[ From Fb Notes dated March 10, 2011- a day after Chhotu- my younger brother's 26th birthday ]
It was 9th of March yesterday. On that very day, exactly 26 years ago, you came into my life. (Sorry for disclosing your real age on a public medium :P) Ma tells me that I was pretty damn excited about your arrival. But when someone tried to hand you over to me to hold you up in my arms for the first time, I refused saying "अगर बेबी मुझसे गिर गया तो टूट जायेगा " [the baby will break if I happen to drop him by chance]
A lot has changed between us over the past 26 years but that feeling of protectiveness that I felt towards you on your first day has remained the same :)
At first, the fact of your arrival didn't sink in. When it finally did, I remember telling myself"Time to grow up, Bittu..you're an elder brother now!" . But then somehow, I postponed 'growing up' to the time you started school.
And have been postponing it further and further ever since :P (On last check it was found to be postponed till the time you get married :P)
As I sit here reminiscing about our childhood, my mind is filled with a million memories. Happy memories. I can still vividly picture you standing on a stool, looking over the balcony for me to return from school and play "bat-ball" with you in that narrow Aryanagar balcony.
I remember you intently watching me mug up my hindi lessons and then repeating 'em alongside me- "पूलब पत्तित दक्कित पक्कित (पूरब पश्चिम उत्तर दक्षिण :P) [ East west North South]. Another personal favourite from among the plethora of your 'pronunciation gems' was- गँगरिंग गौन्ग्रंग (दैनिक जागरण) [ Dainik Jaagran- a Hindi daily] boy! did you have a funny tongue or what :D :D
Remember the time when you silently peed into an empty bottle of some kind & upon being enquired 'bout it by Ma you feigned ignorance and blamed it on poor monkeys instead? - "बंदल कल गया होगा!" Yeah right, smarty-pants :D
Then it was time for you to start school. After three years of pampering, you naturally didn't take too kindly to the sudden shocking changes in your lifestyle. In fact, I recall that Ma, Papa had to negotiate a compromise with you- whereupon you reluctantly agreed to grace the school with your dignified presence THRICE a week, every alternate day. Well, life sure ain't fair but one gotta live it anyway :D
This 'thrice-a-week' arrangement was to continue till std. 2, if I recall correctly. Not surprisingly, your grades too were as good as your attendance :P I had, by this time, developed a slight interest in the fairer sex and hence had started scoring well to impress 'em gals. Buoyed by my own good performance, I had a great time teasing you singing" पढना लिखना सीखो..ओ मेहनत करने वालो " :P I still believe that THAT ribbing was the catalyst in you turning the corner as a student (see..THAT is how you take credit for someone else's hard work ;) )
Now, whether it was due to you taking those jibes to heart or you, too, like me, developed 'a slight interest in the fairer sex', the outcome was that you, too, started scoring well and soon overtook me as the "next big thing" of the family, going as far as even TOPPING your class a couple of times; something even I could never achieve! (And that's saying something!! LOL)
Apart from bettering me in studies, you continued to happily tag along with me as my side-kick in other matters, such as sports n time-pass. I've great memories of all the fun we had whether it was playing gully cricket or cards at Ishu & Henna's place, flying disc/kabaddi at Goal Park or WWF in our own bedroom. I still, to this day, feel guilty about delivering a stiff BIG BOOT right to your handsome face during one of our countless EPIC 'steel cage matches for world heavyweight championship' (Ho sake to mujhe maaf kar diyo mere bhai :P) & I am still proud of the way you refused to tap-out to the excruciatingly painful crossface chicken-wing applied on you by that rabid wolverine- Piyush Chandok. And to top it all, you didn't even 'pass out in a pool of your own blood' in doing so!! Stone Cold, who? 8-)
Then came the first real test of your character. The assholes at YOU PEE board screwed you big time, not once but twice, first in high school and then, just to rub it in some more, in intermediate as well. Every Tom, Dick, Harry, Gajodhar, Sankata & Ghanshyam ended up getting a better deal than you. It's not an easy place to be in life and I am speaking from experience here, for I, too, had been at the receiving end of UP board's bullshittery, albeit to a lesser extent. But while I said "fuck it" and grew disillusioned with the system forever, you chose to hang on and give it a fight. Not surprisingly, your perseverance bore fruit and you made it to the prestigious Motilal Nehru National Institue of Technology 8-)
Papa himself couldn't have been more proud of you that day than I was :) The rest, as they say, is history!
Come to think of it, Ours has always been a uniquely curious kinda relationship. I mean..unlike your 'typical Indian brothers', here, in our case, it's me- the elder brother- who's the rascal (great word!) of the family, the wild one always up to some kinda ONE-TWO-KA-FOUR, FOUR-TWO-KA-ONE, breaking all the rules, staying out late, stirring up all kinds of shit and getting in all kinds of troubles :P while you-the younger one- is the more sober, mature, sensible and reasonable one. In one word- the calming influence (okay, that's three :P)
If I had to compare ourselves with some on-screen brothers, the brothers from 'Khosla ka Ghosla' come to my mind, with me being Balwant 'Bunty' Khosla (Ranvir Shorey) & you, Chiraunjilal 'Cherry' Khosla (Parvin Dabas).
(the name 'Chiraunjilal' suits you to the T, btw :P)
& contrary to what some may feel, I am most comfortable with this arrangement, for as Jane Austen has so wisely proclaimed in her accomplished novel, Mansfield Park..
"The younger brother must help to pay for the pleasures of the elder"
;)
Jokes aside, l'emme now come to the point. You see, the reason I am writing this to you is because, we Indians, thanks to our cultural conditioning, find it extremely hard to express our love to the very people who mean the most to us- our family, in speech. I am a product of the same conditioning and I could have NEVER said all this to you on your face. Hence this...well...essay :P
Chhotu, mere bhaaaay..I want you to know that you have been THE best younger brother anyone could ever ask for :) Wish I could say the same about myself as an elder brother but that'd be a lie, for I know that (apart from saving your ass on a couple of occasion against much older and stronger bullies growing up in the Wild Wild North) I haven't really been much good of an elder brother. In fact, a couple of my actions in the past are completely unworthy of an elder brother. YET, you go on respecting me and even looking up to me!!!! Now, while I do understand your "looking up to me"- after all, I AM a good two-and-a-half inches TALLER than you :P- but the "respect" part surely perplexes me!! :O
I mean..I have certainly not done anything to *earn* that respect for sure! The only plausible reason I could come up with to explain your respect for me despite me being a complete bully is the fact that you are aware that I still have access to all the vital pieces of that photograph from your childhood (which you tore) where you happen to be in your birth-suit with a powder-bottle in your hand. (Gotcha..didn't I? ;) )
Well, whatever be the case, I want you to know that I genuinely regret all those instances of my un-elder-brotherly & bully-like conduct from the core of my being & Thank you for forgiving me for the same (I know that you have forgiven me)
I also want you to know that I am glad that we have covered a lot of distance in the past couple of years, so much so that I can now proudly say it that you are not just my brother but you also happen to be my OLDEST & BEST friend, as well. (In fact, more than one of your Bhabhis have told me that they haven't seen any brothers chatting with each other on the phone DAILY and for so long :P)
In closing, all I'd say is..it was nice growing up with you, kid. Eagerly looking forward to the next 26 years and many more..
Happy Birthday once again. You are THE best\m/
Love & Aashirwaad............ Khoob bade ho :)
[PS: I ain't gonna blackmail you about that photo so take it easy & chillax, chico ;) ]
A lot has changed between us over the past 26 years but that feeling of protectiveness that I felt towards you on your first day has remained the same :)
At first, the fact of your arrival didn't sink in. When it finally did, I remember telling myself"Time to grow up, Bittu..you're an elder brother now!" . But then somehow, I postponed 'growing up' to the time you started school.
And have been postponing it further and further ever since :P (On last check it was found to be postponed till the time you get married :P)
As I sit here reminiscing about our childhood, my mind is filled with a million memories. Happy memories. I can still vividly picture you standing on a stool, looking over the balcony for me to return from school and play "bat-ball" with you in that narrow Aryanagar balcony.
I remember you intently watching me mug up my hindi lessons and then repeating 'em alongside me- "पूलब पत्तित दक्कित पक्कित (पूरब पश्चिम उत्तर दक्षिण :P) [ East west North South]. Another personal favourite from among the plethora of your 'pronunciation gems' was- गँगरिंग गौन्ग्रंग (दैनिक जागरण) [ Dainik Jaagran- a Hindi daily] boy! did you have a funny tongue or what :D :D
Remember the time when you silently peed into an empty bottle of some kind & upon being enquired 'bout it by Ma you feigned ignorance and blamed it on poor monkeys instead? - "बंदल कल गया होगा!" Yeah right, smarty-pants :D
Then it was time for you to start school. After three years of pampering, you naturally didn't take too kindly to the sudden shocking changes in your lifestyle. In fact, I recall that Ma, Papa had to negotiate a compromise with you- whereupon you reluctantly agreed to grace the school with your dignified presence THRICE a week, every alternate day. Well, life sure ain't fair but one gotta live it anyway :D
This 'thrice-a-week' arrangement was to continue till std. 2, if I recall correctly. Not surprisingly, your grades too were as good as your attendance :P I had, by this time, developed a slight interest in the fairer sex and hence had started scoring well to impress 'em gals. Buoyed by my own good performance, I had a great time teasing you singing" पढना लिखना सीखो..ओ मेहनत करने वालो " :P I still believe that THAT ribbing was the catalyst in you turning the corner as a student (see..THAT is how you take credit for someone else's hard work ;) )
Now, whether it was due to you taking those jibes to heart or you, too, like me, developed 'a slight interest in the fairer sex', the outcome was that you, too, started scoring well and soon overtook me as the "next big thing" of the family, going as far as even TOPPING your class a couple of times; something even I could never achieve! (And that's saying something!! LOL)
 |
Brothers don't shake hands. Brothers gotta hug\m/ |
Then came the first real test of your character. The assholes at YOU PEE board screwed you big time, not once but twice, first in high school and then, just to rub it in some more, in intermediate as well. Every Tom, Dick, Harry, Gajodhar, Sankata & Ghanshyam ended up getting a better deal than you. It's not an easy place to be in life and I am speaking from experience here, for I, too, had been at the receiving end of UP board's bullshittery, albeit to a lesser extent. But while I said "fuck it" and grew disillusioned with the system forever, you chose to hang on and give it a fight. Not surprisingly, your perseverance bore fruit and you made it to the prestigious Motilal Nehru National Institue of Technology 8-)
Papa himself couldn't have been more proud of you that day than I was :) The rest, as they say, is history!
Come to think of it, Ours has always been a uniquely curious kinda relationship. I mean..unlike your 'typical Indian brothers', here, in our case, it's me- the elder brother- who's the rascal (great word!) of the family, the wild one always up to some kinda ONE-TWO-KA-FOUR, FOUR-TWO-KA-ONE, breaking all the rules, staying out late, stirring up all kinds of shit and getting in all kinds of troubles :P while you-the younger one- is the more sober, mature, sensible and reasonable one. In one word- the calming influence (okay, that's three :P)
If I had to compare ourselves with some on-screen brothers, the brothers from 'Khosla ka Ghosla' come to my mind, with me being Balwant 'Bunty' Khosla (Ranvir Shorey) & you, Chiraunjilal 'Cherry' Khosla (Parvin Dabas).
(the name 'Chiraunjilal' suits you to the T, btw :P)
& contrary to what some may feel, I am most comfortable with this arrangement, for as Jane Austen has so wisely proclaimed in her accomplished novel, Mansfield Park..
"The younger brother must help to pay for the pleasures of the elder"
;)
Jokes aside, l'emme now come to the point. You see, the reason I am writing this to you is because, we Indians, thanks to our cultural conditioning, find it extremely hard to express our love to the very people who mean the most to us- our family, in speech. I am a product of the same conditioning and I could have NEVER said all this to you on your face. Hence this...well...essay :P
Chhotu, mere bhaaaay..I want you to know that you have been THE best younger brother anyone could ever ask for :) Wish I could say the same about myself as an elder brother but that'd be a lie, for I know that (apart from saving your ass on a couple of occasion against much older and stronger bullies growing up in the Wild Wild North) I haven't really been much good of an elder brother. In fact, a couple of my actions in the past are completely unworthy of an elder brother. YET, you go on respecting me and even looking up to me!!!! Now, while I do understand your "looking up to me"- after all, I AM a good two-and-a-half inches TALLER than you :P- but the "respect" part surely perplexes me!! :O
I mean..I have certainly not done anything to *earn* that respect for sure! The only plausible reason I could come up with to explain your respect for me despite me being a complete bully is the fact that you are aware that I still have access to all the vital pieces of that photograph from your childhood (which you tore) where you happen to be in your birth-suit with a powder-bottle in your hand. (Gotcha..didn't I? ;) )
Well, whatever be the case, I want you to know that I genuinely regret all those instances of my un-elder-brotherly & bully-like conduct from the core of my being & Thank you for forgiving me for the same (I know that you have forgiven me)
I also want you to know that I am glad that we have covered a lot of distance in the past couple of years, so much so that I can now proudly say it that you are not just my brother but you also happen to be my OLDEST & BEST friend, as well. (In fact, more than one of your Bhabhis have told me that they haven't seen any brothers chatting with each other on the phone DAILY and for so long :P)
In closing, all I'd say is..it was nice growing up with you, kid. Eagerly looking forward to the next 26 years and many more..
Happy Birthday once again. You are THE best\m/
Love & Aashirwaad............ Khoob bade ho :)
[PS: I ain't gonna blackmail you about that photo so take it easy & chillax, chico ;) ]
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