My Best Friend's Wedding

Contrary to what the title to this article might lead you to guess, my best friend is still unmarried. Infact, he's not even hooked yet. If there's any eligible bachelorette reading this, you know whom to contact if you are interested in meeting the nicest guy on this planet.

Now, I am really not exaggerating when I call him the nicest guy around. What would you call a guy who is way above the average in terms of his professional achievements, who has, in my 11 years of knowing him, never been vexed at anyone or anything, who adores his family and does everything to make sure they are happy, who blushes red in the face when reciting even a vegetarian joke, etc etc. Nicest guy would be the closest I could get to being able to do justice to his extremely delectable demeanor.

Shankar and I first met in 1993 when we joined 11th std in NCJ. I cant say we hit it off immediately. Shankar was this noble samaritan who would religiously attend classes with rapt attention, and then disseminate his gyan to all the not so intellectually privileged fellow students after class. And I was this arrogant, disinterested, self-professed intellectually superior creature who wouldn't need to listen to what was being taught since he could score much better studying on his own. Or so i thought, and who's to argue since it was never disproved. But Shankar and I shared a common passion for Brahminical brethren to make intellectually stimulating conversation. And Raghu served as the common friend who served as a catalyst to help us know each other better and bond a friendship that should, I am sure, last a lifetime.

During the next 2 years, we formed an amazingly witty, and yet enviably intelligent group who knew exactly how to balance fun and studies. The group, which we fondly, and maybe immaturely, called SARKAR (to abbreviate Shankar, Ajeya, Raghavendra, Kiran, Ajith and Radhakrishna) was the toast of the town for its innate ability to keep itself and everyone around humored despite always being politically, ethically, and socially impeccable. Interestingly, there were a few fringe members who were almost part of this elite gang, but not quite. And then there was Radhakrishna who was never really a part of the gang, but got lucky since we needed an extra "R" to complete our sobriquet.

It was, therefore, not surprising when Radhakrishna drifted out of the group right after 12th. And nobody really cared too much since his contribution to the group was just his "R", and little else. And after 12th, we were not too keen on the sobriquet anymore. So the group now consisted of only the real members-Shankar, Ajeya, Ajith, Rags and me. As the years passed, and as our careers took us in different directions, most of these names became just that...names. Ajith is now a super achiever with the UN. Rags is a "wannabe" super achiever, who conveniently sheds the "wannabe" tag in proclaiming himself to be the super achiever that he stops short of being by quite some distance (Just kidding Rags). Ajeya, despite his "rolling stone" professional lifestyle, has carved quite a niche for himself and is now minting dollars in the US of A.

And that leaves just Shankar and me behind, in good ol' Des. And in times like this, when I am scaling major milestones in my personal life, the need for a true friend is much more pronounced. And Shankar fits the bill perfectly. It is to my credit that I have uncovered a few real gems in the form of friends.

Now , coming back to the title of this article, Shankar has now grown up to be one very charming young man, and unfortunately for him, charm like his has very few peers in the fairer sex. And since we (his parents, my parents and me) cannot accept anything less than a perfect bride for our man, the search for his bride is turning out to be a rather elaborate affair. And since Shankar is the kind who cannot disappoint anyone, it's that much more tough to find a bride whose beauty will appeal to Shankar and his mom likewise, whose height and qualification will match up to the expectations of Shankar and his Dad, and whose charm will match up to the charisma of Shankar. And above all, whose horoscope matches Shankar's to a T.

Now, if anyone can help find a girl who matches this tall order, I can soon start planning for "My best friend's wedding".
Until such time, the search goes on..