Kitna Chain Hota Hai Na Sachhai Mein

There are times when telling the truth is the most difficult task to do. Telling a lie is safer and more convenient in tricky situations but for a moron like me lying is the toughest job. 

No matter how hard I try to tell a lie in order to avoid certain confrontations and the consequences, the hard words of truth ineluctably flow out.

I was in high school. I had a very close friend whose name was Maneka. She was a Brahmin. We were best of buddies. Her parents too shared a very close bond with me, especially her mother. She somehow found me the right companion for her daughter who according to her was immature and impractical.

Maneka was enjoying every bit of her teenage. She did all that teenagers enjoy doing the most including things that were not really favorable for her. One such thing that she got herself into was an affair with a boy of another religion.

She revealed me about her crush and then about their affair and meetings. I always advised her to keep herself off all this as it was very a dangerous business. I was aware of the futility of the brewing relationship and also about its detrimental impact. Knowing her parents well, I knew that the truth about her alliance with this guy would disturb them completely and her too.

Regardless of all my suggestions and kind advice she continued with her venture, exploring the unexplored.

One day all hell broke loose. It had to happen someday. Maneka had bunked her school to celebrate her boyfriend’s birthday in a newly inaugurated restaurant.

She was caught red-handed by her father who happened to visit the same restaurant with his colleagues.

I don't know what actually transpired in the restaurant but I am sure it must have been embarrassing for both-father, daughter to be caught in such a situation.

Same evening I received a call from Maneka’s mother. She said she wanted to have a word with me. Next day she came to meet me and told me about the restaurant incident. She told me that Maneka was not telling anything about her relation with the boy she was found with.

Aunty was looking very disturbed and I am sure Maneka too would have been but here there was no Maneka but just her mom, a very concerned mother.

She wanted me to disclose the truth. She wanted me to tell her all that I knew. “Being a mother of a teenage girl who lacks sensibility in sensitive matters is not easy”, she said. Her eyes were wet and they looked for an answer from me.

One trust had to be kept and another had to be broken. I had to decide whose trust was worthier.

It was a tough decision for me to choose between a friend’s lie and a mother’s concern and trust.

I decided to speak the truth and so I told aunty about Maneka’s alliance with his boyfriend. After listening to my story she looked relieved.  She knew the truth now and hence it was  easier for her to handle the difficult situation.

She thanked me and said, “This truth will do good to your friend so don’t ever feel guilty for telling the truth”.

She left but the thought of shatterd Maneka  did not leave me. I kept pondering what will happen at Maneka’s house? How would Maneka react after knowing that her best friend had breached her trust?

I was sure my friendship with Maneka will soon become a past thing and I was right. Next week when Maneka came to school she did not speak to me. She avoided me and preferred to stay away with me. Her behaviour and attitude were hurting me.

I tried to talk to her and explain my point of view but all my efforts failed. Well, I consoled myself by saying that I should have known the power of one harsh truth that I dared to utter. I lost my friend, my best friend forever.

Few weeks flew away…the days in school seemed longer now.

At times unexpected incidents can fill your dull and drab moments into most memorable and beautiful ones.

I too experienced such a moment. I was doing some school work when Maneka approached me.” Hi, I need to talk to you”, she said. The familiarity of the voice and the yearning to hear it made me turn to her immediately. I wanted to listen to her and wanted to express my thoughts.

She told me that she was sorry for having been rude to me. She said that the boy she was seeing was the wrong person for her. After knowing the truth from me her parents had decided to find about this guy. In the following few days everything was clear to them and also to Maneka.

The boy was a big flirt who loved to spend time with different girls at different times. He also had a very bad reputation in his school. Lot more hidden facts came to their knowledge that confirmed how wrong was Maneka’s choice.

After telling the entire story Maneka said something that pacified my disturbed mind. She said, “My mom says right …true friends are like you who always guide to the right path. I thank you for being my friend and request you to be my friend always.”

I had nothing to say. Her words were like cool drops of water on dry and parched land. I was very happy to have my friend back in my life.

All the guilt feelings and thoughts that bothered me for several days and convinced me that speaking truth was my mistake had now taken a back seat. Once again I was confident that truth spoken for good never fails you.

Today Maneka and I are now grown-ups. We are in different profession, different states but our bond continues to grow. Understanding, love and trust between us nurtured our friendship, turning it into a life-long , beautiful relation

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This write up has been written for  Kinley 2014 TVC ( http://www.coca-colaindia.com/products/kinley_water.html).