Flashback to somewhere in the 1990s…. It's been a few years since my family has moved to Delhi; for me, the change has involved an exchange of a single pale pink building (St. Anne's) to a generous spread of warm, red brick structures also known as The Convent of Jesus and Mary. I belong to a fabulous gal gang of know-it-all teenagers who have misplaced pride in their foolish-sounding, self-proclaimed, 'Great Eight' title.

Ganieve enters this scenario only in class XI, when my group is unfairly fragmented and slotted into different sections - I am left with two gang members; the three of us sit tight together, directly in front of Ganieve and her two close buddies. And, a new circle is formed, a fresh cycle begins...

Everyday, the sextet's lunch boxes are devoured by 11 a.m., away from the prying eyes of monotonous lecturers; actual lunch breaks are spent scrounging for canteen money and consequently sharing a piping idli sambhar or a tangy, orange ice bar. Sometimes, tedious math periods are bunked altogether, the stretch of 40 minutes spent hiding behind the cola stall or boldly prancing with hockey sticks, as though in free practice for an inter school sports event.

When a good-as-real inter school play competition does come along, we all eagerly put forth our names to assist in backstage production and props - 30 afternoons go by in preparation for painting and mud-smearing a bunch of cardboard cartons to resemble a makeshift wall - most days, some incredible urgency pops up, which could have the entire six rushing off outside school grounds to procure a thick roll of tape, followed by a leisurely plate of chaat at the famed Bengali Market.

Weekends are spent organising driver duty for lunches at Machan and Nirula's and grovelling for group parental permission to attend a Samantha Fox concert.

And every evening, long conference calls debating outfits for a friend's brother's 'co-ed' party result in colour coordinated ensembles for the night out where we remain glued to each other, eyes darting in every possible corner to report a 'cute boy' alert.

Of course, all good things come to an end - I return to Mumbai and another round of fun and frolic at H.R. College; Ganieve moves to Delhi's Jesus and Mary College, and…some serious studying! "There was nothing else to do!" she says in her defence. "Everyone had boyfriends; I spent my mornings dropping the girls off to their respective dates and then, gave full attendance at classes." As I shake my head in shame at her inappropriate studious past, she continues, "I even had time to learn Italian and go for horse riding sessions; then came the art appreciation course." As always, Ganieve was easily cajoled into doing what a bunch of others joined for a lark.

But what emerged from this short but serious stint was a different Ganieve - a girl whose perfectionist streak and sense of focus gave her a stubborn, independent edge and nerves of steel to overcome her protective Sikh family's reservations on her decision to go to London for further studies.

"I knew, immediately after completing that course, that I wanted a career in art." She admits that her interest in the field may have been piqued while visiting antique shops with her maternal grandfather, an avid collector in his time. "I applied for a one-year programme at Christie's, London, to study Fine and Decorative Arts…my daadi (grandmother) naturally freaked out, but I was given permission to go on the condition that I would stay with my bua (paternal aunt), whose maid was strictly instructed to report all my comings and goings to my mother," she laughs. Scouring museums and galleries a few weeks in advance prepared her for the final interview and the following year saw her specialise in the area of furniture, although, "contemporary art, especially Indian contemporary art" is where her heart is today.

Christie's may have happened to her only a year ago, but this workaholic has been carving her niche in the Indian art market since 1999. "I worked in a commercial art gallery in Delhi, then took a break and taught at the British school," where all she did was fawn over the cute tots, "moved to a non-commercial art gallery, applied to Christie's for a job on a whim, after quitting everything else, and, in between, don't you remember, those disastrous three months in Mumbai?"

Of course, I remember….Ganieve suddenly, and with characteristic impulsiveness, moved to my turf in 2003, with an auction house based in the city. While her professional woes escalated, we balanced out the bad with an adventurous plan to visit Goa for the upcoming Christmas and New Year. It was already October, no bookings were available, but we found some ridiculous accommodation and a bunch of random friends and strangers who made our trip memorable. A few days and nights of intensive sunbathing, frenzied partying and the occasional tabletop jig later, yet another timeless bond of friendship was created.

I recall with awe how Ganieve would shower, change and be made up in three minutes flat every evening, while I would take half an hour just to make it from washed hair to outfit selection to blow-dryer. Ganieve travelled with seven tank tops, two jeans and a couple of bikini-sarong sets, while I had packed enough to clothe half of Baga Beach.

This difference has stayed with us - but, she will now consider an arresting white linen dress, strappy sandals and some dainty earrings for the Verve shoot, instead of her usual uniform of T-shirt and jeans and flat slippers. She is a stunning girl but does not know it; I'm hoping that our recent weekend jaunts of non-stop shopping will make a model-like diva out of her. We still argue about whether a latest Fendi or an incomprehensible work of art is a better investment though.

Today, we are seriously discussing the latter through platters of penne pomodoro and focaccia - Ganieve is on a diet for some mysterious reason; the woman has become a maniac at the gym which I have grudgingly joined too, but I manage to get her to succumb to her weakness for chocolate.

Understandably, looking groomed and fit is an unspoken prerequisite when you are the sole ambassador in the country for a firm like Christie's, handling "business development, creating art awareness, liaising with Indian buyers and sellers and travelling for international auctions, pumping established artist sales in the secondary market," (first sale is a gallery sale, second sale is auction sale, my learned friend educates me). "It's all fun because I know so many of these collectors and galleries and artists since years. I work with amazing people, the market is booming, there's a host of new, young buyers out here, who buy art purely for art's sake, which is how I believe it should be."

Would this hectic lifestyle have been an option if she were already married, like her parents may have wished? "I doubt it…juggling the two would have been tough. Now that I know what it takes though, balancing will be easier when the time comes. My mom seems to have cooled down on the issue too. From being unnerved and apprehensive about what she considers my drastic shift, she today cheerfully tells all that there is no rush, I will get married if and when the right guy comes along!" At the moment, meeting interesting, 'could be, maybe not' prospectives around the globe keeps her entertained.

She has finally found a workspace in Colaba (with our offices two minutes apart, we will be planning many 'work' lunches together) and the future game plan for Christie's will slowly unravel. "Introducing educational programmes is high on the list," she assures me, when I tell her of my sudden decision to enlighten myself on art history. "We will plan more events like the one we did a couple of months ago, showcasing some paintings that were going abroad for an auction; it was just our way of showing would-be buyers that you don't need to be physically present at an international auction; we arrange these previews to increase art awareness and maybe encourage online bids. Then, there was this one weekend our representative in Malaysia had organised for her buyers - she arranged a special retreat in Bali, with the best hospitality, interesting talks, lectures and art updates….I would love to do something like that for our market as well." And I would love to be a part of that buyers' entourage!

As for the rest, we have a friend's wedding in Goa on our social travel agenda, where the bikinis and white dresses will be out in full force again; another adventure is brewing away with Koh Samui as this December's target. And, for now, 'koi martinis' at Wink on a Saturday night will suffice.