Mumbai, Dec 20 : Actress Ankita Lokhande is grateful for spending her birthday with her "chosen people".

The 'Laughter Chefs' contestant reflected on the difference between friendship and a bond. She explained that while friendship is a gift from God, a bond is something we create with our own efforts and will.

Sharing some photos with her close friends on IG, who made her special day even more special, and her husband Vikas Jain, Ankita wrote, "Friendships and bonds are two very different blessings in life.

Friendship is something God gifts us, something pure and effortless.

Bonds, on the other hand, are created by usâ??built with time, love, effort, and intention (sic)."

Sharing how true friends stand with you both in the moment of sadness and happiness, she added, "Sometimes, we donâ??t realize how deeply relationships and friendships shape our lives. In moments of happiness, only a few people truly come forward to share that joy. And in moments of sadness, only a few choose to sit beside us and hold space."

Ankita expressed her gratitude for finding her chosen family in Mumbai, with whom she can share both her happiness and silence.

"I feel incredibly grateful that in a city like Mumbai, I found my chosen peopleâ??people with whom I can share my happiness and my silences, my laughter and my tears. Each one of you who came to celebrate me and my day so beautifully reminded me how rich life truly is", wrote the 'Pavitra Rishta' actress.

She also thanked her buddies for making her birthday so special, even in the absence of her husband.

Ankita went on to share, "Thank you for making my birthday so special. I will always be grateful for this love. And when people say friends become family, you all proved it. Even when Vicky wasnâ??t here, you showed upâ??for me, for my happinessâ??so I wouldnâ??t miss out on a single moment."

Expressing her excitement for the year to come, she added, "With this, I gently close the chapter of 2025â??grateful, fulfilled, and humbled. Looking forward to 2026: another blessing, another presence, another success, and a new story waiting to unfold. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Happy birthday to me."

/IANS