Saturday, January 22, 2011

My little sister

"Sister is probably the most competitive relationship in the family, but once sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship."

Though me and my sister lived apart, she with my parents and me with my grandparents, through nearly 12 growing up years, we still met on all the possible school vacations. She is just an year and a half younger to me, so needless to say, there was a lot of competition in our childhood years. I still get teased on how once I finished milk from my bottle and then snatched her bottle and drank her share as well. I guess, she has returned the favour more than once over the period but that remains the favourite of my parent's stories of my antics as a kid :) Her pet name is Shilu and she was a little dark when she was young so the mean sister that I was, I used to call her Makalu and would proudly announce to my uncles that I have beaten up Makalu and my loving uncles have even recorded my voice while I was announciong the fact just to torment me throughout my life :)

Shilu was quite a cute and popular child. Everybody in the locality used to love her and she had all the boys of the colony wrapped around her little finger, as a kid. They all used to wait outside her prep school for her to finish so that they could pick her up and listen to her mad stories. I also remember that all her dolls used to be bald, the effect of excessive combing and hair styling :) Whenever the day for her to visit us came, I would hide my dolls and their box of dresses. However, we had fun time dressing up our dolls, planning their weddings, etc. Once, she got her doll married to the neighbour's male doll and when the time for vidai came, she cried so much and fought with the neighbour that she left even her male doll with Shilu. That's who Shilu was, a big prankster and always the one to get her way.

When I moved in with my parents and got admitted in the same school as hers, we used to cycle together to school. I was a very shy kid in school, with few friends, while my sister was quite a rockstar, popular with teachers, classmates and of course, boys. While, my parents received reports of me not talking at all in class, they always got reports of my sis being very talkative. She would always fight for her rights in school or home and I would always sit quietly and listen. However different we both were, we still were and are best friends. We would always have loads to talk to each other, lots of gossips to share, lots of secrets to tell, lots of confessions to make. We loved playing Badminton together, while she was a pro singer and was admitted for classes in Classical singing, I used to learn Kathak.

When I passed my 10th std., Papa gifted me a bike (Bajaj Sunny). Both of us, used to love our rides together around the Link Road in Jamshedpur, singing songs and having fun. After I graduated from school, I moved to Pune to continue with my studies and Papa got a posting to Navamundi mines, Shilu proved to be a big support to my Mum. She excelled in her studies, while helping my mum with chores around the house. After she passed her 12th, she moved to Chennai to do her engineering. We used to write long letters to each other and wait for family gettogethers in Jamshedpur.

We both are married now and while she is doing her MBA from Bombay, I am settled in Bangalore with my husband. Though, we both have changed quite a lot over the years and we are quite different people from what we were as children; she has sobered down quite a bit (am going to be killed for saying this) and I have become more rebellious than I was; over the years, our bond has just strengthened. We both know, whatever happens, there is somebody out there, with a patient ear and a comforting shoulder and that is quite a help through rough days.

All the sharing clothes and toys, getting the same dresses in different colors, whispering inside the blanket late at night, waiting for Mummy Papa to go out to be able to play music and dance and to bully Manu, you teaching me how to wear a saree (haha..u know why am laughing!), covering up for each other's mistakes and sometimes not covering up as well ;), I miss all those moments, I miss you!

Someone has truly said that a sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.

I love you sis and thanks for always being there :) Muahhhhh

Chillo n me!
The times spent with you are the best memories of my childhood! :)

3 comments:

  1. very nice...well written...it reminds me about my childhood....... nice.

    keep it up!

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  2. Sups....really this blog reminds me of my childhood!...I remember how Di and I used to dress up in Mom's sarees and bangles whenever Mom was away! nicely written and very true!

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  3. Thanks Ruchi & Mady :) Childhood day are always the best memories that one has, especially the ones shared by your siblings..

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