Lokmat News Network
By Mehboob Inamdar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Salah Saleh Ahmed Obadi (Abyan- Yemen, Ph D-English, Bamu): Not all get an opportunity to make friends at the international level due to differences in linguistic, cultural, religious identity and geographical boundaries. One person needs good friends when one migrates or enters another country. A friend’s relationship is characterised by positive personal qualities such as kindness, generosity, loyalty and honesty.
When I arrived in the city in 2017 to pursue a postgraduate course in English, I was worried about the people, culture, climate, and language of India.
However, Imran Khan who was also a local PG student in the same institution welcomed me in his hostel on the very first day without bothering about my nationality and language. This changed my outlook towards foreign countries like India.
Within a short time, my friend and I became aware of each other and became best friends. When I was taking the examination in the first semester, I was very worried about it. I have studied in Yemen in English but with instructions in Arabic. Here, everything was in English. He guided me in everything from preparing notes and studying for the examination. I used to call him whenever I faced any problem. He was always ready to help me without bothering time and weather.
Imran left the city after finishing PG. But, I cannot forget him. Imran who got a job in an Information Technology firm at Jalgaon changed my contact details when I went to Yemen during my vacation. Currently, I do not have his number. I tried a lot to find out his updated contact details, but could not.
Friendship means how to create relations with each other, whether it is a foreigner or a national level person. Relationships based on love and living longer and do not break.
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Other countries should learn from India
I also have friendships with members of other communities in the city. Here, people deal with each other with cooperation. I love this. Indians respect each other like brothers. Those countries which are experiencing unrest and wars should learn from India where people live peacefully and maintain brotherhood despite diversities in their caste, creed and language. When my parents asked me what I had acquired from India, I replied that I acquired brotherhood and humanity. This, I could not find even in my country.
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Biryani, Mandi & Kabsa
Imran introduced me to Biryan and Naan Qaliya while I offered Yemeni dishes like Mandi and Kabsa. He used to take in several wedding receptions (Walima) of his friends while I took in my friend's marriage reception. I liked Biryani so much that I made my wife learn to cook this dish.
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Every person who has a loyal friend is one of the happiest people on earth. One of the most important components of a successful friendship is choosing a friend. Friendship, from my point of view, is defined as a bond of affection and devotion between two or more people, each of whom feels great love for the other