Best Friends Forever

We were five girls seeking each others’ friendship since 2008, in Shari Higher Secondary School. We were sharing the same classroom but were seated in different seats of the class. None of us had any idea that small little gestures we showed to each other in those early days would go ahead and give rise to this immensely beautiful friendship we all get to see today. We all come from different parts of the country and probably we all had variation in many ways. 
  
But one thing that can be drawn common was the growth as an individual and the power to understand friends around. Just few moments of togetherness with few gossips and our day used to be awesome. The main link that bonded us together was Tashi Dema who is a very religious girl amongst us and she used to give various dharma talks to us whenever we were free. We always enjoyed her initiatives.

BFF since 2008

Tashi Dema

Well, it’s very complicated to describe this special friend of mine as she herself is bit complicated. I am sorry Tashi for pulling your leg. Originally from Zhemgang, which is one of the most remote Dzongkhags in Bhutan but her thinking and attitude is way more advanced than anyone else. Her spiritual beliefs are something I admire heavily. She is a very straight forward friend who openly listens to her heart and very pure in her deeds too. She strongly believes in the so called Karma. She keeps herself focused on what she aims and never diverts herself and this is the best quality of her.
  

Currently she is studying her fourth year of traditional medicine in National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM) at Kawajangsa, Thimphu and I just admire the way she got over there. In high school, most of us happen to be a rolling ball without any aim but she was confident enough and made up her mind clearly what she wanted out of her life. She used to say that she wants to become a drungtso (doctor of traditional medicine) and she got it right. After our BCSE results were declared, she informed us that she was joining Institute of Language and Cultural Studies (ILCS) in Simtokha. She had good marks (75%) and it was no doubt that she won’t get the admission there. We departed after class 10 and didn’t get into much touch as she was staying in the hostel over there. 
  
After studying at ILCS for two years and topping every exam, she easily got into the limited slots offered by the RCSC in traditional medicine. I meet her frequently as and when I go to Thimphu and Paro sometimes and talk for hours about various experiences we had in each other’s absence. I love her for her neutrality and innocence. She always makes sure that her decisions are not biased. Though there was many times where I scolded her a lot for being mischievous (Tashi is the most mischievous among us), she always took me positively and improved herself.  Perhaps this is the main reason for her to be this close to her dreams.

 

A proud friend of mine: Tashi Dema

Yeshey Pelden

Another crazy friend here who is equally innocent and humble. Emotionally very weak but the very best quality about her is she is a great and amazing cook and so I have always advised her to be a chef but it didn’t happen sadly. I stayed with her for so many days and I got to taste lots of delicious food prepared by her. She is short-tempered and gets hurt very easily but she forgets everything very soon. 

I meet her very often during my vacations and she always makes me realize that she is the same careless and innocent girl I have known some five to six years ago. She has not grown up yet. She can be described as being a very shy girl and has been quiet a close friend of mine as I have spent more time with her than anyone else among my friends. During those days, I was angry with her on several occasions and sometimes we made the situation bit worse by adding our ego and self respect. 

But I am glad that we didn’t let our friendship perish. We took some time and eventually faced each other to say sorry for whatever we did. And it must have been this very reason that now I can say anything to her and won’t mind even if it is going to make her angry as I know that we two are fated to be together (even if its fighting and quarrelling every time). She is as good as my sister now. There were times too where we enjoyed each other’s company and felt very blessed to have each other in our lives.  Most of my high school incidents revolve with her and I feel without a friend like her, my life would have been something else today.

 

Yeshey enjoying her time with pet Nima!!

Choki Wangmo

She is from Changmey, and this place is near my hometown in Trashigang. A very supportive friend of mine and I can describe her as a very cheerful girl who had been an amazing friend to anyone. If anyone needed a good friend’s shoulders to hug on during the bad times, it would be definitely her shoulders because I always found myself near this beautiful cheerful lady whenever I felt the lowness of life. Without any hesitation, she would stretch her hands and be of as much help as possible. 

As of now, I don’t get to see her much but we do have very good contact. She is studying in Sherubtse and she never come to Thimphu or Paro during her vacation. She stays at her home in Trashigang only. We all miss her a lot but hope lingers in everyone’s heart that we will be able to meet her in a year or so as promised by her. Studies were something she took very seriously and she never stepped back from giving her best in what was expected from her. She can be described as a great devotee of Guru Padmasambhava. She keeps him close to her heart and always starts her day with his blessings.

I miss this darling friend Choki

Sonam Choki

She belongs to the central Bhutan: Bumthang. I first met her when I was in class eight and noticed her as a very shy and simple girl in the class. Those days, the Bhutanese actress Sonam Choki was very much popular with her debut movie, Muti Thrishing- The perfect girl. Whole of our class used to call her as the perfect girl (as they shared the same name) and she was always found blushing into red.  

She has a habit of cracking simple and dry jokes but she is the most supportive friend I have ever had till now. With any sort of situation, she had stood along her friends with unprecedented care and support. Sonam will be the best wife and mother because as a young girl only, she possessed all those unripe qualities she would exhibit in the future marking her as a great mother and wife to-be in the future (Sonam, I can’t wait to see your future family). She has a high sense of cleanliness, neatness and tidiness and nothing can stop her from cleaning our stuffs too if she is around. 

She wasn’t top with her studies but her hard work and determination was something that kept her going higher in life. She simply studied what she knew and wrote what she studied in the exams.

Perfect Girl: Sonam Choki

Let me relive some of the memories with them: the numerous times we leaned on the class corridor railings and looked around the students, teachers and yes the beautiful flowers planted around the assembly ground. But most the time we would be talking about all the girly things. During one hour lunch break, twenty minutes was enough for us to eat and the rest of the time would be spent on a special spot: just next to our classroom block and flower garden, overlooking the football field and where there were peach trees (we ate lots of peach from that peach tree). 

I don’t remember what we all had talked or discussed over there every day but I can say this much that it was the best times of my high school. Guys in the class used to call us as Tashi’s gang as we were no less than a gang always together and forefront if any problems came up with anyone of us. This was the beauty of our togetherness. Tashi Dema was representing our school for the Dzongkha Literature Competition held and we all had prayed for her success which was eventually answered and we proudly shared the happy moment of her victory together because we were friends forever. 

Same support and concern was there for me too if I was named to do anything important in the school. In fact even a small speech we all had to compulsorily make in the morning assembly, we were always supportive and had great concern for each other’s performance in the public.

And with such friends in the class, it used to be another added point for us to go to school every day. Times were there were we, as chicken-hearted girls would cry over very simple reasons like being scolded by teacher or getting into problem with other classmates (actually crying by girls is a way of showing their frustrations and anger according to me) but we would be always at the side to console and cheer up. 

Likewise I cannot forget those moments where silly stupid jokes made us laugh uncontrollably until we feel as if our stomach will burst out. Smiling faces and laughing expressions of all of my girls are still very much fresh in my mind and whenever I recall any of them with that expression, I unknowingly generate smile on my face. Exams were very heavy all the time and we all used to take all the exams conducted very seriously. Even a single second would be very much precious and we always had a great last minute preparation among us before entering the exam hall. Coming out of the exam hall would again call for another meeting where we had to discuss what we all wrote on the paper. It was truly memorable and I miss those times a lot since everything has changed now.

As the fate brought us all together, the same fate departed us one by one. And today we all are studying in different regions of Bhutan and me here in Delhi. But the invisible strings which are connecting our hearts together are strong enough that no matter where we are, we always miss and care each other. We came to the realization that after all those years of separation, we are the same friends we were in the school and we long a lot to see each other so desperately. For me, it has been around five years that I haven’t met Sonam Choki and around two years for Choki Wangmo. I meet up very often with Tashi Dema and Yeshey Pelden. But at the bottom-line, I miss all these ladies.