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As with any elder brother with a younger sibling in between, she was closer to my younger brother than she was to me. I was always this aloof brother who lived in a far-away nerdy universe and rarely indulged in boisterous pranks that the other two were known for. Heck, sometimes even my young-at-heart maushi loved to join in and I was the solitary person with a sane mind amidst the chaos. Of course, I did my share of teasing by making our dog run after her screaming soul while I laughed my heart out to glory but then the loving brother-sister imagery is best reserved for unrealistic Bollywood classics. Most kid sisters are brats but this poor one was the source of much merriment for her two older brothers and our memories together are often laced with her playing the fool, embarrassing herself while we rolled around in laughter. I bet she will never forgive us for that.
However, she hasn’t turned out to be a tomboy as any younger sister with two brothers is likely to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see a smart and mature individual with strong opinions and of course, balanced by teenager-ish aspirations and indecisive future plans. But I was glad to see that she has set sights on a future beyond her capabilities (according to her mom) and at least she has a positive outlook on life. I hope that life’s infrequent brush with realities doesn’t dampen her spirits. A tad pampered and protected by her parents, she thankfully hasn’t yet displayed signs of taking things for granted and explores the world on her own terms. Maturity and sense of street-smartness has crept in and will only be honed as she explores a
wider world. In fact, I got a dose of protectiveness on her part toward me when she continuously monitored my status (via cell) when I was out roaming around the town. For an instant, she seemed to forget that I had walked the earth at least eleven years more than she had but I will attribute that sense of concern to brotherly love that isn’t expressed in more traditional forms.
To her, I must have seemed like a different person too. Our contact unimpeded by the ubiquitous and overarching presence of my younger brother at other times, was definitely more informal now. Although gap in our ages hadn’t changed, I wasn’t the snobbish and serious older
brother anymore (I hope!) as she groaned in disgust and rolled her eyes each time I cracked a silly PJ. I presume she had never envisioned this side of her nerdy brother (she still considers me a nerd though). I also seemed to have rubbed off my penchant for photography on her as she follows me around and steals my angles; but I don’t mind when she does it. Recent acquisition of a digital camera will probably make her photography hobby a little more regular. She is already a whiz at handling complex cell phones but then any teenager in Bombay is, right?
Maushi believes that although she might seem closer to my younger brother, she will confess any secrets including crushes or boyfriend tales to me first. It is just that being thousands of miles away, I believe that only my friendly words of advice can guide her in making wise decisions. But I hope she asks for me first. Take care, sis.
by Patrix | on Tuesday, January 31st, 2006 at 3:00 am | 
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January 31st, 2006 at 3:31 am reply
awww…damn sweet! :) really nice one there.
January 31st, 2006 at 3:32 am reply
Feels good to read this one–brings back so many memories from childhood. Way to go, P. :-)
January 31st, 2006 at 8:21 am reply
Very good post…
January 31st, 2006 at 11:53 am reply
going back home brings out ones roots……….and thats the beauty of india………at least for us indians….the warm sense of belonging is something we will find hard to find in this country…………
January 31st, 2006 at 6:25 pm reply
Dude !!! what are doing?? why are you taking nice about her. Thats not what we, brothers, are for !! And more over all I was doing was getting her ready for life after 10th std
January 31st, 2006 at 8:55 pm reply
M, I guess it is more about having your loved ones around you than about the place. The warm sense of belonging in this country is not felt because we refuse to assimilate…jahan dil wahan desh, I feel. But I agree that in India, the personal contact is much more pronounced for those born there…and that natural!
Havoc, thoda senti ho gaya…and guess what! she knows about my blog now so will be reading this (actually sent her the link) and have warned her that this shouldn’t go to her head. But yup, we sure did prepare her for life after 10th but maybe not enough :)
February 1st, 2006 at 11:59 am reply
Ohh definitely, a couple of more years would have been nice though
February 10th, 2006 at 8:18 am reply
aawwwwwww……tats soooo xtremely adorable!!! but its like kinda tooo gud 2b true fro da “nanhi” of mmk….lol