Happy Birthday Sis!

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. That small little girl who used to tail me wherever I went is now a big girl! That innocent face, those lovely bambi eyes, I have this picture of hers which is my eternal favorite.


I used to fight, yell, play, share and what not with her. I used to even hide from her in school but of course that is a different matter. As soon as she would spot me in school she would raise a racket asking me to take her home. This was when she was in KG and poor me was just 7 years old then and left with no clue as to how I could take her home without the rickshaw guy coming. So eventually if I spotted her around, I would promptly find a tree to hide behind. Somehow once she dropped into my class when I was in 2nd standard and started crying and asking for me. I was so embarrassed, I didn't even stand up. When the teacher asked who her sister was, my kind and ever obliging friends (no thanks, guys!) unanimously pointed at me. And needless to say the teacher asked me to drop my sister back in the KG section and hurry upstairs. Apparently I went home and asked my mom to change her school and put her in some other school (I wasn't willing to leave Ann's you see ;) )

She used to eat all her goodies and I used to save mine. Then invariably she would take on her innocent expression and ask me for more. Which I would refuse (the sense of justice in me as a kid, I tell you, it was impeccable ;) ) So my mom has this story which she tells fondly where one day my sister found out where I hid my chocolates, promptly used the "moda" to climb up, eat all of them, and cleverly wrap back stones in the wrappers and leave them there. Like you might expect, I was fuming when I found out and any misconceptions I had about my sister being "innocent" were all gone ;)

She was my first "shishya" ever. I used to try and teach her well and make her understand everything but at the end of two hours when she still wouldn't get it, I would start crying out of sheer frustration of not knowing how else to teach her. My mom never understood why I should cry, but then I never did either ;) I must say, when I used to take Math tuitions while I was in Engineering, my students used to be rather easy to handle, thanks to how my sister trained me when I was in school. Gosh!

She had a phobia for driving. I had to brainwash her again and again and she finally learnt. The other weekend when I was in Hyd, she came to pick me up. She insisted on coming although I said I'd take an auto since it was easier. And I wanted to drive, but she refused to let me drive before Kukatpally main road because she wanted to take me doubles for a decent distance to show me how well she can drive now. I was immensely proud of her, I couldn't believe it was the same girl who would refuse to sit at a 2-wheeler handle.

She didn't want to be stereotype and do engineering. I couldn't agree less. Although everyone was insistent that she should do engineering, I didn't think she had to be an engineer to be a successful person. And poor thing didn't know how to counter all the pressure. But she lasted it. Went on to do graduation and post graduation in Statistics and landed a job. Today she has grown so well and so fast at her work, that I bet no one foresaw what was coming. She manages her own team now and what can I say, I am proud of her. Although its extremely cliched, I am proud of her. For what she was and where she has come today.

She fought to grow out of that shadow which her elder sister left everywhere they went together. And she came out shining. In her own right. Once the principal at Ann's asked me why I was hangng around. I said I was an ex-student and my sister also went to the same school and that I had come to visit my cousin (who also went to Ann's). She asked me who my sister was and I gave her my sis' name. And then she went "Ohh so you are L's sister". I can't tell you how happy my sister was that day. All through her school life she was always "D's sister". Today, it was my turn. I was "L's sister". She was jubiliant. And I was too :) My little sister had arrived.

Happy Birthday sis! Here is wishing you all happiness, health and wealth. Hope you have a wonderful life!