Gratitude diaries 12

My time in IIM A was pretty difficult. In hindsight I know that everyone's (bar very few exceptions) time in IIM A was tough, it's designed to be that way, but at that time, it felt as if mine was the worst. Thankfully I had a few good friends whose support carried me through. Shrutika was one of them. We stayed in the same dorm (hostel). So we spent a lot of time together. Alka and Shrutika were my besties in the insti. Shrutika was a Maharashtrian like me and from Bombay, so we had that in common. We also shared a love of reading. I have probably spent a lot of time crying on Shrutika's shoulder about my poor grades. She never failed to provide comfort. She was quite maternal in that way- I felt absolutely comfortable crying and complaining to her and her very presence would sort of make me feel better. I am sure she must have found me tiresome, needy and depressing at times but she never showed it or made me feel unwanted. She had a lot of friends, and she knew I was lonely, so even after she got into a relationship, she always tried to include me in her outings, which was so sweet. We also enjoyed eating out a lot and spent many an evening eating in Topaz to avoid the horrible mess food. We always ordered cheese naan and corn tomato bharta and ended the meal with vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce. She, I and Alka shared a close bond, all being from the same dorm, and enjoyed each other's company. Alka spent more time with boyfriend though but whenever she did join me and Shrutika, we had a great time together. Thank you Shrutika, for your friendship, encouragement, support through the IIM A years- I'd never have made it without you and other few friends. But most of all, thank you for all the shared laughter and fun times. So happy that we're still friends!