#FriendshipGoals: The magic of friendship comes alive in these stories

“Its the friends you call at 4 am that matter”, goes a famous quote. Through the month of July we brought you stories of such friendships forged between people through different trials and travails.

30 July is celebrated as International Friendship Day. In these times of coronavirus pandemic and lockdown many of us are not able to physically meet our friends but they are with us all the time so we decided to celebrate stories of enduring friendships through the month.

We started off the campaign with the story of Rinu and Keerthi, 19-year-olds from Kochi. Both of them were diagnosed with a learning disability as kids and regard their friendship as something truly precious.

Fun is a major part of the bond between Sharada Devi and Niranjana Nair, who met in college in Trivandrum and have stayed close for nearly 10 years. Niranjana loves the fact that Sharada has never let locomotor disability affect her positive outlook.

A common surname is not the only thing Maitreya and Tejas have in common. They share a similar family background too. This led the two to click instantly when they met in college. As roommates they became even closer and Maitreya says he appreciates how patient Tejas is about the challenges that come with living with a visually impaired person.

Video calls have been a lifeline for best friends Athira Bhaskar and Shampa Majumdar who have been unable to meet despite living in the same city, Kolkata. Athira, a wheelchair user, met Shampa in college and they have stayed close since then.