Rajesh is my best friend and I spend many enjoyable hours with him. Here, I would like to describe just one hour that I spend with him every day. Both of us live in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai and travel together by train and bus to our school in Colaba, South Mumbai. The journey takes nearly an hour, but in Rajesh’s company, it feels much shorter.

Rajesh is about my age and we are in the same class, but he is extremely lively and mischievous. Even as the local train pulls into the station, Rajesh jumps into the first-class compartment and immediately grabs a window seat. He places his school bag on the seat next to him to save it for me. Once we settle in, we compare notes and complete our pending homework with each other’s help. This keeps us occupied until Dadar station.

After that, Rajesh starts planning the fun pranks he might try at school. He never lowers his voice and many passengers enjoy his cheerful chatter. Rajesh knows people are listening and since he loves having an audience, he often entertains them with small jokes. One day, we got the shock of our lives when we discovered that Mr. Singh, our Geography teacher, had also boarded at Churchgate station. He must have overheard everything Rajesh said. We expected a scolding when we reached school, but surprisingly, he treated us normally, as if nothing had happened.

From Churchgate, we take a bus to Colaba. Again, Rajesh dashes ahead and secures a window seat, saving the one next to him for me. By now, many people on our route know Rajesh well and as for me, I cannot imagine traveling alone. I honestly don’t know how I would manage a comfortable journey without him.