My Best Friend

There are men and men;
Every stone is not a gem.

Everybody has one or more friends.  But "Most friendship is feigning", says   feigning", Shakespeare. The world is full of fair-weather friends. Such friends desert their companions in times of adversity. One true friend is better than a hundred false friends just as one true diamond is worth more than a hundred false diamonds.

Like everybody else, I have many friends. But Sohan is my best friend. His greatest merit is his sincere and unpretentious nature. I am fully confident that he can never betray me, just as he has always stood by me through thick and true friendship is a gift from God. We cannot have a true friend just for the asking. It was just a chance that Sohan met me at a function. We found our natures identical. To my great delight, I discovered that Sohan was also a student of the same class as I, though he read in a different school. His house is not more than a kilometer away from my house. We began to meet frequently. Both of us are good at studies and fond of music and hockey. Our intimacy soon grew into full fledged friendship. Now Sohan is my alter ego.

Sohan is of about the same age as I. He is a brilliant student. He often stands first in his class. If ever he misses his mark, he does not feel dismayed. He has an optimistic attitude towards life and believes in the dictum: "Try. Try again". He not only works hard himself but also encourages others to do so. He helps the weak students in their studies just as he helps the poor students with money and books. He belongs to a rich family, but he is not proud of his riches.

Sohan is an embodiment of high character. He is honest and truthful. He has the guts to call a spade a spade. Even while rolling in luxury, he believes in high thinking. He is a good speaker and a good player of hockey. He is strong, smart and healthy. He respects the teachers and the elders. He treats my parents as his own parents. He is a great source of inspiration to me. We share our joys and sorrows and confide our secrets to each other. We have a set routine which we follow. Last summer we spent our holidays together at Shimla.

Sohan is not a dandy. He wears simple but neat and clean clothes. He gets up early in the morning and goes to school in time. In the evening we discuss matters relating to our studies and sometimes view T.V. serials together. Others may envy our friendship but we have malice towards none. May our friendship remain intact for ever and ever!