Sista - let me be your best buddy!

"A woman cannot be another woman's best friend"
~ Who the _________ said this?!

A woman is certainly best friend to another. I've lived that and I say so. Just imagine a world that had no fairer sex how would it be? In fact in my college for the Miss Fresher contest a question asked to me was how would I feel if I was the only woman on the planet? I don't remember what my exact answer was. There was too much going on at that time. Being in the spotlight, having everyone present there the college principal, faculty members and the seniors, as it was a formal  function at IHM Mumbai. Coming to the question, it was not one of the things that I ever wanted to happen though. There'd be no competition as I'd have been everything- Miss Universe, Miss World and whatever Misses there are...... come to think of it that'd have also made me the only Miss..... Cool!!... absolutely not!!!  the most uncool thing to think of even in the wildest of thoughts.

A man complements and supplements you but its the girl friend that supports you and keeps you sane. They understand you and they teach you so much about life in general and boys, boy friends and men in particular!

All I needed to know about life I learnt from my girlfriends won't be wrong at all.The friendship starts right from the time one goes to school, the nursery through the kindergarten, to school, high school, college and then the workplace. Some friendships we keep and some slip into time even without us noticing it. Every friendship has its own charm. Different things are shared in each one of them. All of us go through these friendships and learn our lessons from the girl friends we have had.

Then we have the first man outside our family or blood relation forming an integral part of our lives, the husband. Marriage may take the lady away from all familiar settings and surroundings. She builds her life all over again, at times. Again its the company of friends who have been a part of that culture and setting that make her comfortable with her new life. The transition is smooth because there was a woman who made it comfortable for her. It could be the mother in law, the sister in law, the women in the new neighbourhood or wives of husband's colleagues.

I come from the defence background and have seen the importance of NWWA (Naval Wives Welfare Association), AWWA as the Army wives would call it and AFWWA for the Airforce wives. These are not just women's associations or clubs but have a huge role to play in the lives of the defence personnel. The men are in the service of the nation ready to move and relocate just in a couple of hours, at times the notice can be even shorter. Who takes care of the family behind or old parents away in another city or village? Who forms the liaison in times of emergency? Its these associations. The brave men who have to leave their families behind to attend the call of the nation can do so with ease as they know that everything will be taken care of my the strong support of the women. On a lighter note, NWWA was also called the BBC as the news travelled faster in those circles. 

I find myself a part of a similar association, it is not a formal one as the defence wives association but has been formed with the efforts of a lady who has been a part of the fraternity for very long  The Merchant naval officers wives have lives very similar to the that of the defence wives and no support whatsoever. She can get in touch with the shipping office but can't connect the way she would with other women like her. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to see that my husband's company,Fleet Management had their officer's wives community page on Facebook the Elegant Divas Club..Fleet Management. I can't tell you how happy I was to see that. It reminded me of the essence of NWWA. I immediately became a part of it and congratulated the creator of the group Mrs. Renuka Nayar. Infact I called her up and spoke to her, she made me so comfortable this I speak for not just myself but the other ladies as well. This was the space where we shared not just our concerns but also a lot more. We became friends and helped each other when the timely advice was needed. Formed a support group for each other. We became buddies and Sisters! There is a buzz on the group right from, Good mornings to wishing and being a part of important occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and the likes. So the wife may not have heard from her mariner hubby but will be wished by her friends here. Its nice to note that at times they take guidance and help regarding foreign travels or joining their husband's onboard. A place where we visit every time we log onto the social networking sites.

Now we have taken the girls group even closer to each other, we have formed the group on Whatsapp. This has become our 24x7 helpline. There are women who would want to know whats to be given to their ailing child even in the middle of the night, someone will get back to them. They get the support of others when the sign off their husbands is getting delayed or they have some emergency at home. There are the others waiting to lend their unconditional support. We don't just talk serious stuff here we have the silly jokes times, the photosharing and fishing for compliments times in equal doses.We laugh, we cry, we crib, we joke but above all we are at home in the company of the ladies our sistas!

The group has women from other cities too and its nice to share the happenings in each others cities, in their lives and also in the clubs. I am certainly looking forward to the club meet soon where I shall see the women I interact with almost on a daily basis. I guess after the group is formed the sailing hubbies do not hear so much from their cribbing wives and also the company office gets lesser phone calls from the worried wives of the sailing officers. This is called killing  two birds with a single stone. One women have got the 24 hour channel not just to socialise but also to vent. A lot of concerns can be managed at the micro level. I feel this is certainly a fabulous platform.

So sistas if you aren't a part of it come onboard you'll be received with open arms and warm hearts.

With love, to Ms. Renuka Nayar for creating the fab group Elegant Divas Club...... Fleet Management and ofcourse all the Divas!

Pictures are taken from Google with due credits.