NOT WITHOUT MY GIRLS

The solace and strength that our girl squad gives us to deal with love, life and other things, is unparalleled, finds Shilpa Dubey

- Shilpa Dubey

Hanging out with your best friend in your pyjamas, sharing munchies, and dwelling over all things that didn’t quite go your way in a romantic relationship sounds like a perfect plan to rummage through life’s woes. Having a female best friend helps navigate through tumultuous times, for they know what makes you happy or sad, which sauces you like with your sandwich, how often you pluck your eyebrows, the list is endless, trust us! And, you aren’t the only one, the mighty Virginia Woolf once said, “Some people go to priests, others to poetry. I go to my friends.” Be it after a break-up or an engagement, our girl squad is the first to know, last to leave, and best to hold on to.

“My partner left me alone on the road after a nasty fight over his alleged affair. My world was shaken, and all I could recall was my best friend’s words telling me to not be with someone who doesn’t value me. It was 1 pm, and I could only think of calling her,” says 24-year-old Arati Kashyap*, an art student from Delhi. “She came, took my bag and dumped it in the car, and held me tightly. I felt safe and loved, and that’s what I needed at that moment. Now, we recall that part of the city for our warm hug, and not about how a man left me there,” says Kashyap.

We all have taken some or the other tricky route in relationships, but have survived to tell the tale, thanks to our friends. We talked to a few experts to understand how female bonding helps us find solace and strength through relationship ordeals, and how our friends’ advice helps in overcoming the issues.

They understand