Ek Ladka Aur Ladki Sirf Dost Bhi Ho Sakte Hai: Dear Society, Please Accept This

Dear Society Don't Judge Teenage Friendships. Not every guy I talk to is my boyfriend. Not every time I go for a movie, am I kissing the guy. Not every catch up is a date. Teenage friendships are a great part of growing up. Let us enjoy them in our own way.

Back in my teens, I was a girl would always be hesitant to talk to boys. Having spent several years at an all girls school, making boyfriends was quite a challenge for me. Even after I started going to a co-education school for further studies, I kept my friendship limited to only girls. It took me months to start conversing with my male classmates.  Once I was comfortable around them, I realised I had some of  the coolest guys as my friends.

Normalise platonic friendships between opposite sexes 

Dear society, get this thing straight in your pea-sized brain: girls share a platonic relationship with their guy friends. They are just like all the other friends they have. Stop judging a woman's character based on the number of friends she makes from the opposite sex. Why should there be any harm in being friends with men with no "wrong intention"? I strongly believe friendships shouldn't be broken into genders.

Your meetings are not 'dates'

If you happen to spot us with guys at restaurants and parks, we are not necessarily 'out on a date'. What you see might just be a casual meeting. Is it honestly so difficult to accept girls meeting their guy friends at public places instead of choosing to visit each other's home because they refused to think 'log kya kahenge'? More power to everyone who are continually challenging the stereotype 'ek ladka aur ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte' by treating all their friends equally, unapologetically and without any hesitation.

Dear Society, teenage friendships are a great part of growing up. Don't try to judge them.

Friendships without judgement

You can have both a guy best friend and a boyfriend

Ever asked someone, "Does your boyfriend allow you to have a guy best friend"? If  yes, my humble advice would be to not repeat it. A boyfriend doesn't have to "allow" his partner to have a best friend. All three of them can share a cordial relation with zero jealousy. As per me, it is both healthy and necessary to build such an understanding to keep away miscommunication. Also, don't you dare slut shame a woman for having two important men in her life. There is a clear demarcation between them and the sooner you understand this, the better it is.

Dear parents, never teach your children to discriminate

My parents never teach me to make gender an issue in friendship. They always encourage me to be friends with men. I remember my mother once said that it is important to have male friends too and she was right. It is because of my parents I have learnt to make friends and maintain a healthy relationship with them. I think all parents should teach their children to make friends without giving way to any discrimination. 

With the passing years, I have made many guy friends and each one of them are just as close to me as all my female friends. Luckily enough, I have got a supportive family that has always accepted my teenage friendships without judgement. But this is not the case with everyone. Many get misjudged for their choice of friends. It is the 21st Century and we must revise our thoughts on friendship. A woman can't be 'just friends' with a man is an orthodox stereotype we should shed off and move ahead.

Views expressed are author's own