Illusion is the product of the mind and fact is the product of wisdom.

I’ve often found reticence amongst my friends to interact with classmates or coursemates. I find this a bit odd because I love to do just that and I’ve always looked forward to the light hearted banter that is in abundance on the group forum on the net. And I’ve always received warm reactions even from some of those with whom I wasn’t that close while at school or while doing the ab initio courses. Yes, I admit that many of us carry opinions of our contemporaries from the way each has been perceived during the formative stages but shutting off oneself because of those deductions can only be at one’s own loss – I’m of the firm opinion that one’s growth is never ending till one’s end and everyone has experiences that can only add up to one’s continuing education.
I shall cite a personal experience of mine though it happened years ago. HS Iyer was my classmate (we’re not the best of friends while at school as we had our own circle of friends) and in the early 80s was working at the TIFR, Bombay. I happened to chance upon him on an outing and with great persuasion, made him accept an invitation to come and spend a Sunday afternoon with me.
Come Sunday, a very hesitant Iyer fetched up at my place. His hesitation was because he perceived that after leaving school, he’d not done as well as I had and it took all my powers of conviction to let him know that when we were together, it was just Iyer and Rajeev as we were at school, shorn of all our professional trappings. As the mad beer drenched afternoon proceeded, Iyer confessed that he had hated me while at school and went on to narrate an incident to justify his feelings. It was a revelation and I'd it nowhere in my memory, honest!
We’re in class VIII and one day our Maths teacher, Mr. JS Iyer, had the whole class standing as none of us had done a home assignment given by him. Then he went about trying to find out the reasons from each one of us for having done the unthinkable. When he reached me, he asked, ‘’Rajeev, did you forget? Don’t repeat it or I shall tell your grandfather” and let me off. HS Iyer was one of the many others who got a taste of Iyer sir’s cane that day, much to his discomfort. To his young and impressionable mind, my being let off for a misdemeanour similar to his because of an accident of birth, in that, my folks knew the school authorities, was blasphemous, if not, unfair! In fact he was validating my personality against his perceptions, years later and I think I passed his test. We took down each other’s addresses promising to keep in touch but in the eagerness of living our lives, forgot the promise soon after.
HS Iyer passed into eternity, four years back. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to change his perceptions about me. RIP Iyer!
Many of us carry our first impressions of another to eternity and in the process, lose a good friendship. So endeavour must be to reach out.