HEY!

day before yesterday was Rakhi. For all of you all unaware of this Indian festival.. here's a download. Rakhi is basically the festival for brothers and sisters. Herein, on this day all sisters visit their brothers with sweets and gifts to tie a "rakhi" on his wrist. Its a symbol of the eternal pure tie that binds together a brother and his sister. In return, of this thread of commitment tied by the sister, the brother vows to protect and care for his sister till his days end. Such a simple, yet profound ritual.

Indeed, the relation of a brother and a sister is so so sacred. Especially younger sisters with their elder brothers. I have an elder brother too. He is almost 12.5 years elder to me and sometimes, i wonder if this gap in our ages augments or harms our relationship. My mom tells me that if there has been any person I have had regard for in my adolscent life , its him. If i have been a bit wary of someone, its him. Today too, i realise thats true. when i was young, he was the elder brother - he used to pamper me, buy things for me, introduce me to new gizmos and music, put nailpolish for me, share a dosa with me and buy me chocolates. We shared quite a bit - love for our grandmom, tom and jerry was our favourite, i always used to rob him of his archies comics, our competition for Mom is on even till now, both of us used to run for cover when Dad used to be around, late night visits to the fridge for a chilled glass of thumsup, mouth watering bhindi and bhujia..... the list is endless. When i grew up a bit, he was all ready to get married and thats when i saw a new side of him. All man and now embarking on a relationship that till now i had not seen in my house. My sister in law was like a breath of fresh air in the house - she is this live wire and siren all rolled into one, perpetually on a roller coaster ride. When my brother became a father figure and a guy i started looking upto beyond the starry eyed devotion of just a sister is something even I am not aware of. Though we live in different cities and hardly meet twice a year, though am married and busy with a job that rarely gives me time to talk to him as much as I want to, there is not one single moment that I dont think of him and wish that all is well at his end of the world.

We have cousins too. I do tie a rakhi to all my first cousins as well. Sons of my dad's elder brothers. the feeling of oneness is unbeatable. We have grander festivals like Holi and Diwali where we all get together again, but there is something about Rakhi that sets it apart. Something poignant, something deeper. Its a festival straight from one heart to the other. Its beautiful.

"A brother shares childhood memories and grown up dreams..."

I have my own superhero, I just call him Bhaiya.