T. Indira Subbarami Reddy and Anju Poddar have known each other for the last four decades. “I know Anju from the time she moved to Hyderabad from Kolkata soon after her marriage,” says Indira Subbarami Reddy. Anju adds, “One of our common friends introduced me to her. Since then our friendship has grown and expanded into a close-knit relationship that gets stronger with every passing year.”
Indira and Anju have not only supported each other throughout but have also inspired each other’s personal growth. “I have always admired how Indira gives importance to others. I remember this one trip when I went to Tirupati with her. Usually we stand in the front row and guests stand in the next, but with her it was the other way around. She made sure all her guests were standing in the front row in the temple. I have learnt a lot from her,” says Anju.
She recalls another instance, “For the opening of her power plant she booked a flight for us. When she could have easily sat in the business class, she instead chose to sit in the executive class. She came and sat with me. And when we approached the site, we were already late and the puja had already started. But she was in no hurry to get down from the bus. She waited for all her guests to get down and only then proceeded.”
Indira says, “There is a lot to learn from Anju. She has the patience to deal with and live in a joint family. Only she can manage that. She doesn’t hold on to anything. She always tells me, ‘It doesn’t matter what others are saying, you have to stay united in a family’.”
If it wasn’t for Indira, Anju would have never survived some of the most difficult moments of her life. Recalls Anju, “When I had my eye surgery I didn’t have any of my relatives in Hyderabad. Indira went beyond the call of friendship and made it a point to spend time in the hospital as long as I was there. Like a real friend who cares about you — putting drops in my eyes.”
As the saying goes — like poles repel, unlike poles attract; the two are also poles apart. “She is an extrovert and I am an introvert,” says Indira, adding, “Anju likes to go out and mingle with people. I like to stay at home. But one thing that is common is our love for TV shows. Both of us love to watch TV. If we miss something we record and watch it later.”
The beauty of true friends is that no matter how far apart they are, they make it a point to talk to each other on a daily basis. “We’re like an extended family. Whenever someone in her family makes pickle or karam podi, she sends it across. Not only for me, but for my relatives also,” says Anju, and Indira adds, “She is a perfect host. She loves inviting people for lunches and dinners. I like her the food she prepares.”
