When Mola passed away, Jindal was there, by my side, to help me recover. He accompanied me to Goa with Arjun to give me company in my need to grieve in private. He came to Singapore and stayed with me for a month and then again, for 2 weeks, later that year.
He was the first friend by my side when my grandfather passed away. In taking care of the funeral, he did as much as my family, if not more. At Gaurav’s wedding, the guy did whatever he could to help, including manning the bar.
He was there when my grandmom passed away. First person by my side.
The truth about Jindal is that he had the large heartedness and the strength to support his best friends in their toughest times.
The truth also is that he could not quite muster the strength to be by his own side in his toughest times.
But there is a difference between weak and good. Some of us have the strength to fight our own demons and get to the other side. Some of us don’t.
That does not take away from the goodness of their heart. Jindal was an extremely good human being. A person who only wished for the best for his friends. Who, in his limited capacity, gave what he could to his friendships. That “what he could” was his time.
There was a seldom a time when you’d ask Jindal to meet and he’d say no. He would simply show up, drink himself silly and spend time with us.
The sudden-ness of his death makes it very tough to get past his weakness to fight for his own well being. But as I look back at what has been more than a 20-year friendship, I can remember all the good times. The times we spent at Oasis. The time we spent just sitting in bars or at home drinking and endlessly talking. The milestones we celebrated together. The 2011 World Cup semi-final we watched together at his place. All I remember is a brother who was always there, smiling, laughing whole-heartedly and ribbing some us, every once in a while with some the silliest arguments.
Jindal’s life may have been defined by limited means but he more than compensated for it with the generosity of his time.
In the toughest of my times, he said “main Hoon tere saath”. Aur woh tha mere saath.
The irony of life is that I wish he had more time. Maybe, then maybe, he could have come out stronger on the other side. Even if he didn’t, we would have had a little more time with him. To be the friend he was to us in our toughest times.
It is always easier to remember a man’s flaws. And in Jindal’s case, those are even easier. But flaws don’t alone don’t define friends. Friendships are about acceptance, without judgment.
And on this count, Jindal stood head and shoulders above us. We judged him for his flaws but he never once judged us for ours.
His weaknesses may have gotten the better of him but they certainly didn’t get the better of the friend he was, in my memories.
Jindal - Our mate, for life.
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