish the course within the 5-hr cut off. 

Right after the first aid station

Once out of the village, we get back into the trails again - this time treading through some forest cover with gradual uphill climbs, followed by some downhill stretches with an occasional stream crossing. My uphill climbs were surprisingly strong as I managed to maintain a decent slow jog for most part of it, and continued to be cautious in the downhill sections. One of the best things about a trail run is it forces you to be fully aware of your surroundings. It brings your attention to the tiniest of things that you’d otherwise not observe at all - like the sound of crickets chirping, frog croaking, ants huddling together carrying their new found meal (dead insects), lots of fresh cobwebs, mist covered leaves, the smell of earth, the sound of the flowing stream, the gentle breeze and the rustling of leaves - the list never ends. Also, you always have to be mindful and be present in the moment, following the markings / ribbons ensuring you are in the right trail. 

At about 12.5km mark, we reach the next village, Odamangalam, and were warmly welcomed by the locals who very kindly provided us with water and even offered to feed us breakfast. We accepted the water (oh, it tasted absolutely divine) and thanked them for their hospitality and continued to trudge on. The next section was mix of grasslands and paddy fields, with a lot of descents, and I had to slow down the pace and switch to walking a little too often, but the leg didn’t give up on me as yet. It was around this time that I started feeling really grateful to my body - all those gym workouts (special thanks to Ram bro for those periodic check-ins) the Pallavaram hill repeats and the (almost) regular 30 minute runs in the past 4-5 months definitely paid off.

Like I had shared earlier, I was amongst the last in the pack and there were about 4 of us (Riya, Suhashini, Vinodh and me) who were constantly over each other’s toes and often kept pushing each other. All this while, we’d had a lot of descents with mostly minimal uphill climbs. But it was at between the 16-17km that we were faced with one of the steepest uphill climb of the entire course. Since we’d missed our support crew in our 12.5K checkpoint and would be meeting them again only at the 20K-mark, we decided to take a quick 2-min rest before the steep ascent. Thankfully, Vinodh had some Paalgova buns, which we shared amongst us and filled our bottles with some water from the nearby stream.

Though the climb seemed intimidating at first glance, once you started climbing and caught up your own rhythm, it didn’t feel as daunting as it looked. We chanced upon a couple of our biking support folks enroute, who had by this time thought we were lost in the trails. This was a welcoming sight and they came by laden with food and some hydration and we were more than happy to know that we were almost nearing the 20K checkpoint. 

Another 20-30 mins of run and walk finally led us to the last aid station in the village of Gundalathur where we were finally reunited with our ever lovely crew, encouraging and cheering us for all that we’ve been doing. I had some oranges and bananas and a glass of lemonade that felt very soothing to my very dry throat. The time was 10:10 and we had exactly an hour more to cover the last 5km of the course. The last 5km was supposed to be fairly easy with almost 90% of the distance on roads. All this while, we were mostly amidst forest covers and the Sun was playing almost peek-a-boo with a little drizzle here and there. But in the last 5km, because it was fully open roads with the Sun shining almost directly overhead, the exhaustion started to creep in. With 20mins and 2kms done, I switched to brisk walk for the next 2kms. With 20 mins to go and last 1km to finish, I started to jog it up to the finish line. Mani spotted us early on and sprinted over to escort us for the last 300metres. As I entered into the ground, it was heartwarming to the see and hear the sound of applauses from the team. I crossed the finish line by 4 hours 50 minutes, a good 10 minutes within the cut off - yayyyyy!! From almost skipping the run to finishing it within the cut off, it felt surreal. 

The pack of 4 with the RD

The Taped Girls :)

I shall forever be grateful to each one of them present that day, for their support and encouragement, without which I wouldn’t have been able to finish this. Every little thing counts, right from the initial push from Nilesh bro to the constant encouraging words from the fellow runners throughout the run and the unwavering support of the group. This run definitely will be close to my heart for a long long time to come. Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to my very own body for enduring this whole ordeal of finishing the 25KM.

The troop :)

GCF - Girls Chat Forum

From being the only girl in the team, to entering a team that had more women than men, my professional journey has bestowed me with a wide variety of experiences in terms of people and relationships.

This friendship day, I’d like to celebrate my team girls, who are one of the biggest support systems both on and off work. I’m really glad and grateful to have them in my life. Each of them are unique and inspire me in a variety of ways. 

1. Swetha - Well, the first girl I got to interact with when I joined into work. Surprisingly, she also happened to be someone I’d known from my previous stint with the company, but hadn’t interacted much. She’s definitely the most caring soul I’ve ever met. One of the biggest connoisseurs of all things food and kids. I believe she’s the happiest when trying out new foods or talking about her kids, absolutely dotes on them. She’s also a meticulous planner and always thinks of the best things you could gift someone for their special occasions. 

2. Subi - My pillion rider (soon to become my driver - she’s getting her driving license this month, yayyy!!). She’s possibly the gang’s most disciplined and health conscious one - always on the lookout and trying healthy, eco-friendly sustainable alternatives. Our conversations as we ride to and from office are something that I really look forward to. She’s always ready to share all her new learnings together with what’s worked for her. And oh, how can I forget, she never fails to follow up on me when I commit some task / routine to her. Drops a gentle message or quick nudge over the desk to check if I’m progressing with it or not. Accountability partner of sorts.

3. Srinidhi - My buddy at work, the one from whom I took in the role transition. To describe Srinidhi in one word - proactively hard-working. She’s always on the lookout for what might come next on her work table, and ensures she’s already on it. And god, she’s quite meticulous, in the sense that she never shies away from multiple follow ups and collaborating with a multitude of people to get the things done. Side note, the two things that can always lift up Srinidhi’s moods are - Ice creams and movies / series. 

4. Swedha - This is one chutti kozhandhai of the gang. She was possibly the youngest (or rather one of the youngest) of the gang at some point in time. She’s a creative genius. Our self-appointed photographer and reels creator. Always has a ton of ideas up her sleeve, pushes us do the acting and last,  but not the least, produces a perfectly edited masterpiece that’ll forever be beautiful memories for us to look back on. 

5. Madhu - I’m always in awe of Madhu for the way she puts forth her thoughts and opinions. She’s one of the most bold and confident women I have ever seen, quite vocal who never backs away from challenging things. I don’t know if it’s just me or do others also feel this - she’s brings in a completely different perspective to a lot of things that we discuss, given the plethora of topics she reads about, making it all the more interesting. Also, the gang’s the first and best chauffeur (just kidding). The only girl from the team that drives her car to work, and 90% of the time brings along people with her (carpooling) - good job on being socially responsible Madhu. Side note - She makes the best Risotto and Wraps (with some lip-smacking dips!!)

6. Thamil - A mostly quiet but keen observer, Thamil is the best version one could wish for about their health. I truly admire the ‘way of life’ in her family, about how health is given the utmost priority, over anything else. Her meals are always the most nutritious with a variety of vegetables. She’s the gang’s OG in terms of staying away from sweets / desserts. Always happy to skip them, while most of us would go weak on our knees over the mention of a waffle or basundhi.

7. Maha - The most optimistic person in the whole gang. She’s the one person who always looks at the best in everything. I’ve never met someone like her, always bubbling with joy. Even when she’s complaining about something, she never loses the smile on her face. She’s by far the one person in the gang with the widest variety of experiences and that definitely shows in the way she looks at things. Always inquisitive, observing and appreciating little things about all the people she’s interacting with, never failing to share it all with us, she’s someone I look up to. 

8. Sreeja - Mostly to herself, but really sweet when you talk to her. She’s one person that is very disciplined, once committed to something, especially with diet. Most of us don’t bother about hoarding ourselves on some days, but Sreeja is always mindful. 

9. Sowmiya - Another one of my buddies, who’d been away for a while on a sabbatical when I joined, but was back again last year. She’s chatty and witty, and very easy to converse with. Quite an ardent web/OTT series lover, she’s always open to recommendations and provides honest feedback. 

10. Priscilla - The one who always radiates calm and composure. I quite admire the fact that she comes up with really interesting questions in the various meetings. Questions that are usually practical, but never get asked in the forums for the fear of repercussions. 

11. Devi - A fairly new girl to the team, she’s one enthu bundle, always ready to try out new things and is curious about everything. I’m quite sure she holds this whole gang as dear as I do, feeling super grateful to have landed in this role. 

12. Darsini - My very own junior. She’s all that I wish I was when I was younger. She’s quiet but curious, always giving her best to solve any issues or questions that come her way, ever willing to help in any which way she can! Her transition into this role happened in quite a jiffy, but she took it in all too well, and is definitely doing a great job at it Gosh, this is going on like a performance review, sorry Darsh! But yes, she’s super sweet and a die-hard fan of dramas in all languages other than Tamil, lol, just kidding - she adores K-Dramas, watches a bit of J- and C-dramas too I believe (for the uninformed K is for Korean, J Japan and C Chinese)

There also a couple of others, like Keerthana and Vimala, who have very recently joined our team, and slowly getting to know us I hope and wish they enjoy our company. 

And with that, I wrap up my friendship post, forever grateful for having these girls in my life. Here’s to more years of fun and food :) Happy Friendship Day!! 

Happiest Birthday Swetha!

Oh Swe, where do I even start? It’s only fair to start from the very beginning. The first time I ever met you was back in 2015, when you were part of Uma’s wider team. We didn’t get to interact a lot, but I remember your smile, the very-genuine-reaching-up-to-your-eyes kinda smile. There were the occasional hi-byes when we crossed paths during the day but don’t quite remember a lot of conversation happening.

Cut to June 2022, I join back Barclays, but this time into your team. I didn’t know this until I started, and honestly you were the first best thing that happened to me at that time. I used to tell a lot of people that rejoining Barclays felt a lot like Homecoming, because of all the people, and you are definitely in the top of that list. Somehow the conversations right from the beginning felt very natural, as if some old friends reconnecting after a long gap. What with having a lot of things in common, like, sharing birth years, mat leaves (lol), kiddos sharing same birthday months, the mutual love of food - Gosh, all these things that connected us closer. You are such a joy to talk to. Always bustling with enthu, and a warm smile.

The one thing that always stands out about you, the one that always inspires me is - your care! All these 3 years, I have seen you care, for every one of us in the team, the kids, your family, friends and anybody that you know. The amount of care and love you shower to the people around you is something that’s truly admirable. It seems so easy and natural coming from you. You diligently follow up when someone calls in sick or has any issues. I still remember the one time I called in sick, and you had whole list of remedies that I should be looking at, and constantly followed up with me. Thanks for always being there, Swe. No matter what, I’ll also be there for you, always and forever. 

The next thing that probably has us, or rather our whole girls’ gang connected is FOOD. That’s possibly the one topic that we never tire of talking about or experimenting. The ideas that are shared over lunch, tried in the respective kitchens and brought in to taste another day, has got me feeling orey the wow, what did I even do to deserve such a lovely gang of people. I sincerely think we could start a food blog with all the recipes that we’ve shared amongst us and enjoyed savouring. You are our gang’s best man(woman) to pull everyone for a break when we are sulking over long spreadsheets or never-ending meetings. Oh my, those 6-8months when you were on mat leave after the birth of Jaanu, we really felt the vacuum. The breaks were never the same and we couldn’t wait for you to come back. So glad to have you back at work since November. 

Guess I should probably stop here and tell what I’ve been skipping to in the first 20 lines - Happiest Birthday Swetha!! May you light more souls with your care and talk and, let the universe shower you with abundance of joy and happiness for the years to come :) Thank you so much for coming into my life, and I do hold our relationship very dearly. 

Love,

Gayu

Kudremukh!

Western Ghats have always been my most favourite. I have only been to Kumara Parvatha and Kodachari until now, and both of them have been really beautiful and challenging. I certainly have a thing for lush greens - the kind that you see right during and immediately after monsoon. So, when the office colleagues decided to plan a trip, I jumped up with glee suggesting Kudremukh as the destination.

 I have been wanting to go to Kudremukh for a long time now, ever since I finished the other two K's, but the dream couldn't crystallise into a reality. I went all out and convinced everyone about how beautiful Kudremukh would be and how this was exactly the right time to visit that place, showing all the innumerable photos on the internet. But as with every other trip planning and every other office gumbal, we started off with about 10 people showing interest for the trip, but then when we did finalise the actual date, unfortunately most them backed out due to various reasons. Finally, it was just me and one junior fellow who were the last men standing - and we decided to go ahead and do the trek. One, because I was really desperate to go there, and two, I wasn't sure when I would be handed such a perfect opportunity again, I didn't want to miss this. 

We decided to do this trek with a group called "Native Trekking" - who had an itinerary for the whole weekend, covering one / two places enroute after the trek. They pretty much got you covered for everything, transport (from Bangalore), food, stay and the trek. 

The bus started off from Indra Nagar in Bangalore at about 8pm Friday night. I was to board at Yeswanthpur. As I waited for the bus, I was stumped to see so many people around waiting about for a similar bus, for their weekend getaway. How I wished my life is one such. I chance upon a conversation with a bloke thinking he'd be in the same bus as mine, only to find out that he was headed elsewhere. Nevertheless, had a nice chat about the various places you could trek to in the Western Ghats.

My bus arrives an hour later, and mostly full. The junior had boarded earlier and had warned me about this. So, we settle down for the last row seats. It took us nearly an hour to exit the Bangalore city, and the bus is stopped for a quick dinner, for those who wish to grab something. After this, we start again, and the trek organizers give us all a briefing of the itinerary and the plan for the next day. They try their best to get to engage the crowd by playing some music and inviting people to dance. A few do, but most of us are engrossed with our own little group and barely budge. It takes another hour or two for most of the folks to doze off. I manage to get about 3 hours of barely there sleep. 

We reach Mullodi at about 5:30AM. From there, we were escorted to our homestay, which was about 4-5kms from Mullodi, in a jeep. Everybody was excited to go on the open jeep, and hopped on very enthusiastically. But mind you, the excitement died down in flat 5 minutes. Gosh! So much of jostling, and we could literally feel our hands/ribs crushing against the railing. Possibly, one of the most adventurous jeep ride I have ever taken till date. We longingly stare at every homestay that we pass by anticipating that it'd be ours only to be driven past it as though it didn't exist. After an excruciatingly long ride, we finally reach Rajesh Homestay. Phew! Everyone is relieved we've reached in one piece, and quite a few are already rethinking their idea of this whole trek.

We are pointed to our stays - two separate houses - one for men, and another for women. Dumping our bags in the room, we quickly refresh and head out for breakfast. After downing a breakfast of Idli, Chutney-Sambhar with some sugar-overloaded tea, and a packed lunch dabba, we head to the start point - a.k.a the forest checkpost. They have a strict rule of no single-use plastics to the peak, and check your bags thoroughly to ensure the same, before letting you begin the trek. At the forest checkpost, they check your booking details, ID and give you a lanyard with an ID for entry, and assign a local guide for every 15 people or so. 

The instructions were simple - the entire trek distance is 9km one way, you start at 8:30 and get to climb up until 1pm, and where ever you are by 1pm, you start your descent right away - if you manage to reach the peak by then, well and good, if not, it's your loss folks - you better up your fitness game! This is to ensure that everyone is out of the trail before it gets dark. 

We begin the trek with slight incline, and keep moving up. There is so much greenery all around - lush greenery - exactly like the ones that I have written about in the first line - absolute gorgeous eye soothing greens. As we gain more elevation, and see the peaks and mountains that surround us, covered with cluster of clouds, I feel so much peace and happiness, that I can never explain through words. The greenery, the blue sky, the white clouds - a scene that shall forever be etched in my mind, and bring forth the same calmness and peace every time I think of them. 

I'm not sure how many hills we climb and descend, but the valley (?) where the base of each hill meets the next, is usually a dense patch of forest with very minimal sun. After almost an hour into the trek, we started craving for these forest patches as the sun was becoming a little too hot for our liking, and there was no breeze either. And oh, there were streams all through, and every time we crossed one, we made sure to quench our thirst or rather just splash some water on our face with the ice cold water that felt really good. 

We reached the Lone Tree, which had an amazing view and spent a few minutes there. And then we reached a spot, where the clouds just moved into us, enveloping us with misty drops. As we climbed ahead, some inclines were brutally steep and made me wonder how am I even going to make it down in this route. Rightly about 10 minutes before we reached the peak, it started raining, and for the first time since we started climbing, it felt cold. Thankfully, we had raincoats. Wear them and move on. 

And yayyy! We made it - we reached the peak at 12:15. The rain had temporarily stopped. Peak views and I, are never a thing, I believe - especially in treks. Every time I climb up a peak, the surroundings are always covered in clouds and I end up feeling like I'm floating on a cloud, instead of feeling like I'm atop a mountain. Kudremukh peak wasn't an exception either, as it was entirely surrounded by clouds. Definitely not disappointed, but slightly curious to know what lay beneath the clouds. We had our lunch on the peak, strolled around a bit, took a group picture with our entire gang as it started raining all over again.

Spot us!

At 1pm, as advised, we started our descent. I have always strongly believed that ascents take the most time, and descents are usually fast, and haven't been proven otherwise until now. But this trail was hellbent in defying my belief, and it did. The trail was already super steep making us think twice before we took the next step. Add to this, a steady stream of more-than-a-drizzle-but-not-heavy rain, resulting in slippery paths. It literally brought back the memories of my KP trek descent, where I lost count of the number of times I fell face first into the water flowing through the trails. Everyone had their fair share of trips/falls on the trail, and to my credit, I had 3 (junior would want to count it as 3.5, but I disagree. By the way, he had two - which he wouldn't accept either) - thankfully nothing major for anyone.

Three things that kept us moving without too much of a worry was - one, music - me and the juni apparently seem to enjoy similar genre of music, so we kept singing random songs and kept quizzing each other on do you remember this song, do you know that, have you heard this line, did you like that tune, that pretty much kept our minds in bay. Second, the random chats that we had with people who climbed / descended alongside us - we met a paediatrician who had recently taken a liking to trekking and came solo, a boy who interned in Bangalore who was here with his colleagues, a Madurai girl settled in Bangalore who was here on the trek with her friends, two Class XII kids and, last but not the least, a CA (of course, we had to meet one from our clan right - else the trip isn't considered complete) - each sharing tidbits about their life, their experiences and any random stuff. Third, the views - I guess I'll never get tired of describing the views that we had - telling the same thing in different words as I feel I'd never be able to do justice to that with whatever words I use - the simplest way would be to urge people to go visit the place to experience the beauty and the joy.

We reach the checkpost at 5pm and with that the trek ends. I feel both exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Self pat on the back for making it to the peak, and finishing it on time before dusk. 

As we enter the homestay we are welcomed with pakodas and tea. We bathe, hog on the snacks, and then gobble up the home cooked dinner of rice, veggies, dal, egg, payasam and decided to call it a night. All the previous night's missed sleep, the exhaustion from the trek caught up with me super quick and I doze off as soon as my head hits the bed.

The next morning, I'm all rejuvenated from a good night's sleep and wake early and watch out the mountains surrounding our stay, as the sun rises. We pack our bags and take the rib-crushing jeep ride one more time and board our bus back to Bangalore. The route is scenic with a winding roads, and tall trees and soon changes to widespread farmlands with raincloud backdrop and cool breezes as we descend from the mountains and enter the flat terrains. 

We make a quick stop at Belur Chennakesava temple before heading straight to Bangalore. 

All in all, this whole trek was one absolute paisa vasool and was exactly like what I wanted it to be. So glad that I was able to make it. And this shall forever remain etched in my mind. Special thanks to junior for his company - without which it wouldn't have been as much fun as it was! 

Happy Birthday Naveena!

Dearest Navi, 

I still remember the first time I saw you. It was in Class XI. We generally have our morning prayers in the class, but during the week prior to the Independence day, the morning prayers happen in the ground. On one such day, while standing in line for the prayer, your earrings and hair caught my attention. A hoop earring I guess, a little bigger than what is usually worn in schools. And two pigtails on a silky smooth hair. I was in awe of both of these and kept staring at them all through the prayer for the next couple of days. I was new to the school and you were in a different section, so I had no clue about you. On the Independence Day you were part of some girls dance performance - that was the last time I caught a glimpse you. 

Fast forward to two months' later, I joined a Math Tuition. And guess who I saw sitting before me - you! I was so done with stalking you anonymously, and decided I need to talk to you. We had a common friend Shruthi, who introduced you to me, and we started exchanging pleasantries. Slowly our friendship blossomed as we got to know each other better and started talking a lot in the tuition. 

I clearly remember the one time when you invited me and Shruthi for lunch at your home. Your mom cooked one amazing meal. That was one of the finest home cooked meals I have ever had. 

By the time school got over, your dad got transferred out of Chennai, and moved to into a college hostel that didn't allow the usage of mobile phones for students. Neither did I have one of my own. We were at the mercy of home visits (for you) and parents visit (for me) to have a conversation. This continued for a year, and by second year (or probably third) you moved back home from hostel, and as we both had our phones, our conversations did pick up a little. And that's when you did the sweetest thing that I have ever had happen in my life. You invited me to your college annual day. I was ecstatic. For someone who has never stepped into a college ever before, this was the closest to having a glimpse of how college looked like. And that day, was probably one of the bestest for me. The food, the people, the place, the energy everything felt so good. Navi, a sincere heartfelt thanks to you for inviting me over back then. You never knew how much that meant to me! 

As years went by, and you further moved cities, we managed to stay in touch albeit occasionally, and met up atleast once a year when either of us travelled to the other's city. I think it was during the years after college just after you landed up your first job that our friendship blossomed to a stage where we no longer the hi-bye types, but something more, and that's when we became each other's confidants. 

Our first night out together was when I came over to your house in Bangalore for a day's stay and we went about exploring the Mallya Road and UB City, and the dozens of pictures we took out there. And out we went on our first ever trip to Gokarna with a bunch of others, and had a fun time. It then almost became an unsaid rule between us that each year, we go out on a trip somewhere or do a night out at either of our house. I genuinely enjoyed (and still enjoy) the times we spent together - speaking out our mind without having the worry of judgement. 

Our unforgettable Mumbai Trip. You definitely know how it was for both of us. The evenings in Marine Drive with Ilayaraja songs, the Andheri staff quarters stay, Zostel, shop-till-we-drop at Colaba, the Lassi at Dadar, the Worli Sea Link view, Bandra Fort, Gateway of India, Churros, the innumerable train rides, so many varieties of food, Bandra Skywalk, the Trampoline Jumps, trying to bargain with our broken Hindi. Oh, how much we fun we had. Time and again I keep reminiscing of this trip and feel thankful to have you in my life. 

And last but not the least, your Wedding! Girl, I am totally in awe of you for having pulled it all by yourself. The amount of time and energy you put in for it totally showed up in how good the actual events turned out be. And I thoroughly enjoyed all the bridesmaids duties, and felt immensely happy just being there for you.

To more years of fun, travel, banters, rants, planning to set up healthy habits, gratitude journals, random philosophies - I love you girl!

Happiest birthday to you!! May all that you wish for be granted, and have a fantabulous year ahead!

P.S.: Thanks to my ever lazy and forever procrastinating mind, I'm three days late. But better late than never - and that's why this post now!

Loads of love,

G