So, what is the category of your friend?

Exam-wala friend or a proxy-wala friend? Find out what category your buddy is.

Friend: (noun) A person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations. This is how the dictionary defines a friend. But yaar, friends do not just mean this, right? What about that friend who calls you a day before your biology exam and says, 'diagrams main kar leta hoon, theory tera department, bas exam mein help kar dena.' And that friend, who barges into your house before saying, 'aunty, kuch khane ke liye hai, I'm soooo hungry'. How can we not mention that partner-in-crime friend who gives you company when you play a prank on your irritating neighbourhood aunty, even if she has a fierce-looking Doberman tied at her backyard? Read on and choose the category of your friend.

Exam friend

A true friend is one who lets you copy from your answer sheet during examinations. This is the litmus test you'll have to pass to be a best friend. Believes Abbas Hafeez, a businessman, "My roll number and my friend Ali's were one after the other in college. He had a good grasp on all subjects, so I always depended on him. I used to secure good marks in all the subjects because of him, and I kept telling him, yaar tu nahi hota toh mera kya hota'."

Friend with a thikana - You are always welcome in their house

Law student Ritika* explains, "I often come to Bhopal to meet my boyfriend. Obviously, I can't stay at my parents' house. That's where my friend comes into the picture. From booking tickets, to letting me stay at her place, to taking me around on her two-wheeler to meet my boyfriend, she does everything for me. I wouldn't have been able to come here secretly, had she been not there to support me."

Listener friend - You share all your worries with this one

Richa*, a homemaker, thinks that a friend with whom you can share your frustration and gossip about the in-laws, is necessary. And she is lucky to have one. She says, "One needs an outlet to vent one's frustrations in life. Whenever I have troubles with my in-laws, I call up my friend Namrata*. She listens to all my problems very patiently and sometimes gives me advice also. I feel very relaxed after talking to her."

Rescue karne wala friend

For college student Amit*, a friend is one who can rescue you from your parents in dicey situations. Amit says, "Whenever I have to go on a date with my girlfriend or for late-night parties, my friend convinces my parents. Obviously, my parents won't allow me to loiter around till late at night so I have to lie to them that I'm going to my friend's place for a late-night study session. When my parents call him, he sets up a conference call and says, 'Haan uncle, yeh chapter bahut tough hai, kuch samajh nahi aa raha. We need to study together'. And then I speak with them from my end. He is my best friend and has always come to my rescue."

Proxy + Assignment friend

Life in college would have been so much more difficult had this friend not been there. Between college student Vikas Kumar and his friend Sumit, it's a barter system kind of arrangement. Sumit does all the assignments and in return, Vikas marks proxy attendance for Sumit. Vikas says, "Friends woh ho jo aapke assignment time par kar de. My friend Sumit never comes to the college because of a part-time job he has. But he is very regular with his assignments. So, I mark proxy attendance for him and he makes my proxy assignments. We believe in sharing responsibilities, you see."

Ever-hungry friend

All of us were taught to share our lunch in school. But, what if we have a friend who is always hungry and has a big appetite? Recalls Gaurav Mishra, a software engineer, "My school friend Amit was a big foodie and somehow, he would always be hungry. In school, I had to hide my lunch box from him. As soon as the lunch period's bell would ring, he would be like, 'aaj tiffin mein kya hai?' I remember my mom would pack extra lunch for me so that I wouldn't have to go hungry."

Udhaar dene wala friend

Friends also serve as ATMs sometimes. Says Manish Singh, an MNC employee, "I would get limited pocket money in college and by the end of every month, I would be left with no money. Dost log toh hote hi hain paise udhaar dene ke liye. I would always ask my friend Siddharth to lend me a few hundreds. And every time he would say, waapas kar dena and I would say 'agle mahine pakka'. Woh next month kabhi aata hi nahi tha. Bass, ek doosre se paise hi udhaar lete rehte thay."

Recharge karane wala friend

Shreya Gargav, a communication student, says she is lucky to have a friend like Deepanita Hazra who recharges her cellphone every time she runs out of balance. "It is very important to have a mobile recharge karane wala friend in life. Whenever my phone is low on balance, Deepanita gets a recharge coupon for me. In fact, she is so sweet, she even checks my balance to make sure I'm not out of balance."

Leader friend

Prachi Karnawat, a communication student, has a friend called Shilpa, who is the sort that leaders are made of. "Shilpa is the dabang of our college. Whenever there is any problem, she is the first one to raise her voice. Recently, we taught a lesson to an eve teaser, who was following us on our way home. Had she not been there, I wouldn't have been able to face the situation so bravely. She is the leader among us."