A girl like you

A frantic nudge on the back was enough to wake me up and disturb my deep peaceful slumber time. Before I realised, it was my sister who had seen a bad dream and wanted me to help her go back to sleep. I hugged her closer to myself and mumbled to her that tomorrow morning will be better than today. Within a few minutes, she was asleep on my arm and I kept looking at her 10-year old face for a long time. I wished, then, that she always remain this close to me as she was at that moment. Till now, my wish has unfolded into an eventful journey. 

If I was gentle and all nice, she was all about sass, jazz and spice;

If I was reserved and introverted, she was social and ‘Noddy’–incarnated; 

If I liked uni-colour cloth patches, she carried shiny dresses with unmatched panache;

If I found peace in nature and solitude, she preferred blaring music and lots of DJ dance;

If I savoured plain idli and chutney, she gormandized on mysore masala dosa and spicy sambar.

The two of us have been an eclectic mix of all possible personality traits an individual could have. Despite the stark differences, this sisterhood evolved to be a home in itself.

The two of us had created a world of our own where the mother tongue was unconditional care and protection. She never missed a reason to cling on to me and I, frankly, didn’t mind being the responsible one. For most of our childhood years, we were in the same school so our geographical coordinates were not more than 2 buildings apart. I would make sure that I eat my lunch on time to check up on her once in a while. I remember one of the incidents during such lunch break visits when she was in Class 3. I was about to reach her class when one of her friends told me that my sister had fallen down and got hurt while running. My anxiety was driving me insane but minutes later, I saw two boys (who were her classmates) applying ointment on her wound and she was busy chatting with some other person. In the short span of time, I had prepared all contingency plans to cure her but you see, her charm was enough! 

As time passed, we got preoccupied with the pressure of academics and catching up on our daily tests, assignments and homework. One noticeable difference in the two of us was she could achieve more in less time and keep the baton of smart work flying high. Her sharp brain was hard to restrict to any one stream and her instinct for multi-tasking was evident right from the start. She did go through the hard years during secondary school and college- long hours of studies, poor health and excessive competition but she still managed to ace at her academics. I tried hard to compensate for my absence through phone calls, weekend visits and long mails but I know that she fought most of it stoically, all by herself. Looking back, Mitakshara and I have braved waves of change and challenge even when we were physically apart. We have criticised, ignored and even cursed each other but one of us would end up crushing our ego to enjoy a thin-crust wood-fired pizza. To be precise, we have a long list of failed attempts in trying to walk alone. 

During post-dinner walks, my mother often told me that I will have to stand firmly for Mitakshara like a guardian angel whenever time demands. I couldn’t fathom the sagacity of the passing comment but it surely came back as a ticker from my unconscious brain in times of crisis. All the efforts were paid off while experiencing the exhilaration of seeing her walk towards the stage to receive her awards and certificates. My eyes tracing her every step and my brain wanting to send her waves of pride. If I held her hand when she needed it the most, I know that she thanked me for it a zillion times. On the whole, it’s been an incomparable feeling to see a cute toddler, energetic teenager and independent-thinking adolescent grow into a gorgeous and courageous lawyer. I am fortunate to have witnessed this transition with Mitakshara.

As she wades through the waters of Thames a la University of Cambridge, I pray that the steel frame she poses for the world will protect the depth of her tender heart but not close it for spreading love and care.