A wedding toast to chomu-giri

After days of grumbly, angry, frustrated posts, it's time to look on the bright side. My best friend is getting married.

My official best friend is Smita. But I have a bunch of other best friends that I can't do without. There's Madhurima and Roshni and Shutapa and Shreya and Amrita and MoonMoon and Nancy and Eugenia and Roy and Rocky and Kohi and Moo and a couple of more people that I suspect I've forgotten. But I've only one chaddi-buddy (even though we've been friends since only class 11) and that is Rahul, better known as Chomu Kunda. The label 'chomu-giri' is an ode to him, as is this post.

Pic of Poojo and Chomu:


Chomu Kunda is special. Very very special. He's my favourite boy ever. Even now that he's put on even more weight and looks like a man (He is 25), he's still my favourite boy. Boyfriends have come and gone, but Chomu Kunda has remained a constant. Using the most colourful cuss words when he realized my first guy was a jerk that was Rahul. Seeking consolation on hearing the tragic news of my breakup with the second, that again was Rahul. He's not the King of Good Looks, but he cleans up nice and is a total dude. How many guys do you know who get on to a bus from Lake Town to Mullickbazar, exchange numbers on bus tickets with a chick, and have a girlfriend in hand a phone call later? How many guys do you know who walk into a movie hall with a guy friend and emerge out of it three hours later with a girlfriend?

I know one of those. Rahul Chomu Kunda. And the boy is getting married. I'm so proud. The last time I was so proud of him was back in Class 11 and 12. He was the school football team's goalkeeper and we (Madz, Smita, Shutapa and I) his biggest fans. Smita and I had our respective boyfriends on the team, but Kunda was our No. 1. Even when he let go of that one easy goal between his legs... That's one embarrassing story we will never let go of.

He can't play dumb charades though. Not to save his life. But if you're ever in the mood to ride the Flying Saucer at Nicco Park, I'd recommend Chomu Kunda. He won't get pukey and if you put him on the outside, it's a nice cushiony person to fall against.

I love the guy. Did I mention it? And he loves me. He's the only non-boyfriend guy friend that I say 'I love you' to on a regular basis. Of course, he's said 'I love you' to millions and zillions of girls. Mitali, Diksha, Payel (the first), Priyanka, Esha, Pamela, me, Smita, Natasha, Payel (the second and the bride-to-be)... and these are just the ones I remember off hand. :) The guy has spirit. And fight.

I guess I've seen him through more relationships than vice versa. I've also seen him sitting on a chair on my terrace with a towel wrapped over his school shirt, while my Ma stood with scissors trying to salvage what remained of his hair after a particularly disastrous haircut. It looked better after. That was the day Shutapa's birthday party was held on my terrace and short skirts were the order of the day.

My first drink was with him. As was my first smoke. He's the one who'd wake up suddenly and realise that somebody or the other had changed. I remember the time he kept looking at me, shaking his head sadly, and muttering occasionally, 'Pooja, you have changed'. It was hilarious then, but perhaps he saw something that even I missed. I think he saw me growing up.

But I'm not sure if I noticed him grow up. He did though. Suddenly, stupid, idiotic Chomu was all adult and talking sense. Sure, he still had an eye for the ladies. Sure, given a chance, he'd still add water to the bottle of sauce to dilute the damn thing while cooking. Sure, he had a talent for finding the most Bong people in Maharashtra. Sure, he'll never lose weight. I hope he doesn't. Sure, he'd still steal the chicken off your plate if he smelt the slightest chance. But then that's Rahul. If he didn't do all those things, he wouldn't be very chomu after all, would he?

So this is my ode to Rahul Chomu Kunda. May his chomu-giri survive the tempest called marriage.

And finally, a picture of the happy couple: Payel Rani and Rahul Raja ;)


With love, Poojo