On Friendship Day, celebs share how their relationship with friends has grown stronger during the pandemic

Sheetal

International Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August and coincidentally, it’s on the very first day this year! Through the lockdown, almost everyone has rekindled friendships and reconnected to long-lost friends. Celebs share the new found-meaning of friendship post two Covid waves and their relationship with long-distance friends.

Travel vs Internet

Being an artiste, actor and producer, I have always been passionate about travelling but the pandemic has halted all forms of travel. Of course, travel has been replaced by the Internet and it has greatly helped in providing a platform to stay connected with friends. I literally felt the absence of my friends during the lockdown, but have stayed in touch online, even if it’s for a few minutes. It is a relief that everyone is safe and doing well. I have not met Rini Sharma, one of my friends from Dehradun, for long but our bond stays the same. Regardless of where we are, we always check up on each other via text or calls. Arushi Nishank, actress

Caring side

The lockdown has really changed the terms of friendship. Earlier we used to meet, go out and make some Instagram videos, but during the lockdown it has switched to video and phone calls. It has also made our friendship stronger; as in this grave time when people are losing their lives, we all have started caring for each other more. Sneha Tomar, actress

That’s the spirit

The pandemic made us value our friends more than ever before. Friends are the closest people in your life. Before Covid we could meet them and share problems, but now we are on virtual group calls. So, yes, Covid also brought the trend of more video calls and virtual meetings. We had to be patient and laugh through technical errors, but it only made our resolve to stay connected stronger. Trimala Adhikari, actress

Same equation

The friendship equation didn’t really change for me. Covid or no Covid, our loving bond remains the same. Yes, we were not meeting much, but we were connected on calls. Most of my friends are in Jaipur, so I was not able to meet them. We couldn’t have been there for each other physically, but mentally we supported each other, especially on week days. When we met after the first wave, it was a different feeling altogether. Aakash Jagga, actor