My Brothers And Me

When I was little, I prayed for a baby brother at every temple my parents took me to. I was five and a half years old when Shambu was born. I danced all day in joy on hearing the news. I waited eagerly for the festival of Rakshabandhan to tie Rakhi on his little hands. Shambu would become my constant companion in the years to come. He was my partner in all the experiments I did in my childhood, whether it was cooking stealthily when Ma was away or climbing a rope ladder using knots that I learned in Girls Guide. During my college days, I would come home every weekend and share my fascination with technology with him. Whether it was the mechanics behind the operation of automobiles or the technology involved in the generation of electricity or the first computer program written in Fortran, I had to share it with Shambu. Despite our age gap, he was able to understand and share my excitement. My prayers for a brother were doubly answered, and Shantu came into my life when I was nine years old. I remember spending hours looking at him, touching his soft little hands and feet. I wondered why he slept so much as a baby. When he grew a little older, I regaled him with fairy tales and other stories. Shantu was naughty and would try my patience at times, especially when I came home during my college days. Once I was so mad at him for upsetting the Engineering drawing assignment I was working on that I chased him, threatening to hit him with my mini-drafter from one end of the street to the other. Both of us still can't stop laughing when we visualize the scene our neighbors must have witnessed - an 18-year-old girl running with a drafter in hand behind her 9-year-old brother. Happy Rakshabandhan to Shambu and Shantu. I am so glad to have you both as my brothers. Thank you for making my life so memorable and full of fun.