When I was at school, Friendship Day was associated with all kinds of secrecy. We would hide writing boards under our desks, and make friendship bands while pretending to listen to the teacher. Friendship bands would get confiscated, much to our indignation. They came under the category of 'ornaments', which were prohibited. Some girls made beautiful friendship bands and their chosen friends wore those bands like badges of honour, hiding them in their pockets whenever teachers were around.Today, Friendship Day makes me smile. Yes, friendship is something I treasure, and I try hard to write about. I try to give it the warmth and passion that infuses the friendship of childhood. Not long ago, a child wrote a book review of The Prophecy of Rasphora, featuring three friends - Tara, Vandana and Afreen. It warmed my heart that the review referred to the three as sisters.Friendship in … [Read more...]