My Real Soul Sisters

I just finished the "Chicken Soup Of the Indian Soul Celebrating Brothers and Sisters." And all the stories made me thank God for having been blessed with two of the best sisters in the whole wide world.

My Beautiful Sisters... This is for the both of you.

My relationship with my Elder sister has always been bitter-sweet. We fight and then we make up. Api (as I call her) and I, are just a few years apart... but what sets us all the more distant is our maturity level. She is like this sensible (everyone thinks so) and mature elder daughter. Mom tells me, when I was born... she did feel neglected, but didn't throw a tantrum, like any toddler her age would have...she just became quiet (yeah that's how mature she was even back then). And then there is me the immature, irritating (per them), loud mouthed, over-confident soul. Friction was bond to happen. 

I remember when I joined Api's school in standard 5, she was in class 9 in senior school... So obviously she got all the opportunity to bully me... the innocent soul. There is this one incident which she says she did because I irritated her a lot... Saturdays, were P.T days at school, which meant white uniform and white shoes. Both of us had to polish our white shoes every Friday night. That Friday, Api rushed to polish her shoes and finished all the white polish in the bottle. She made sure I was not able to polish my shoes, she didn't leave a drop... I wore my shoes without polishing them (just that they had turned grey). 

Now Api was responsible for checking uniform post our morning assembly... and while I was walking up to my class, I heard someone calling out my name and asking me to step out. When I turned, I saw Api standing there. She said "Why aren't your shoes polished???" And all I could do was say "but" and stare at her. She pulled my arm and made me stand in the 'defaulter's' line for one hour with the summer sun shinning right on top of my head.

This is the same Api who took a 'Motherly' avtaar even when  we didn't need it. I remember my first day in Delhi University and I being the strong-headed stubborn one, declared "I'm going to take a DTC, who goes to college in an Auto" that was my first time in a public bus (that too the famous DTC) and I wanted no-one and I mean no-one to accompany me. My parents weren't in town so my sister was in-charge of us. She had told me to call up from an STD (Cell Phones was still considered a Maha-luxurious item for college goers), which I obviously forgot. When I reached back, I found her standing outside our apartment, she yelled at me for being careless and hugged me and told me to take care. Following this was a chai session discussing my first day, followed by some more gyaan. 

Me and Api at one of her pre-wedding function

When her marriage was fixed... I didn't like the guy (sorry S.B), but I thought someone's going to snatch away Api from me. I was super anti-Api's marriage... but then that happened, and non of my arguments were considered valid enough.

When I was 6+ I came to know I was going to have a sibling. Now, sharing space with Api was tough, there was this other one coming. So in September 1987, mum brought this little thing bundled in pink home. And I hated her from the word go. That was our 'baby' sister. The forever 'baby' of the house had arrived. Nidaa is this rule-breaker, shopaholic, blonde... still extremely studious and a topper (yeah a deadly combo), binge eater yet maha-thin (I told you she's weird) kid sister who loves you like hell. 

If Api and my relationship was bitter sweet, with Nidaa and me it was a complete Love Hate thing going on. Add to that Api and Nidaa are too close to each other. 

I remember Ma sending me to sleep at 9:30 pm, half an hour before Api. So I was closed in this room with 'Baby' Nidaa sleeping peacefully in her crib. I was feeling extremely left out and thought of an evil plan. I pinched the 'poor soul' sleeping in her crib (I used to pinch really hard) and kept pinching her till she got up and started howling. I ran towards my bunk bed as I heard someone's footsteps. Ma rushed to the room, she asked me "Falak, What happened?" and I pretended like I had already slept off, got up rubbing my eyes saying ... "Mamma, pata nahin... I had already slept off..." Yeah... Yeah I know you must be saying what a devil. Wait till you hear this...

Nidaa and I used to have these Big fights, where we used to pounce on one another. I was triple her size, but she used to beat me hands down. When Api went to hostel for her graduation, she used to steal my letter pad and write letters to Api... bicthing about me. And then they both used to gang up against me, when Api was home for vacation. 

I still remember, a day before my wedding I had a huge fight with my mom (yeah, I'm a big fighter-cock you can say that). I was crying like hell and declared "No one cares for me...", everyone, stood by Ma and said I was wrong, but Nidaa was the one who understood my point, cried with me and ended up fighting with Ma. That's what our relationship is all about. I might fight with her like anything, but when someone scolds her or says anything bad about her behind her back... I get into my Chandi avtaar and stay on Nidaa's side. My Ma always says, "It's better to stay out of their fights/arguments, as you will end up making a fool of yourself."

Nidz and me at our Brother's wedding

I love the both of them and love to hate them. Both of them are alike and I'm the different one... but guess I'm the lucky one... My sisters are my priced possession ... Thank God for them.