Bound by a faith they call friendship

AHMEDABAD: Not a day goes by without Bashir Jakhra remembering his childhood friend Nilesh Mehta. They grew up together in Savarkundla town of Amreli district, playing in the fields as boys, and as thrillseeking young men, venturing into the dense jungles to watch lions. They called each other’s families their own.
Bashir still cannot wrap his head around the fact that fate had p lanned early goodbyes for them.“I still cannot believe he is no more,” says Bashir, who conducted Nilesh’s last rites three years ago, and commemorates his death anniversary. More than buddies, they were like brothers, epitomizing friendships that had no place for differences.
Their families were an integral part of festivals and occasions of both faiths, be it Diwali or Eid.
Bashir, 39, is a farmer, while Nilesh worked for Savarkundla municipality’s water supply department on contract. The wildlife enthusiasts often went deep into the forest area for lion sightings.
Bashir remembers one such outing in 2015 where Nilesh threw himself in the path of harm to save Bashir’s guests. “The group, including women and children, was visiting me from Ahmedabad, and we decided to take them on a picnic to a forest lakeside. We were having a good time when a lion appeared out of nowhere. There was utter panic, but Nilesh bravely stood between the beast and the guests and managed to drive it away. I wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt had my guests been harmed.”
As they say, good things don’t last forever. Nilesh died of a cardiac arrest in early 2020 at the age of 40, leaving Bashir desolate.
Bashir cremated his dear friend after consulting his community members, followed all the rituals prescribed for 15 days and even immersed his ashes.
“I wanted to do everything I could for my dear friend,” he says.