Some thoughts on a true friend I met sometime back recently.....

I met this person accidentally and associated him closely over the past two years. It all started when I was searching for a grad school after working for 1 1/2 years in the industry. Unfortunately "fortunately" I spent most of my earnings to apply for about 10 grad schools worldwide covering 80% of them in USA hoping to get at least one to get into with a full scholarship. The qualifications I had are more than enough but people do not know Sri Lanka about studies and it was a great disadvantage for most of us when we apply for grad studies overseas. Anyway, I got accepted into about 5 of them including really top universities but no scholarship granted (there was the depression at its hike at that time in USA). So I was helpless and then said to myself "Okay, lets try for the next year and search for universities". Then I was looking for Sri Lankan students at universities in US and found out Thilina Gunaratna, who is in Indiana University, Bloomington. I found out that he is also from Kaluatara (which is my home town) and just sent him some e-mails. he responded to them and one day we talked over Skype and I said about my plans. He asked me what universities I applied for and then he said, at Wright State I have one of my friends and call him. his professor has some grants. So I contacted Ajith Ranabahu, who became my friend later and told him that my application is already been selected but no grants. So that is how, I came for grad studies and met Ajith ayya is one of the true friends I have ever met in my life. Unless for Thilina and Ajith ayya, I wouldn't be here (of course I tried my best and thats why I found out their details and made my way in).

Ajith ayya called me when I was going for a friend's funeral and told Dr. Sheth wants to talk to me and I though this is it and I have almost got it. That was one of the soothing sentences I heard for some time. Then all turned out that I happened to come to USA and to Ajith ayya's house. I had no body known here in Dayton (but now we made hundreds of friends here) and I just landed at Ajith ayya's apartment. He just got married at that time and he had no hesitation in inviting me there until I found a place for few days. Actually few days turned into few weeks. Ajith ayya was not hurrying to get me out into a place soon because he is so nice. but with my utmost force we found a temporary place for the summer. While I was at his place, they used to watch BasketBall games until late night. It was the basketball season at that time. The place I slept  for those few weeks was on their couch which could be turned into a bed. So I couldn't sleep until late night with all jet lags but it was funny. he asks me, "malli, you feeling sleepy?", I said "no, no lets watch". You know you never speak the truth on those occasions :D. I think Darshi akka, couldn't cook well at that time. May be couldn't cook at all. But I am not that selective when I am not at home. She asks me, "malli, do you have enough salt in curries?, is this tasty enough?" and many more questions. I always say the default answer "yes, yes" even though none of them were true :) . One morning she gave me a breakfast which I still bug her about. She put some jam into bread and also cheese and said here this is new kind of food we eat. try this and you'll like it. I said, okay.... and ate. You know jam and cheese never go together. Ha ha ha.......

Ajith ayya was the only one I knew  here around and we also celebrated my first B'Day here at their apartment while Hasitha ayya also came from Toledo. Ajith ayya helped me alot in buying everything when I moved out from their apartment and I also had a loan from him.  I still remember the time they dropped me to the new place and I never told it to their face before but I never wanted to leave their house. But it has to be done. I can't live at their house. So I think they also felt the same because there was no one from back home for them or for me in Dayton at that time. Dharshi akka was also just came into US and she also liked that someone is there. So I felt the feeling that they also didn't want to drop me and go and you know that moment you do not want to just leave. Keep on hanging out and telling, "malli, call us for anything, okay." , etc. I just felt like I left home for the second time within a month. Ajith ayya was always there to help me and one day he was coming early in the morning and knocking on the door with his sleeping garments because he received a call from my mom and thought it was urgent. It was like we all so close. That is all we got. It was a great experience for me and I think for them as well. I experienced many problems and i always asked help from Ajith ayya.

Actually, Ajith ayya took me on a trip to Chicago on the independence day. It was Dharshi akka's first trip in US and we enjoyed alot, walked, visited many places and it was totally memorable for me. So these experiences I will always have in my mind and when I remember them I always enjoy. We had such a great past and more than that Ajith ayya finished his PhD and started working at Amazon. A real success story for my first mentor and the best mentor I ever had. Some people are always selfish and we can't predict them when they will throw their back at you. But Ajith ayya is personally and professionally one of the best I met in my life. Always care for others and try to help. Otherwise, he wouldn't let me stay in his house just after he got married where he feels unsafe to have a stranger at his place. I am not a criminal or any person like that but he didn't know me when we first met. The funny thing was, he even couldn't recognise me at the airport when he came to pick me up because he hadn't seen me before. He was busy to look for my picture of Facebook but luckily Dharshi akka has looked for me in Facebook and identified me.

Over the past two years, I had great times with Ajith ayya and Dharshi akka where they became my responsible family in US. Sometimes I didn't think that way but when I look back now, it was the case for such a long time. The Holy Bible says, "There is no great person that one who gives his life for his friends" and Jesus also says, do help people where you can't expect anything in return so that your heaven;y father will bless you. So Ajith ayya and Dharshi akka are persons like that which I understand with all the great experiences I had with them. You meet very few people like that in your life and it is always great to be friends with them. People you hangout may not be your best or good friends but friends you share your life with will always be the best friends forever. I wish Ajith ayya, Dharshi akka and their little daughter all the very best, Almighty God's blessing and good health for many years to come. Finally, Thank you very much for all you have done for me where I did very little for you in return.