F.r.i.e.n.d.s

International friendship day: Tnie captures unique relationships, unforgettable memories of some prominent personalities of Kerala

‘Never mix friendship with politics’
V D Satheesan, leader of opposition
I am a person with a big friends’ circle. I consider friendships as wealth, strength. True friends and their criticism only help one become better human beings. Ranjith Thampi of Ernakulam is one such ‘best friend’. He was my college mate. We are part of a big gang, and go for long travels and trekking.We have finished trekking at most forests of south India, an exploration we had started at a young age. 
I also had friends from the SFI during my college days. I believe friendships should remain pure. One should never mix it with politics. Despite being the leader of the opposition, I would say General Education Minister V Sivankutty, Agriculture Minister P Prasad and his predecessor V S Sunil Kumar are among my best friends. Political differences never hinder our friendship.  

‘We were nothing short of enemies!’
Lal, actor and director
If you check the movies [director] Siddique and I have done, the majority of them speak about stories of friendship. Ours is a friendship that dates long back. Though we don’t share the Siddique-Lal tag anymore on screen, we haven’t lost the bond.  Siddique and I lived in the same locality. Initially, we were nothing short of enemies! We belonged to rival groups. However, one theatre drama brought us close. Those rehearsal days paved the way to a wonderful bond. Friendship can involve limitless discussions, unlike any other relationship. You can discuss anything under the sun. Friendship, I would say, is the greatest investment in life.

‘We had a rough start’, Poornima Indrajith, actor and designer
A friend is someone who accepts as who you are. Perhaps like the bonds made when you are young and innocent — no judgement, zero expectations. I’ve been trying to practise the same approach.I have a close-knit group of friends, my soul-keepers. My best friend is Revathy Wajeed. We became friends at the age of 14. Our characters are the extreme opposite. I was part of the ‘masti’ gang, and she was studious. I remember being told to sit with her at St Teresa’s school in Kochi, as she was a teacher’s pet. We had a rough start. Slowly, she became my comfort person. 

‘We started off from the school bench’
Jayasurya, actor
It is indeed a privilege to have friendships that have stood the test of time. One of my best buddies is my childhood friend Sujeesh. From sitting on the same bench in school, we both have come a long way. As we grow up, we do make a lot of new friends, but not all are maintained throughout life.  That’s partly because we lose connections.  Sujeesh and I have been together from the start. We witnessed each other growing. And for us, we are still the same. Besides him, I have other beautiful decades-long friendships, too. Kathanar film writer R Ramanand, journalist Elvis Chummar, and filmmaker Ranjith Sankar are some old-time friends. In the film industry, I cherish the memories of each set. Those evening walks with Kunchacko Boban during ‘Swapnakoodu’ shooting, dinner times and conversations with Prithviraj, Indrajith, and Narain during ‘Classmates’.  Now, who is my best friend? Well, it’s me! I like my company so much that I can have a good time by myself without getting bored for days.

‘Still close to my Class 3 friend’
C H Nagaraju IPS, Kochi Police Commissioner
For me, friendship is unconditional and all-forgiving. Friends lift you up from difficulties, and depression. They are the only ones who can make you laugh even at the toughest of times. My childhood friend from Class 3 remains very close to me to date.

‘I share my thoughts with Dulquer’
Sekhar Menon, DJ, actor and music composer 
They say you have to ‘make’ friends with whom you can ‘connect’. However, I don’t believe in the concept of ‘making friends’. Friendships are not made, they happen. A good friend is somebody who understands and makes time for you. In modern terminology, friendship is a time investment. I have found friends in all the movies that I worked in. One friend with whom I share my thoughts is Dulquer Salmaan. We have been friends for many years. Even if we meet after long breaks, there is never a ‘gap’. 

‘Friendship should be effortless’
Anjali Menon, director
Friendship lies at the foundation of every relationship we make outside our families. For me, friendship is about mutual respect and love and wanting the best for the other. I don’t prefer wide circles; my friendships are one to one in nature. I have been very fortunate to have wonderful friends in my life for decades together. It’s a privilege to have friends who are like good honest mirrors who care enough to stand by me no matter what comes.  I don’t want to name any of them, as I would not want their privacy to get affected. The friendships I have are effortless relationships. Funnily, it is a place where you want to put in effort, but should feel effortless.  Friendship, to me, is a sacred space without any formalities. I believe it is a place where you don’t have to be formal but love is unconditional. 

‘She gave me her shorts’
Pearle Maaney, actress and YouTuber
Friendships formed during school days are the purest form of relationship. Chinnu S Raj was my school bestie. I studied till Class 10 at Holy Angels School in Thiruvananthapuram.  Chinnu and I were a funny duo. During free periods, we used to perform funny skits for whole class. There was a strict rule that we had to wear shorts under our skirts. Teachers used to check! One day, I forgot to wear shorts. Chinnu and I were back-benchers. But that day, she sat in the front row and, after showing her shorts, she gave it to me shorts. I wore them and escaped punishment!

‘I was an I M Vijayan fanboy’
Asif Saheer, former Kerala football captain
My most treasured friendship is with I M Vijayan. I started loving the game, after getting inspired by him and Maradona. I am actually a fanboy who got lucky to have a strong friendship of 22 years. It’s been wonder professional and personal bond with Vijayan since the age of 19. Our families are also close to each other. We, in fact, have a common WhatsApp family group. I would call our relationship brotherhood. We playfully call each other ‘Puli (tiger)’. We have played many matches together. One friendly football match at Malappuram in 2000 remains memorable. ‘I M Vijayan 11’ team versus ‘Kerala 11’. He took my pass and made a flying head kick and netted a goal. It was a beautiful one.

‘I attempted suicide, Rajan saved me’
Gopinath Muthukad, magician
I am alive before you, and continue to perform magic, only because of my best friend, Premarajan, whom I fondly call Rajan. He was my neighbour and childhood friend, who studied with me in my hometown Malappuram. He had stopped education at Class 7 and took up carpentry. After college, I got into magic. Initially, I struggled with few shows and poor income. Penury forced me to attempt suicide. There was a KSEB transformer near my house, and I tried getting electrocuted. But, Rajan saw me and quickly pulled me down to the ground from the transformer. Since then, he has been my best friend, and has always been there for me.

‘An IRS officer is my best friend’ 
Neeraj K Gupta, DIG, Ernakulam Range
Friendship, to me, always means trust. A person we can rely on and who will never abandon you at any time. Vipul Agarwal, an IRS officer, is my best friend. Best friends are always the people with whom we can share anything without fear of being judged.

‘Best friends are just like the paramatma’ 
Meera Vasudevan, actor
Friendship to me is comfort. You don’t even need to look at or talk to your shadow all day, still, it’s always standing by your side. My first friend is my younger sister, Ashwini.  Best friends are just like the paramatma version of God living within our hearts. They always stand by waiting for us to look at them and seek support. And they never interfere with our free will to think and act.

‘He moulded me as an HC lawyer’, P S Sreedharan Pillai, Goa Governor
I was appointed as the senior Central government standing counsel (assistant solicitor general) at the Kerala High Court.  I was a novice in High Court. But an elderly friend, advocate James Koshy, came to my rescue. I would say he moulded me as a High Court lawyer. In six months, I got adjusted to the system and I am much obliged to him. His support was a godly gift. Our bond kept growing stronger. We are like family now.

‘Meet-up haunts me’
C Radhakrishnan, writer
Friendship makes life worth living. I’m almost 83 years old now, and some of my friends have already left the world. It’s hard to replace losses. One understands the significance of friendship during its absence. The closest friend I had was K P Rabindran, who was a Central school headmaster. I lost him almost 10 years ago. We became friends while studying at the Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Calicut. We even rented a house together back then. And our meet-up during his last days still haunts me. 

‘Rex’s music inputs express friendship, love’ 
Job Kurien, singer
Friendships are intense relations, others just acquaintances. My ‘best friends’ are my neighbours; I studied with them since primary classes.  Unni Venu, Aravind V S, Ajay J Nair, Sabareesh and Sandeep. [Guitarist and composer] Rex Vijayan is my best friend in the music industry. I see his music inputs as an expression of friendship and love.    

With inputs from Anilkumar T &Manoj Viswanathan

International friendship day: Tnie captures unique relationships, unforgettable memories of some prominent personalities of Kerala ‘Never mix friendship with politics’ V D Satheesan, leader of opposition I am a person with a big friends’ circle. I consider friendships as wealth, strength. True friends and their criticism only help one become better human beings. Ranjith Thampi of Ernakulam is one such ‘best friend’. He was my college mate. We are part of a big gang, and go for long travels and trekking.We have finished trekking at most forests of south India, an exploration we had started at a young age.  I also had friends from the SFI during my college days. I believe friendships should remain pure. One should never mix it with politics. Despite being the leader of the opposition, I would say General Education Minister V Sivankutty, Agriculture Minister P Prasad and his predecessor V S Sunil Kumar are among my best friends. Political differences never hinder our friendship.   Jayasurya‘We were nothing short of enemies!’ Lal, actor and director If you check the movies [director] Siddique and I have done, the majority of them speak about stories of friendship. Ours is a friendship that dates long back. Though we don’t share the Siddique-Lal tag anymore on screen, we haven’t lost the bond.  Siddique and I lived in the same locality. Initially, we were nothing short of enemies! We belonged to rival groups. However, one theatre drama brought us close. Those rehearsal days paved the way to a wonderful bond. Friendship can involve limitless discussions, unlike any other relationship. You can discuss anything under the sun. Friendship, I would say, is the greatest investment in life. ‘We had a rough start’, Poornima Indrajith, actor and designer A friend is someone who accepts as who you are. Perhaps like the bonds made when you are young and innocent — no judgement, zero expectations. I’ve been trying to practise the same approach.I have a close-knit group of friends, my soul-keepers. My best friend is Revathy Wajeed. We became friends at the age of 14. Our characters are the extreme opposite. I was part of the ‘masti’ gang, and she was studious. I remember being told to sit with her at St Teresa’s school in Kochi, as she was a teacher’s pet. We had a rough start. Slowly, she became my comfort person.  ‘We started off from the school bench’ Jayasurya, actor It is indeed a privilege to have friendships that have stood the test of time. One of my best buddies is my childhood friend Sujeesh. From sitting on the same bench in school, we both have come a long way. As we grow up, we do make a lot of new friends, but not all are maintained throughout life.  That’s partly because we lose connections.  Sujeesh and I have been together from the start. We witnessed each other growing. And for us, we are still the same. Besides him, I have other beautiful decades-long friendships, too. Kathanar film writer R Ramanand, journalist Elvis Chummar, and filmmaker Ranjith Sankar are some old-time friends. In the film industry, I cherish the memories of each set. Those evening walks with Kunchacko Boban during ‘Swapnakoodu’ shooting, dinner times and conversations with Prithviraj, Indrajith, and Narain during ‘Classmates’.  Now, who is my best friend? Well, it’s me! I like my company so much that I can have a good time by myself without getting bored for days. ‘Still close to my Class 3 friend’ C H Nagaraju IPS, Kochi Police Commissioner For me, friendship is unconditional and all-forgiving. Friends lift you up from difficulties, and depression. They are the only ones who can make you laugh even at the toughest of times. My childhood friend from Class 3 remains very close to me to date. ‘I share my thoughts with Dulquer’ Sekhar Menon, DJ, actor and music composer  They say you have to ‘make’ friends with whom you can ‘connect’. However, I don’t believe in the concept of ‘making friends’. Friendships are not made, they happen. A good friend is somebody who understands and makes time for you. In modern terminology, friendship is a time investment. I have found friends in all the movies that I worked in. One friend with whom I share my thoughts is Dulquer Salmaan. We have been friends for many years. Even if we meet after long breaks, there is never a ‘gap’.  ‘Friendship should be effortless’ Anjali Menon, director Friendship lies at the foundation of every relationship we make outside our families. For me, friendship is about mutual respect and love and wanting the best for the other. I don’t prefer wide circles; my friendships are one to one in nature. I have been very fortunate to have wonderful friends in my life for decades together. It’s a privilege to have friends who are like good honest mirrors who care enough to stand by me no matter what comes.  I don’t want to name any of them, as I would not want their privacy to get affected. The friendships I have are effortless relationships. Funnily, it is a place where you want to put in effort, but should feel effortless.  Friendship, to me, is a sacred space without any formalities. I believe it is a place where you don’t have to be formal but love is unconditional.  C Radhakrishnan‘She gave me her shorts’ Pearle Maaney, actress and YouTuber Friendships formed during school days are the purest form of relationship. Chinnu S Raj was my school bestie. I studied till Class 10 at Holy Angels School in Thiruvananthapuram.  Chinnu and I were a funny duo. During free periods, we used to perform funny skits for whole class. There was a strict rule that we had to wear shorts under our skirts. Teachers used to check! One day, I forgot to wear shorts. Chinnu and I were back-benchers. But that day, she sat in the front row and, after showing her shorts, she gave it to me shorts. I wore them and escaped punishment! ‘I was an I M Vijayan fanboy’ Asif Saheer, former Kerala football captain My most treasured friendship is with I M Vijayan. I started loving the game, after getting inspired by him and Maradona. I am actually a fanboy who got lucky to have a strong friendship of 22 years. It’s been wonder professional and personal bond with Vijayan since the age of 19. Our families are also close to each other. We, in fact, have a common WhatsApp family group. I would call our relationship brotherhood. We playfully call each other ‘Puli (tiger)’. We have played many matches together. One friendly football match at Malappuram in 2000 remains memorable. ‘I M Vijayan 11’ team versus ‘Kerala 11’. He took my pass and made a flying head kick and netted a goal. It was a beautiful one. ‘I attempted suicide, Rajan saved me’ Gopinath Muthukad, magician I am alive before you, and continue to perform magic, only because of my best friend, Premarajan, whom I fondly call Rajan. He was my neighbour and childhood friend, who studied with me in my hometown Malappuram. He had stopped education at Class 7 and took up carpentry. After college, I got into magic. Initially, I struggled with few shows and poor income. Penury forced me to attempt suicide. There was a KSEB transformer near my house, and I tried getting electrocuted. But, Rajan saw me and quickly pulled me down to the ground from the transformer. Since then, he has been my best friend, and has always been there for me. ‘An IRS officer is my best friend’  Neeraj K Gupta, DIG, Ernakulam Range Friendship, to me, always means trust. A person we can rely on and who will never abandon you at any time. Vipul Agarwal, an IRS officer, is my best friend. Best friends are always the people with whom we can share anything without fear of being judged. ‘Best friends are just like the paramatma’  Meera Vasudevan, actor Friendship to me is comfort. You don’t even need to look at or talk to your shadow all day, still, it’s always standing by your side. My first friend is my younger sister, Ashwini.  Best friends are just like the paramatma version of God living within our hearts. They always stand by waiting for us to look at them and seek support. And they never interfere with our free will to think and act. ‘He moulded me as an HC lawyer’, P S Sreedharan Pillai, Goa Governor I was appointed as the senior Central government standing counsel (assistant solicitor general) at the Kerala High Court.  I was a novice in High Court. But an elderly friend, advocate James Koshy, came to my rescue. I would say he moulded me as a High Court lawyer. In six months, I got adjusted to the system and I am much obliged to him. His support was a godly gift. Our bond kept growing stronger. We are like family now. ‘Meet-up haunts me’ C Radhakrishnan, writer Friendship makes life worth living. I’m almost 83 years old now, and some of my friends have already left the world. It’s hard to replace losses. One understands the significance of friendship during its absence. The closest friend I had was K P Rabindran, who was a Central school headmaster. I lost him almost 10 years ago. We became friends while studying at the Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Calicut. We even rented a house together back then. And our meet-up during his last days still haunts me.  ‘Rex’s music inputs express friendship, love’  Job Kurien, singer Friendships are intense relations, others just acquaintances. My ‘best friends’ are my neighbours; I studied with them since primary classes.  Unni Venu, Aravind V S, Ajay J Nair, Sabareesh and Sandeep. [Guitarist and composer] Rex Vijayan is my best friend in the music industry. I see his music inputs as an expression of friendship and love.     With inputs from Anilkumar T &Manoj Viswanathan