Monday 4 August 2014

Official Friendship Day In India

Friendship Day is celebrated on different dates in different countries.

On 27 July 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nation declared July 30 as the official International Friendship Day.

Some countries like India celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday in August.

This year, in 2014, it was celebrated on August 3rd.

I felt blessed to receive many HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY messages.

I am sharing the following touching and relevant message about a New Friendship Day date that was forwarded to me through WhatsApp:

"A year ago in-front of his eyes his girlfriend was brutally raped by six bastards in a running bus of Delhi.
He fought till the time he was beaten blue with an iron rod.
They broke his leg, robbed him, snatched his mobile & left him almost naked..
He fought till the time he could. Then on that chilling cold night he was thrown from the running bus along with his girl friend.
They were naked, drained, exhausted & both were bleeding for different reasons.
He tried to stop passing cars & kept on begging for a piece of shawl to wrap his naked girl friend & finally he got it after 40 minutes.
Then he took her to the hospital, admitted her, called the police,called her parents & did every possible co-operation that a true friend should do in the hour of need.

He could have fled from the bus - he did not. 
He could have left her on the road - he did not. 
He could have claimed fame & money ( as the father of Nirbhaya who took Rs 25 lakhs from UP CM, a job for his son & many more from many people in his daughter's name ) - but he did not. 
He could have claimed his treatment money from Govt - he did not. 
He could have become the most frequently seen face in the electronic media in exchange of money - he did not.

If this is not friendship then what is friendship??

When the entire country roared for the girl no one thought what this boy had gone through that night.
He is not a film star or a cricketer.
He is Awindra Pratap Pandey, a boy from Gorakshapur in UP, the boy who loved his girl from the core of his heart.
When this boy is there somewhere in anonymity, why we Indians should celebrate Friendship Day on 3rd August to copy the Americans??
Source

We should celebrate Friendship Day in India  on 16th December to salute the spirit of Awindra who proved what friendship means.

Let 16th December be the official Friendship Day in India.

Am I talking sense??
If yes then please share this & give your opinion here.
Make WhatsApp a right platform of social awareness!!
This is a broadcast message
Frwd to all your Frnds."

I agree with the idea of December 16th being celebrated as the Official Friendship Day in India.

I also believe that Friendship Day must be celebrated EVERY DAY. 

Our world can do a lot more IntelliZENce to Keep Calm & Care & Zen...


DO YOU WANT THAT DECEMBER 16TH BE CELEBRATED AS THE OFFICIAL FRIENDSHIP DAY IN INDIA? 
WHAT DO YOU SAY? PLEASE SHARE YOUR VIEWS AS A COMMENT...


Top post on IndiBlogger.in, the community of Indian Bloggers

80 comments:

  1. Wow! Awesome post. Wishing you happy friendship day. I like the statement Friendship day must be celebrated every day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my Blog!
      Thank you so much. Happy Friendship day to you too.
      May we all celebrate HFD everyday and have a better world.

      Delete
  2. Nice thought Anita. Thanks Anita for drawing our attention to the contribution of this boy in upholding the true meaning of friendship.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ravish.
      Yes, I had read about Awindra Pratap Pandey earlier. May we have & be friends like him...
      The WhatsApp message raised the same points...

      Delete
  3. As you said, it should be celebrated every day; and I would say the same about Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and a few similar ones :)
    I don't usually think about days, but now I remember :D Happy belated friendship day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes indeed :)
      If Friendship day, V Day etc are celebrated everyday, then our world will be a great place :)
      Now we take everyone for granted and behave so unreasonably...then try to make up on that 1 day...
      Happy Friendship Day to you too!
      It's never belated! Makes us feel elated :)

      Delete
    2. True :) Let there be good days :)

      Delete
  4. If we could really be friendly in our interactions every day, you may not even need to celebrate these days :) I only hope we do not relegate friendly feelings ONLY to the friendship day and become unsocial the rest of the year :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True Sureshji.
      That's the issue- We try to "make up" on the Days, while rest of the days we are not even bothered...
      Need to "celebrate" everyday. We can start off with being a friend...

      Delete
  5. I pray for him.

    There is so much horrible happening around us that at times i feel guilty - the guilt of happiness - and then I pray for myself too.

    Ideally everyday should be Friendship Day, Valentines Day, Mother's Day, etc. But we don't live in an ideal world and we don't have perfect relationships. So long as these days are not just to increase sales of cards and gifts, so long as these days make us pause and value relationships, I believe... let them be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your wise words.
      So true... unfortunately, "we don't live in an ideal world and we don't have perfect relationships."
      at least such days make us value the relationships.
      We wish one another on the occasion of such days, while rest of the time, we have no time...

      Awindra Pratap Pandey has been an excellent friend. He is a role-model.
      I shudder to think of the traumatic experience he & nirbhaya have had to go through... at least she succumbed, while he 'lives on' & must be reliving the terror almost everyday...
      Tough to erase the nightmare...
      Sigh... May God give him strength.
      May we all be friends.

      Delete
  6. He was a great man..and great men do simple things greatly..He did thatfor her.
    We need to value relationships. I should :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True Red, relationships are a premium...
      These days, we haven't the time or the intention to do things for our 'family'. Awindra did so much for his friend...

      Delete
  7. My respect for this man increased tenfold after reading this ! Truly a beautiful message he spread ! Happy friendship day dear :)!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Truly Nazm. He has set a high example of Friendship.

      Thanks! Happy Friendship day, dear :)

      Delete
  8. Anita, I am not against what you shared here, but if you ask my personal opinion, I would not prefer to make FriendShip Day on 16th, it has two reasons, one there should not be any day for friendship, as it is a feeling, which you can feel on any day and can even feel lonely on any day, second it is the day which always reminds me the brave girl Nirvaya, and the poor Indian society and mentality.

    You asked me what can we change from India and I would respond for your post as it is the mentality of our society, the day I can change it, I will be happy to celebrate Friendship day...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alok, I understand your sentiments.
      We all are very disappointed by the shameful heinous crime that happened on December 16th.
      Nirbhaya will never fade from public memory...
      I feel celebrating Friendship Day on Dec 16th will associate some positivity with that unfortunate date.
      We will be reminded to be an exemplary friend like Awindra.
      This is much needed.
      In India, we don't respect our heroes. High time we started doing so.

      True that Friendship day can be any day & everyday, but a particular day accords it more importance.
      Here, the Nirbhaya case is totally deserving of the honor.

      You are right that our mentality needs change.
      We can start with small steps- like being a friend.
      Change begins with you & me.
      'Tum chalo to Hindustan chale'...

      Delete
  9. Awindra defined the true meaning of friendship..a lovely post Anita. A belated friendship day to you too..though like you said..I'd prefer it to be on the 16th :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Renu for the Friendship Day wishes :) Happy Friendship Day to you too.
      Great that we are friends everyday.
      Thanks for sharing your opinion.

      Delete
  10. OH YEs .. 16th december it should be for sure .. if we have to make ONE day in a year

    but to me each day should be friendship day or any other day, in the current times we are forgetting the meaning of friendship. Today i have a appointment with a FRIEND who is getting me a part time work at a company but wants 30% of the share :) , this is what friendship is these days ..

    gone are the days when we stood by friends irrespective of anything or circumstances.. we are tooo quick to make friends and equally quicker in using then and then walking away ..

    Thankfully by the grace of god I have some beautiful friends who will stand by me always without a second thought and I hope god gives me the courage of always standing by my friends

    Happy friendship day yesterday-today-tomorrow and ALWAYSssssssssssssss

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bikram for sharing your candid feelings & for such wonderful words.
      I agree. 'Friendship' has undergone much metamorphosis with 'benefits' being of prime consideration in this materialistic world.
      Thanks for your wishes! Happy Friendship Day to you too!
      I love your words- "Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow & ALWAYSsssssssssss" :) Forever Friends is lovely :)

      Delete
  11. Happy friendship day to you, Anita! I never knew the official date was July 30th! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot! Best wishes for you too- Happy Friendship Day, Sreesha!
      Even I didn't know that July 30 is the official date! I learnt this today from Wikipedia while writing this post :)
      All these years I knew that the 1st Sunday of August is Friendship Day, thanks to our newspapers...

      Delete
  12. I agree...hope you remember my post what's in a day....when everyday we love and care and feel for the people who are dear to us

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Chaitali. Very right.
      I feel ideally everyday should be celebrated. But, also true is the fact that we are not in a perfect world :)
      There's nothing in a day as long as we love & care & share.
      But, having a day to commemorate does attach extra importance.

      The point is- as we are anyhow celebrating the 1st Sunday of August, we can celebrate Friendship Day on December 16th instead to mark the occasion.

      Delete
  13. Nice thought and it's sad..He must have undergone so much trauma too and now has to live with that memory...Friendship, a true one that too, he shared was something we can emulate...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Naba. We feel for the young man... He has to live with that terrible memory all his life...
      Apart from feeling so helpless & saddened, wish we could set things right.
      As that's not possible, at least let us emulate & be true friends & stop unfortunate acts from getting repeated...

      Delete
  14. i really liked your post i salute to that guy and talking about friendship day then it should be celebrated everyday, whereas 16 December though marks a day when a friend supported his friend wholeheartly but that day also marks a day that was so horrifying to humanity. So that day shouldnt be celebrated as any day at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lata. i just shared the WhatsApp message I received as I agreed to it.
      Dec 16th has such traumatic memories associated with it. sadly we can't UNDO or DELETE it...
      By celebrating it as Friendship Day should serve as medicine on the deep wound...
      Anyhow that day will always be commemorated for Nirbhaya.
      Better that her friend's friendship gets the focus, rather than those beasts responsible for the ghastly crime...

      Delete
  15. I agree with you dear....he created the greatest example of friendship....it's nice and touchy.
    I become your 101st member.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Arpita for your reply.
      Thanks for being my Shagun Follower - 101 is Shagun :) Delighted!

      Delete
  16. A friend in need is a friend indeed and this guy proved himself as a 'friend'. But i think instead of picking one day to celebrate friendship to show our love. care. affection and of course friendship, let's do it any day and every day for innumerable reasons. After all we don't need a day but only a heart to acknowledge. quite a thoughtful post, Anita.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what even I feel, Meera. But, celebrating all days, as we all know, isn't feasible...
      May we all have friendly hearts to be a friend...
      thanks! I just shared the touching WhatsApp message.

      Delete
  17. I am not sure, 16th Dec - that day is a black day, I can't associate it with anything good.
    Happy friendship day to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Indrani for sharing your view & for your wish!
      Happy Friendship Day to you too :)
      I feel if we associate something positive with the negative, the negativity will die out.
      "Andhera ko Ujaala hi mita sakta hai"- Only Light can remove darkness.
      Can only pray- "Let there be light"...

      Delete
  18. I had no idea about this story....but indeed he is a true friend an ardent lover. I wish for more such people to survive this world. It may be very hard for them to get over the black patch and rewrite in their memories as a celebrated one. But I hope they find solace that people recognise his bravery and loyalty towards his relationship.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen Vidhya.
      May their tribe increase.
      May nothing bad ever happen & no one has to experience or erase bad memories...

      Delete
  19. Happy Friendship Day. That's what true friendship is all about:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy Friendship Day to you too, Vishal :)

      Delete
  20. Friendship is about love and care and he was a true friend of her but somehow i don't think that day should be celebrated ...humanity died with her, there have been so many rape cases after that and still no strict laws to punish this monsters :( :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very true, Swati.
      Sad that unfortunate cases are still happening on an alarming basis...
      We do need stricter laws, harsher punishments for offenders & conditioning for all.

      But, I feel everyone can 'celebrate' that Dec 16th date & sensitize everyone to be a 'friend' & not a beast...

      Delete
  21. It was a heartbreaking incident. What Nirbhaya and her friend had faced, It is impossible to imagine. Hats off. I am not so agree with celebrating friendship day on 16th dec. That was a black day to be known for.

    For what I believe, Friends are always just a call away so everyday is a friendship day.

    Happy Friendship day Anita... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True Priyashi. We can't imagine what Nirbhaya & her friend Awindra had been through.
      May no one get to experience it. But, associating the good with the bad can remove some blackness & ensure light...
      Thanks for sharing your views.

      Happy Friendship Day to you too :)

      Delete
  22. I FEEL THE FEELINGS OF FRIENDSHIP NEED TO PERMEATE OUR BEING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Uppalji.
      May such noble thoughts be in all the brains every second, minute, hour, day of every year...
      Our world will be a friendly place with no terrible incidents...

      Delete
  23. Agree with you Anita that every day needs to be treated as a friendship day:0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Rahulji. Wish we all understand this soon :)

      Delete
  24. Hey Anita, Belated friendship Day wishes to you :) And I agree that every day is a friendship day but somehow I can not associate 16th dec with sweetness of friendship. May be Awindra can do that but for me it was too horrible and black and I am not sure I can manage to even think about it... May be you are right in your way but for me , in India its meaning less as all this is a daily way of life and we are sort of used to it ... endless tortures ... bore by victims/survivors and their family n friends...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kokila for sharing your views & for your wishes.
      Happy Friendship Day to you too!
      No, it's never belated as Friendship Day is everyday & messages from friends make us feel elated :)

      Yes, many feel the way you do about Dec 16th.
      May we get over it. May we all be friends & avoid such mindless & shocking incidents...

      Delete
    2. True Anita,that is the thing... still not able to get over it and all other newer incidents :( may we get humans to live with ...

      Delete
  25. Happy Friendship Day to you, Anita! And that is a great example of friendship that you refreshed for all of us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Rachna! Happy Friendship day to you too :)
      I just shared the relevant WhatsApp message...

      Delete
  26. While I admire his friendship.. 16th Dec does not mark a good feeling for me :( but yes he should be respected for his friendship, hats off to him.. i dont know if we could be half as good friends as he was...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Seeta for sharing your views.
      Very true. Hope there are more friends like Awindra. Will make our world a better place.
      The day evokes strong feelings from all of us.
      I feel we can reduce the pain a bit by associating it with something good...

      Delete
  27. Replies
    1. Thanks for the wishes!
      Happy Friendship Day, Induji :)

      Delete
  28. Yes, we must mark such days to honor great men/women. Belated wishes to you, Anita.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Saru for sharing your view. Yes, we need to 'celebrate' & commemorate...
      Friendship Day wishes can never be belated as any day, while receiving them, we feel blessed & elated :)
      Thanks! Best wishes for you too :)

      Delete
  29. Touching and hats off for writing this post Anita :)
    Every day is a friendship day, true that. But, we should turn days into special in honor of such great men/women. Agree :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shanx :)
      I just shared the WhatsApp message. Hats Off to the original idea proponent.
      Great. yes, indeed.
      May we honor the deserving.

      Delete
  30. Replies
    1. Thanks Rahul :)
      Most of it is the shared WhatsApp message...

      Delete
  31. n yes happy friendship day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the wish!
      Happy Friendship Day to you too :)

      Delete
  32. so touching ! Happy friendship day :) (a little late :D)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed touching.
      Thanks Ankur for your wish.
      Friendship Day message is never late as for me everyday is great to celebrate:)
      Happy Friendship Day to you!

      Delete
  33. Dear Anita the message came to me too on Whatts app. i have been sore over the last few days over this traumatic thing called rape myself. Read my post and you shall know.
    About friendship let me be very honest by quoting these lines, Dost ban-banke mile mujhko mitaane waale
    Maine dekhe hain kai rang badalane waale
    Tumne chup rehkar sitam aur bhee dhaayaa mujhpar
    Tumse achchhe hain mere haal pe hansne waale
    Main to ikhalaq ke hathon hi bika kartaa hoon
    Aur honge tere baazar mein bikne waale
    Akhree daur pe salaam-e-dil-e-mustar le lo
    Phir naa lautenge shab-e-hijr pe ronewaale
    i have my reservations about a specific day because i deem friendship to be a very special bond. And for me each day is a special day. Do we really need a specific day to remind us...
    Anita not only this i also don't endorse all this Mother's day and Daughter's day...blah..blah...
    i guess it was a gimmick started by these card companies for commercial purpose like Archies and Hallmark and it signifies an erosion of a culture.
    Normally don't care, don't find time to even say hello and then have one day then bombard the person with a typed forwarded message laced cards/ gifts. It all seems so fake so superficial . You know Anita i don't even send Rakhi to my brothers s with Rakhi cards having words that seem cheesy and sound like filmy dialogues. i prefer a handwritten personal note in which i scribble down our secret silly codes of yore. That's us.
    Did i disappoint you in this...sry didn't mean to.
    Commendable what Awindra did for Nirbhaya but this should be done each day and every day by anyone friend or no friend. Tragedy is someone is dying on the road and people just whiz past in their swanky cars...
    i have been left in the lurch by my friends many a times. Mostly used and exploited. Sometimes ignored because i won't 'suck up' . But i love the thought of friendship...true friendship. Wonder if it ever exits in the real world.
    Awindra and Nirbhaya one...a situation... a traumatic fatal one but they were dating each other weren't they...so it was more than just friendship. If they were alive after the film show and if the break up had not happened...i am just assuming here because times are such that many of these friendships also don't last... probably they would be husband and wife...
    Yess as an honor a day can be dedicated to the' Cause' which should be humanity.
    Pls do go through my post too.
    Another thing about this thing called friendship i have done posts before and will be doing a post soon narrating my experiences...telling you and all how the lyrics by गीतकार / Lyricist: Saeed Rahi is so true and so real.
    And dear beautiful girl you yourself have said it rightly...EVERYDAY IS GREAT TO CELEBRATE. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shivani for such a heartfelt & candid comment!
      I had tears in my eyes reading the touching Hindi lines you have shared. They are gems.
      Most of us can identify with the words...

      Even I am against commercialization of such 'days' & like you, even I detest all things 'fake & superficial'.
      Thus, I am not disappointed as I agree with you & respect your sincere views.

      Yay! Yes! Everyday is great to celebrate!
      Feel blessed that Friendship is in our fate!

      Your insightful Friendship Day Message via this Comment is my gift that I am so honored to receive.
      I appreciate your time & effort to pen this detailed comment for me.
      Thanks! Happy Friendship Day forever :)

      Delete
  34. I wasn't aware about the post happening with tht guy .. good tht brought it through your blog .. but you know what 16th dec. should better be remember as a day of bravery .. a day when the womenhood got insulted, humilated, abused and asulted in the most brutal manner, in the most barbaric way ..and the lady she did not died.. she is still alive in each one of us .. and asking questions which we are not able to answer ..

    I too have written a short story and a poem soon aft her death .. do read them if you get time .. the titles are, "wo mar gai" its the poem and "mujhe dar lag raha hai" is the story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bravery in a way that she struggled till her last breath and even after death she taught us the lesson that we need to be brave and bold too .. she died and left fort he eternal sleep but her death awakened our souls .. we need to raise our voice and our hands.. a day of awakening .. a day of shame and crying ..

      Delete
    2. Thanks Bhavana for sharing your views.
      I had read about Awindra from the news reports. This time when I got the WhatsApp message, I felt I had to share it as many aren't aware...
      You are right that Nirbhaya has not died. She is alive & we'll be haunted by the gruesome shameful act that happened in the 'Dilwalon ki Shaher'.
      There are many questions unanswered. The crime is still alive & kicking in different parts of our country...

      I'll check out your posts. Thanks for the info.

      Delete
    3. So, you suggest that we have a 'Day of Shame & Crying.' & not Friendship...
      The crime happens everyday & everyday is a day of shame & crying for many girls...
      So wish we can undo/delete/remove the crimes, Bhavana.

      Nirbhaya is no more, but her friend Awindra & so many girls (& boys) have been the target of rape. Sad.
      Yes, we need to raise our voice.

      Delete
  35. I opine that friendship does not need days to be celebrated. If friends are well-meaning and true, then every single day is naturally a celebration of their friendship, without requiring any special days for celebration.

    Coming to Nirbhaya's case, I agree that the boy deserves special mention. But it would be unfair and unwise to shift the convention for only a single case. I am sure there are thousands of such boys who have helped people in times of need without expecting anything in return. If such is the case then we would need to celebrate Friendship Day throughout the year.

    That is exactly my point - celebrate it throughout the year without earmarking special days for it...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Siddharth for your feedback.
      I agree that friendship needs no days to be celebrated. It's great to celebrate when friends get together.

      I felt Nirbhaya's case is a special case that needs focus. The black day can get some positive commemoration...

      Delete
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    friendship

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by & for your appreciation, Vabna :)
      I visited your website. However, as it's not written in any of the languages know, I am unable to read your posts.

      Delete
  37. Encourage d spirits to face pain in life, i think its a good step to celebrate dis day (16dec) as friendship dy so in regards Happy Freindship Day to Everybdy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Purnima for your maiden comment.
      Glad to know that you support the idea.
      Our thoughts are with Nirbhaya & her friend.
      Happy Friendship Day to all. May we all be a good friend...

      Delete

Your words mean a lot to me.

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