The Sibling Saga Continues

When I first saw my little brother in my mother’s hands on the 3rd August, 1991; I was a proud little elder sister. Only later did I realize the privileges I had as the elder one. Apart from the obvious facts that I had to take care of him and protect him from evil forces, I got to bully him, be nasty to him and irritate him when I was bored. Certain acts of his tested my patience. It was during times like this when I felt like I should have thrown him out of the big French window at my place the day he arrived. There have been horrific episodes where we fought like there was no tomorrow. At one point of time, my mother had given up thinking there was no solution to this rivalry. But what she did not notice was, as we grew up we made sure we were there for each other. I mean, that’s what siblings are for. Whenever we had either of our parents giving us a piece of their minds, we would gang up against them. This is where the sibling saga began.

As time passed by, this bond was getting stronger. Eventually, we exchanged roles; he protected me and took care of me. He has been around at all times – whether sad or happy, exciting or terrifying; not to forget the most nutty moments of my life. Invariably, we would get caught. To think of all that to this day, it still makes me smile.

All this, I realized the day I left for Bangalore for my post graduation. There have been situations where I felt like mincing him. But that day, as I stepped out of my house I knew how much I was going to miss him – his cluttered room, his noisy friends and his constant annoyance and complaints. Little did I realize I would miss him like I did when I was all alone in Bangalore. This was like a transition state for both of us. We would chatter like monkeys for endless hours on the phone. But it was never the same – the bodily image of him sitting in front of me while talking mattered the most. However with time, one learns to adapt to his/her environment; simple human tendency in order to survive – I did the same and of course he did too.

There was one thing that constantly bothering me when I decided to move to Bangalore – would the bond that we share to this day? To my amazement, this question of mine was negated. We became closer. There are certainly many changes in both our personalities but it did not change the way we looked and behaved with each other. To me, he will always be the fat little baby boy I carried in 1991 (of course with my father’s assistance).

They will shower all the love they have in spite of all the quarrels. You will not find one other person in this face of the earth who would give as much importance as they would.

Reason for writing something so personal – I saw two little kids walking down the road while I was heading to the bus stop one morning. The best thing about them was, the elder brother, at no point let go of his little sister’s hand. He guided her cautiously so that nothing would hurt her. He was extra careful as she had no slippers on. I was running late for work, but I could not take my eyes off them. I was awe-struck at the way he took care of her even at that age. It was an overwhelming feeling. Look at the picture and you would probably experience the same feeling I did. It’s worth it.

Siblings, whether older or younger, are going to be there taking your case and driving you crazy. As a result, ten years down the line you would cherish those moments – like I do. This is for you, little one.