The OG Circle

These are the OGs. The original crew from the ISGI days -- the Indian School Al Ghubra in Muscat. Before the startups, before the building, before any of the reinvention, these were the people who made up Shaurya's entire world. They are not defined by where they came from. They are defined by what they built together: a friendship so deep that years and distance have not put a single crack in it.

The Core Group

Palash is the anchor -- daily conversations since April 2023, and the kind of best-friend bond that survived a move to another country without losing a single beat. Ved brought chaos and the running joke of never managing to be in the same country at the same time, a cosmic comedy that the group never tires of. Mehal was part of the legendary "palashybggaurandmehal_09" group chat, full of real talk and grounding honesty. Vivaan Gupta represented quiet stability, always rooted, always steady. Together they formed the inner circle -- the boys who knew Shaurya before he was "the builder kid," who remember him as just another kid sitting in class, and who treat him exactly the same now as they did then.

Beyond the core four, the circle extends much further. Sheen became one of the closest friends over time and later one of LockIn's earliest distributors. Aliyah Chopra was the group chat queen, all-caps enthusiasm across every chat that existed. Prisha Agarwal was the study partner who made Tuesday calls a ritual and kept grades from falling apart. Nysa, Nia Bailwad, Tahirah, Zeba, Het, Izza, and Aratrikaa were all part of the same ISGI ecosystem that shaped everything.

ISGI Culture

ISGI was the kind of school where your classmates were your entire social universe. There was no hustle culture, no startup energy, no rush. You went to school, came home, and spent time with your friends -- and that simplicity created something powerful. The group chats were legendary: Velle log (literally "jobless people"), Dramaclub, Pappu can dance, Material Gurlssss, party planning groups, Halloween groups, the "amerigyans" chat from March to June 2023. Every event, every inside joke, every 2am conversation had its own dedicated group. That was social media before anyone fully understood social media.

School events like French Week and decoration projects brought everyone together in ways that regular classes never could. Birthday parties were a production. The planning chats alone generated hundreds of messages. Everything was communal, everything was shared, everything was loud.

What Made These Friendships Different

These friendships were not built on shared interests or networking or "let's collab" energy. They were built on proximity, boredom, and time -- the three ingredients that produce the most durable bonds. When your world is your school and your neighbourhood, you get close with people in a way that is impossible to replicate later. There was nothing else to do, and somehow that was enough. The bonds were forged in the most ordinary circumstances: walking to class together, sharing lunch, getting bored together, growing up together. That ordinariness is what makes them extraordinary.

These friendships survived major life changes because they were never based on convenience. Palash still texts every single day. Ved still tries to coordinate visits despite the universe conspiring against them. Mehal still invites Shaurya back with "just come here for a bit." The phrase "coming Oman" remains a normal sentence. Every visit back feels like nothing has changed -- even though everything has.

Distance as a Feature

The distance did not weaken these friendships; it made the reunions matter more. The cycle repeats endlessly: plan the trip, hype it up in the group chat, land, meet everyone, have the best few days, leave, start planning the next trip. These friends are the foundation that everything else is built on. Every new friendship, every new circle, every new chapter is measured against the standard they set. Not because the new ones are lesser, but because the original ones taught Shaurya what friendship is supposed to feel like.

See also: Palash | Ved | Mehal | Vivaan Gupta | Sheen | Aliyah Chopra | Life in Oman | Visiting Oman