In a cool college gang there often is a guy who is good at fixing things. The “fixer” knows exactly who has passes to the most rocking parties, or the usher who can sneak flip-flop clad chaps into a disc where club rules apply and can even manage a copy of latest Harry Potter a day before it hits stands. Well, who wouldn’t wish to be in touch with the latter, but the bottomline is that having a large social circle helps.

A network is not to be confused with friends who you can hang out with, it’s remembering people you’ve met at a birthday party, a college or last New Year’s bash. Bhanupriya Jha, Class 11 student, avers, “It’s much more than having lots of options to go out with or whom to call in case you’re out of cash. My friends know people, who can help them out in all kinds of trouble, get them the best deal on merchandise and club entries and much more. And it obviously help to have such people in one’s circle.”
Mayank Mittal, an MBBS aspirant, talks about the various ways and places one can grow their social circle, “Utilising one’s contacts is upto an individual and something I don’t always favour, but the ones who do use their friends’ and familial contacts only gain from it. For instance, my friend’s father is the confidante of a reputed university’s vice-chancellor. So, people approach him for ‘favours.’ And it’s good to have friends, who know people in the corridors of power. And it could be anywhere, even at the gym.” Gyms are the best places for those keen to pursue modeling and make friends.
Partying is fun for some and serious business for others, as Rhythm Sidana, 14-year-old, explains, “I want to become a rapper when I grow up so whenever I go clubbing or for night outs I always try to meet people and build contacts and keep a watch out for opportunities to collaborate with musicians and DJs. I keep in touch with the brother of a wellknown popstar and playback singer and an MC at a popular hub in the capital and more the number of people you know the bigger are your avenues and the better are your chances in life.”
And some keep a separate circle for friends and acquaintances. While the former is a select band of few, the latter keeps burgeoning to include all who matter or those who happen to know the important ones.
Priyanka Goswami, 17-year-old engineering aspirant, avers, “There is a difference between friends in personal life with whom you share a rapport and tuning and those who you meet and keep in touch for the sake of your professional life. I was trying my hands at web designing and it was there that I increased my network of friends whom I stay in touch with. There is no harm in knowing people (who ultimately could be of help) and only help you grow.” Priyanka says, “I organised parties for friends and knowing people whom I had come in contact through friends turned out to be very helpful.”

Hemant Abhishek
The Asian Age