Brothers in Arms..

A little walk the talk with my two brothers before Rakshabandhan.
I always wanted to ask you dear brothers :-
--What were you thinking before beating up a random guy who YOU thought in your head was following me on his bike? I was not being an ehsaanfaramosh when I did not appreciate your 'efforts' because I sincerely thought that  the poor guy must be speeding  on the road which did not belong to us ,in his hurry to reach somewhere important.As far as my speeding is concerned ,you are well aware of my aversion to use public toilets and my heading home speed has always been maximum. In other words,I was not speeding away from the poor soul,he did not even register,my only aim was to reach the loo asap.
--Were you aware of your size when you thought of confronting a guy who you thought used to stare at me? Thankfully the guy did not return the dent that your tiny 11year old fist caused him in his ribs .You just about managed to tickle him,pun intended. My embarrassment? The word did not exist in your limited primary school vocabulary so let us not come to that.
--I hope you understand now, that all those who glanced in my direction were not exactly Goondas.
Thank you for 'protecting' me  in the school Rickshaw.The stern looks on your little frames was enough to scare anyone and everyone harbouring any ideas regarding your big sister sitting in the middle.
--What made you break open the lock of my mystery box and secretly read my secret diary. Had I not destroyed the same in my volcanic anger,I could have been a strong contender for Booker or some such prize.Teen angst makes a good read you see! There can be no best-seller like a campus love story or secret conversations of gossip girls at a pyjama party. Your loss entirely, brothers -in-arms ..you lost your only chance to be famous brothers of a published author.
--Why did you ,without failing even once,redirect your ire against me whenever mom sent me over to untangle your wrestling limbs.I always ended up being at the bottom of the pile, completely at your mercy.I very sheepishly admit today that I loved being the reason for you to forget about  your own fight .That you thoroughly enjoyed my plight was wicked on your part but then..

                                                                          courtesy Google images             

                                                                  courtesy google images      


--MB ,why on earth did you learn the Railway timetable by heart ? Why did you cycle all the way to the station just to see the super fast Gitanjali Express hurtle past the platform? Why??
--PS, was there any day in your life,that made you less saintly than you have always been? Please own up.MB and I could never match up to your standards.
--Why would both of you be more interested in tagging along by my side every day .Old Peepul was on your side ,one look at its accommodating frame and I would give in.
Brothers in my arms,thus I had been ,
till better sense prevailed and
they sprouted wings.

I also have a  few confessions  in place in this space today -

--I apologise for making you run errands for me just because I was the big sister and I knew you could not refuse me out of love. However, if you think I am going to own up and say that yes, I did call you one day from the playground just to give me a glass of water,you are mistaken.Believe it or not, I DID NOT know that you were playing outside .Not my fault that you responded to my call while fielding near our gate. I am not even smiling while I write this,I swear!
--I am guilty of stealing Dusserie mangoes from your share and eating them up during Summers.I have been suitably punished -while you embraced fitness ,I still struggle to shake of those tyres.

I can go on and on but just one last thing on my mind has to be told now, lest I forget.
Remember,the photograph we clicked at a nearby studio on my 13th birthday? Dressed to kill in my new Yellow Maxi,I was so sure I could give Miss India some serious competition that day.  You could have shown some sensitivity towards a girl entering her teens,rather than contorting your faces  when the photographer cheerfully said ISSSMILEE!! I could never flaunt that photograph in school.Three  faces contorted beyond recognition in their vain efforts to control laughter, did not make a pretty picture.We could have simply laughed and saved mom and dad some money that day,don't you think?

I have sent my Rakhis in time this year to escape your wrath PS . MB, I will indulge in some harmless extortion when I see you that day.Be prepared !

School times - Of crushes and Rakhis

Anyone from a smaller city , who has been to a co-ed school, knows that a big part of girls and boys growing up together in the eighties, was spent wondering and speculating about who liked whom!! Very few had the guts to go up to each other and pour their hearts out. School desks and rounders  were the tools of communication in those days ,where eyes failed to cooperate.

                                                                          courtesy google images                  

Few  girls had their names engraved on the desks or had regular anonymous love letters delivered to them,duly  signed as 'guess who??' , 'your only admirer' or  'forever yours'. Boys I guess were more open ,at least with each other.. so they would make pairs according to the latest crush and tease each other while girls had to rely on their instincts  or sometimes on how a particular boy gazed dreamily at the girl to make a wild guess.  Many love stories took birth and died without actually coming alive.Some did not even see the pages of a personal diary somewhere . You see,we all belonged to 'cultured' families and liking someone was just not allowed. Dooor se aankhe sekte thhe!

The class monitors were the most notorious lot, especially boys.We had these reading sessions in our English class where girls and boys had to  read a paragraph ,alternately from the book .These were the revealing sessions where most girls would come to know about the boy they were being 'paired with'. It was quite simple actually,the boy in question would be followed by the girl while reading. The class monitor would call out the names in succession and we would sit with bated breaths as though our mid term results were being announced !Glances were exchanged ,giggles were stifled and the class would be  abuzz with varied forms of suppressed emotions and  expressions from boys and girls alike.

Sometimes there would be complications like we would pair a friend with who we thought she liked and the boys had another person lined up for that girl. Tease toh karna hi thha par kiske saath?! Major point to ponder in those days apart from studies and extra curricular activities.Very rare,senior couples were treated with awe and respect by juniors.Lunch time discussions revolved around the same topic .Those who got enough attention from the opposite sex, pretended that they did not care and those who were deprived of the attention either faked otherwise or played spoilsport in other students' lives by squealing to the teacher  or the concerned student's parents.

Kendriya Vidyalaya or Central school ,where I studied, celebrated most of the festivals .We enjoyed all except Rakshabandhan ! It was disastrous for a boy to have his only crush tie Rakhi to him in front of the whole class.Many would hide inside the restrooms but teachers took special care that none was spared the torture. Imagine carrying a bunch of Rakhis to tie each boy in the class and at times,even outside the class. Imagine the plight of those who did not wish to be tied that thread. This forced ritual was painful, but I admit, quite funny too, at the end of the day.Some girls used this as an opportunity to snub  boys who liked them .Poor guys would either try to hide behind each other or grin and bear it.

                                                                      Courtesy Google images                    

This is where I learnt about 'maana hua bhai 'or muhbola bhai or 'rakhi brother'.I always wondered ,why should a boy  be either a sainyaa or a bhaiyya? Why do we have to label a relationship? Why can't we be comfortable in just being friends? It was much later in degree college,that I made true friends who I never felt the need to label.Neither the ASP ( age,sex,personality ) factor nor the CCR (caste,creed,religion) factor mattered.
Bonds made that young, proved to be stronger ,time tested and they do not even require renewal at timely intervals.They do not have an expiry date.A remembrance,a tiny text, a call , excites the electrons enough to tease them out of their slumber and rekindle the fire.

 I do not know about others but when this connect happens, to hell with the dreaded  forties ...I always feel that I just came out of  college...abhi- abhi buss kuchch saal pehle hi...

Rakhi of course has a new symbolic meaning for me now,it symbolises siblings tying Rakhis to each other and  pledging support to each other through thick and thin.A day when sisters get Rakhis too  and brothers also receive gifts. A day to just get together and have fun with cousins and extended family,khaana-peena and lots of  masti .