The unsung soulmate

Best friends are the family we choose, but also the partnerships no one really talks about. We speak to five pairs of best friends about how they've shared happiness and survived heartbreak hand-in-hand for decades (and counting...)

- Saumyaa Vohra

A diet of romantic comedies, Harlequin romances, and glib twists on Brothers Grimm's fairy tales in our growing years led us all to believe soulmates come in one shape and form. But sometimes, our true loves are the sisters we choose; the ones who get us through the formative years of our lives (and then the adult ones). These are the friendships that pull through, navigating changes in who we are, in the phases of our lives. They keep us moored through success and failure alike. But they are also hard work, tested by time, difficulty, and distance. They take commitment and communication; just like a romantic partnership. And they, too, can turn your whole world upside down when they fall apart.

In this story, we celebrate the ones that made it through-in sickness and in health, from being neighbours to being continents apart. The women in this story found their soulmate and made it work; talking through the big fights, sharing the wins, and showing up for each other. They may have (or previously had) romantic partners they love deeply, but it doesn't change the fact that each of them found their big love in each other just as much...

NO ROOM FOR EGO

Chef AMNINDER SANDHU and software executive AMRITA NAIK

It was love at first sight when Amninder walked into a Peddar Road PG on her first day in Mumbai and met Amrita. "It was July 18, 1997. I had just come in from Jorhat, Assam to study at Sophia College, and Kuki [Amrita] was the first person I met!" Amninder smiles. "I don't think we imagined at the time that this friendship would last a lifetime!" Amrita admits. "But I felt an instant connection with this funny, intelligent, and interesting girl with an infectious smile. I still adore her the way I did back then."