Not Just A String

Of all the relationships that exist, the bond between a sister and her ever-loving brother holds a special place. And a bond that gets "forged" becomes even more special. You don't always have to be siblings to experience this bond. One such bond appeared in my life and till date remains to be one of the most cherished memories from school. It was the time when we, the class of XI were sailing through adolescence, a complex yet the most vibrant phase in a person's life. Supportive parents, caring friends, understanding teachers, "Not-so-strict" rules, a small yet scrumptious canteen and our very own comfy classroom created a peaceful environment for us to focus on our studies. But here's the catch: Your mind doesn't always listen to you and especially when you are in your teens. Unluckily, or should I say luckily, when most of my friends were getting themselves blindfolded by infatuations, which they thought to be love, I on the other hand found a different relationship. 

It was just another day at school, but it was about to become one that I would never forget. The day never fades; It was during our forenoon recess when I along with a group of friends was into a loose discussion. That's when I heard her voice. There she was, one of my closest friends standing at the end of her bench and waving her hand. I walked to her and with no further delay she pulled a bright red string from her bag and tied it onto my hand. I was not all new to the tradition, but this was the first time I got myself one. We had been friends since seventh grade and from that moment I knew she was no longer just my friend but my sister as well. One thing that made the moment more special was that the Rakhi she gave me was handmade by her. No matter how many more Rakhis I get, this one will always remain special. Now that we have entered our twenties and rarely see each other, there isn't much significance to something that happened years ago. That's what I thought until one day I received a message from her. It was a pic of the hair clip that I had gifted her for the very Raksha Bandhan years ago. 

I rushed to my cupboard and took out the Rakhi that she had tied to me. Nine years have passed and every time I hold it in my hands, those good old days stream before my eyes, making me wish we had not grown into men and women, but remained as those late teens: carefree, youthful and energetic. 

Little did I know back then during school, that years later, this very single string would remind me of all the good times I had during my school life.

One other experience was from a more recent time. This happened when four of my sisters from different mothers, along wirh whom I work l came home and tied me rakhis. To add on to this. The day was my Birthday as well. This Birthday which otherwise would have been just another day, turned out to be a memorable one because of their affection.