Old friends are good for you.

Published by Aditya Jhunjhunwala, December 1st, 2017

We were in the fourth year of mechanical engineering. A top software company of that time had come to hire graduates. They were giving a talk to the students. My friend Nipun says that I sat through the 45-minute session with my head down and my eyes closed. At the end of the talk, the nice gentleman asked if any of the students had questions. There was pin-drop silence. As students, we have been taught to answer questions, not ask questions. One solitary hand went up. It was mine. Apparently, I asked "Sir, you are a part of an IT company. We are all mechanical engineering students. What will we do in your company?" Seemed like a logical question. But, he seemed irritated. Firstly, someone had actually asked a question, and to top it, it was a logical question. He answered, "If you had kept your eyes open during the talk, you would have understood." Pat came my reply, "Sir, my eyes may have been closed, but my ears were wide open."

This was narrated to me by my friend Nipun Girotra yesterday, as we met for lunch after quite a few years. Nipun then told everyone around the table, "Aditya has always been one to ask questions and think deeply about things". I felt my chest swelling up! Listening to this story about myself, made me believe in myself even more. It gave me insight into myself - that I am not afraid to ask questions. Now, I think I will have the courage to develop this quality further.

Stories inspire. Stories about my own life, make me reflect on myself. I am grateful to have a friend like Nipun, who has the goodness to tell me a story that raises my self-belief. Thank you, Nipun. I will always remember your face as you narrated this story to me. It makes me want to do even more in my life.

Old friends are treasures. Nipun has taught me something very beautiful. I am going to be that kind of friend to my old friends. I will take opportunities to remind my old friends of their goodness. I will tell them stories that have the power to make them believe in themselves even more.