They first met at their children’s school. What started with a casual “hi”, turned into a special bond that has been unbroken for over three years.
Sabina Xavier, chief operating officer, Y-Axis, says, “I don’t believe in best friends. I have three of those, so cant really call any one a best friend. But in terms of a mentor and a 3 am friend, Namrata Shirodkar is someone I can rely on at anytime for anything.”
Talking about her other two friends, she says, “Rachna and Karen, with whom I work for Heal-a-Child on a daily basis, are two amazing women who share a common passion for HAC and this made us friends for over six years. Then there are Divya Reddy, Kavitha Mantha and Khadeeja Alladin, who know me from our school days and we all grew up together.”
Walking us through the bonding Sabina shares with Namrata, she says that initially, there was no special connection at all. “Each of us are busy with our own lives. I think children basically rule our lives and when they get along you make new friends,” she says, and adds, “I met her first at school. Her son joined the same school and I saw her there. It was only hi and bye and no more. That was the only connect.”
“First kids and when husbands get along too, you become close. Holidays, too, help people bond. We share the same values of family being the most important, so I guess that’s why we are close,” she adds.
“I think holidays make the bond stronger. When you spend a week with another family you get close. The couple is simple and likeable. There are no complications so it’s good,” she adds.
Sharing her favourite memory of Namrata, she says, “When we get on a flight, she blesses her husband and her children and spends the next fifteen minutes praying. She won’t talk to anyone, she opens her mother’s book and keeps praying till she finishes the whole book.”
