Imagine being cocooned and sheltered for several years and then having to leave that comfort zone and moving out into an unknown world. I am sure that many students who have moved out of school or junior college face this fear. I too have undergone the same when I moved out of the portals of Fergusson College, into BJ Medical College, as I was the only one from my group of friends to get into medical college. Although, I was anxious in the beginning, little did I know at the time that my like-mindedness with my fellow students, would bind us for life!
We connect with friends at various levels. When we are in school, we mingle with a wider group of friends and gradually choose friends with similar tastes. In our later life, in college we make longer lasting friendships as we have moved towards our professional life and find a common platform to connect.
When we are born into the world, we are born into a family that we have not chosen for ourselves. But when we step into our second life, that is our social life we can choose our social family, that is our family of friends. Having friends is a very important part of our lives and we should give credit and value to this aspect of our lives. It takes constant effort to keep the friendship alive. Sometimes, friends drift apart and this happens mostly with women once they get married. They lose touch with their friends, and their husband’s friends start becoming their friends. But it is very critical to maintain their own friendships as friends are one’s biggest stress busters. There are so many things that one cannot discuss with their family but can discuss with their friends.
For me, personally I have a group of friends from BJ Medical College and I have maintained my friendship for the past 40 years. I entered BJ Medical College in 1981 and since then I am part of a close-knit group of 15 friends. Even when many of us got married we continued the friendship, because our spouses also became part of our group. We stand together in joy to celebrate and support each other in times of crisis. But apart from that too we ensure that we meet at least once a month. The fun that we have when we are together, it rejuvenates us. Either we meet at somebody’s house or a restaurant and we even manage to go on trips once a year. As many of them are practicing doctors, it is extremely difficult for them to take time away from their patients. Yet, they take three to four days off from their schedules to be together. Now that our children have grown up and have gotten married, it is nice to see that they too are continuing with their friendships which came out of our bonds.
Therefore, I would like to tell all the young students who are stepping out into the world, that forging friendships is a very important part of life. Friends can be your pathway to a diverse environment that you can learn from. Some friends can teach you to stay calm under stress, while others can be ambitious and teach you how to stay motivated. Thankfully at Symbiosis International University we have students from 85 countries and all the states of India and therefore students have the opportunity to meet, interact and learn about various cultures and ethnicities. I always tell our students that they should make at least one friend from another state and one friend from another country. This way they can learn more about the cultures of other countries as well. When you come to know about different cultural practices and traditions your perspective broadens and you become more adaptable in your outlook and thus become a true global citizen! Students at Symbiosis International University have a wonderful opportunity to grow their character and personality and I wish them all the best and also wish that will make the most of this opportunity!