SHARING VULNERABILITY BUILDS BRIDGES
SHARING VULNERABILITY BUILDS BRIDGES A childhood friend and I spent a couple of hours together yesterday. I felt the urge to write this note triggered by a moment of vulnerability we shared. Vignesh (name not changed and used with his permission) and I came together in Grade V, when we were about 10 years old. We joined school together, our apartments were next door to each other, he too was the youngest of three sons and we both shared the traits of natural exuberance and openness. Further, Viggi, as we all called him, sang wonderfully and I was a bit of an actor/performer…and so not surprisingly, we became the best of friends. For four years we were inseparable and spent a lot of time outside school in each other’s homes. Our school, set in the idyllic Kalakshetra School of Art and Dance campus had a laid back air where all around development of the student was nurtured amidst trees and beach sands. Suffice to say, academic rigor was not emphasized. Th...