My friend Tharun and myself Kavin are in the same class from Std II. We have many things in common which naturally brought us together. He is good in Mathematics but I am good at languages. He is an allrounder in cricket. But I can bat well and do some fielding too. My Mathematics teacher Mr. Selvaraj always remembers to compliment Tharun and snub me whenever test papers are distributed. But my English teacher Miss Sangeetha is a balanced person. She does appreciate creative writing but never snubs anyone. She has something nice to say to everyone. It was in one such classes she gave me and Tharun a joint project.
We were asked to interview people living at the border struggling to eke out a living. This joint project eradicated the ego in us. We saw life afresh. We, for the first time, felt grateful to our parents for taking care of us and meeting our needs much above their capacity. Afterwards, I derived pleasure in the centuries hit. He raved over the catches I had made in the field or the occasional sixes I had hit. Now we have become family friends. I go to his home to learn my math and he comes to my home when a difficult English assignment is there. As we celebrate one another’s success in both academics and sports, the occasional jealousy that used to crop between us is buried once for all. When you enjoy others’ success and share their joy and when you have a friend who is happy for you, there is a feeling that life is wonderful.
