My Best Friend

I made my first best friend as soon as I entered this world! Yes, she was my fifty-year-old grandmother for whom I had a special Name-Manna. She was the closest friend I knew for the first five years of my life and what we learned together about each other in those days, are my most precious moments. Whether it was learning about my surroundings or good manners, my first tryst with a paper and pen, or my first take on football, she was with me, encouraging me to take the plunge all along. She tells me today that I taught her how to enjoy life and stay young at fifty; I feel she taught me everything that I know today. The countless visits to the zoo, the picnics, the stories and the fascinating world of art that she introduced me to are imprinted in my memory and are the key points around which I weave my life today. Today, I am a ten-year-old and have many friends. Arjun is my best friend today but I have to share this secret with all of you that ‘Manna’ continues to be my soul friend.