They were 5 of them. While each one of the boys had many others as friends, the shy and quiet boy who spoke softly and looked sincere had only them, just them. So when they found out that their quiet,simple friend was withering away in ill-health  due to a complicated disease that did not have a cure, they came to him every day. When he was confined to the wheel-chair and was moody and grumpy they sat with him, often spending the entire day with and even taking him out sometimes. Joking and fooling around, they clipped his nails, cut his hair ,laughed with him watching movies or listening to songs while the bewildered but much thankful parents of the boy thanked god for small mercies. It was clear to the parents that their son’s health was deteriorating by the day, every effort to make their boy happy was made. His friends more than any one else played their part as counselors, happiness-providers, mood elevators so much that the pall of gloom never quite settled in the house. This the parents recounted as one of the best evidence of the existence of higher human sensibilities, yes, despite losing their only son, they continued to smile.

When today, the boys now all men grown up ,with their families, their happy wives and happy children, descended to visit their long lost friend’s family, the man and his wife, were all smiles. “God is great, he said, the father, yes he is,said the mother. ”

PS: Babu, Koushik, Mani, Rouf thanks for being angels in the guise of friends.