This is the story of how the three of us who grew up within a couple of miles from each other and got separated by thousands and thousands of miles across continents as we continued growing up finally might come together under the same roof for a couple of hours!!

For the first part, you might have to go back to the story I had published in June 2012, where I had tracked down Jayita from my fourth grade days finally in Dubai. Sharmila and the kids got a chance to meet Jayita’s family. You can read about it here.

For the second part, there is an interesting twist. I was introduced to Piyali circa 1986 by Madhumolli in Kolkata. While Piyali and I grew up in the same small place, we never had met before. That same Piyali has become a very famous doctor now in Kolkata. Fortunately for me, thru all her successes and fame, she has chosen to remember me.

A few weeks back, I made my annual call to her to wish her a very happy birthday!! I also paid her a compliment on losing some significant weight – from what I could figure out in Facebook pictures. She explained how she has focused on diet control. I took the chance to ask her to start some exercise like brisk walking or running. I assured her that running is not as scary as it sounds.

“I will tell you what. I will be coming to check on my dad in three weeks’ time. I will come by your house one early morning and we will go for a run”… that is exactly how our call ended.

This Friday, I called her up in Kolkata to set some date to go for a run. She informed me that she would be in Dubai that time. For a moment I was amazed how far she would run away just to avoid me 🙂 But I also remembered that she had a practice in Dubai too and went there very regularly.

“Okay, we will run in Dubai, then”, I said to her utter shock. You see, she did not know that I was routed thru Dubai to go to India and I had a long – and I mean a very long – fourteen hours to be precise – layover. I could easily come out, put in a run and then go back and take a shower in the airport. She could not believe for a moment how far I would chase her just to make her run 🙂 Eventually, I explained the whole situation.

That is when I remembered something.
“Hey, do you know Jayita?”
“Which Jayita”
“Mukherjee. From Durgapur”
She thought for a while and said “Yes”. And described her.
“How do you know her?”
“We went to Carmel school together”.
That was confusing to me. I knew Jayita never went to Carmel school but Piyali’s description was fairly accurate. Regardless, I said “Okay. How about this? We will skip running this time. But how about the three of us get together in Dubai?”
“What? How? Where is she?”, she asked!
“Jayita lives in Dubai!!”
That was that!!!

Immediately called up Jayita half expecting her not to know Piyali.
“Hey, did you ever study in Carmel School?”
“No”, said Jayita, as I had expected.
“Do you know Piyali?”
“Which Piyali”?
“Mukherjee”
“Doctor?”
“Yes”
“I think I do”
“How can you possibly know her? You and I went to Benachity Junior High School – I know she did not study there. She went to Carmel – I know you did not go there. Did you meet her in a different context”.
Jayita thought for a few seconds and said “You know Rajib, I think we studied eleventh and twelfth class in Bidhan school”
That made a world of sense to me. Finally!!
“How about the three of us grab a drink in Dubai on Monday evening?”
“What do you mean? Where are you? Where is she?”.
Of course, I explained the whole story to her…

And here I am … half way thru to Dubai from Dallas … 37,000 feet above northern Europe… wondering how it would feel to have three friends who were connected to each other but never overlapped – started their life journeys in the same place but now are in three corners of the world… finally get together under the same roof for the very first time…

I am hoping against hopes the plan does not hit a snag. And also that Rajaram (Jayita’s husband) will join us. We need a good photographer to capture the moments. I do not believe I will get another chance to put the three of us together again!!