Once upon a time,Twinkle Khanna was a close friend. We spent hours on the phone bitching about the whole world. Those who were the infancy days of the mobile phone and I would call her from a landline number while she spoke from a cellphone.

Even then she was the odd one out . She hated acting and loved reading books. She hated liars and loved speaking what was in her heart. Her best friend back then was …no, not me, but Tanuj Garg who is now a producer. I was closer to her husband, then her boyfriend. And a lot of conversation was about him, which I would duly report back to Akshay.

Back then Twinkle was not really sure if she wanted to marry Akshay.I’d like to believe that I had a small hand in convincing her.Before she could decide whether he was right for her, she and Akshay both decided to disappear from my life for a while. I don’t know if the absence was orchestrated but one fine day some months later I received a call from both of them on Akshay’s phone announcing that they are married.

It was a bit of a surprise, and not in a good way. With time I became habituated to such surprises.

Even after marriage Twinkle continued to be the same honest non-hypocritical soul while Akshay changed himself a lot . Twinkle and I would meet when I was in Mumbai even when Akshay was not in town. Once when my daughter and I were at her residence for lunch.She had asked me beforehand what we’d like to eat. Aarav, who was then all of 4, toddled around. A really lovely child. Now Twinkle has two lovely children. I haven’t met her daughter. I can’t say we are friends any more. Because that would be a lie. But at the same time we still have a corner in our hearts for one another , that’s for sure.

What always astonished me about Twinkle was her erudition. She was always a voracious reader. She wrote her first book at the age of 18.

She once told me, “I carried around a black felt-file as a teenager that contained all the poems that I had jotted down, primarily about maggots and death. I have always been immersed in a world filled with words, earlier as a reader and now finally as both a reader and a writer.”

About her role as a mother she had said, “There is just one thing I tell myself. I survived and so will they. As parents we must lead by example.Kids are always watching what we do and are not interested in what we say.You tell me , when does parenting end? I am in my 40s and my mother still thinks she has to nag me about the way I run my house. My daughter Nitara is a lot like me.She loves books and I love how feisty she is.Aarav seems to have inherited the best of both his parents… Would I like him to be an actor?All I would want for him and from him is to focus on his natural talents and make a career based on them regardless of whether he picks acting or astronomy.”

Once I suggested that she write a book on her legendary father Rajesh Khanna with whom she shares her birthday.Twinkle didn’t like the idea. “It would be too personal and certain things are meant to stay that way.So no, I wouldn’t want to write about my father.”

Happy Birthday, Twinkle. I know you prefer being called Tina. But somehow that name reminds me of someone your father once dated. So Twinkle you shall remain.