DEC POST 6 : Day 5 of my Self Challenge

PEN FRIEND AND LETTER WRITING

The term “Pen friend” during school sounded exciting when I first learnt. Writing letter to a girl whom I never met and who stays in a different city which I have never visited. How cool is that?

My parents had subscribed for Tinkle Digest edition for me. It was a monthly magazine for kids which I suppose was to be read during the entire month. And being the voracious reader that I was, I would complete it the day it got delivered at home. There was one space in the magazine where children would write about their experiences. They would give their names along with their address and photos. There was an article written by a girl who I thought looked like me. There goes. I thought I should write to the girl and make her my pen pal. Sixth or seventh grade I was in I guess. I had learnt the term “pen friend” and now I thought a girl “looked” like me, I wanted a pen friend. I was excited as ever to write something on paper :) And tell about my life and dreams to someone. How odd does it sound now, isn’t it? Describing your personal life to a stranger. But those were the days of innocence. Somehow I never went ahead and wrote the letter to her.

I had taken part in a science writing competition and got selected to go for a camp at Gujarat. Many people from West Coast of India assembled there. There I made many new friends. And there was this girl, who now has become my great confidante and a very close friend. It started with Hi and then we exchanged our addresses after being friends. She had told me to write first, I remember. After coming home, I was after my parents that I would write to this girl, my new friend. My  dad checked the address that I had of her’s. And told me to go ahead. And then my dream came true. I had a pen friend whom I could write to. Thus began my journey of writing letters to a friend, and then waiting excitedly to receive and read her letters to me. Now besides the letters delivered at home in my dad’s name, there were letters delivered in my name too. This was not the first time that letters came in my name. My cousin who worked in the US would write to me regularly. And I would write her long ( read extremely long) letters. I would tell my cousin about my daily stuff and all sort. This if I remember exactly would be when I was in fifth or sixth grade. I don't know how my cousin had the patience to read my detailed letters. I was too excited to write letters to her. And would proudly deliver my letters which would go to USA. Coming back to my pen friend, we kept exchanging letters for many years,the long letters which I would wait for everytime. As kid, I was excited to have a pen pal so I get another chance to write something. But when I really found a pen friend, it wasn't just writing and describing my stuff to a person. It soon developed into close knit friendship of a lifetime. Writing letters and waiting for the reply was exciting.

The exchange of addresses in the remote jungles of Gujarat went ahead and developed into a friendship which has lasted all these years. We didn't meet all these years although she stays in the neighboring state. The trust we lay in each other through those letters laid a strong foundation of our friendship which lasted this long. Thanks to my craziness of childhood of  having a pen friend that I got a wonderful friend.