A Big Brother and some Childhood memories

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It is wonderful growing up with a big brother; you always have somebody to look up to. I have millions of fun memories of childhood and growing up years with my brother, who is 4.5 years elder to me.

 

I have spent 18 years of my life in a small township in the interiors of Jharkhand. It really is not that primitive, how it is sounding. It had a wonderful mix of people from all communities, coming together to celebrate festivals together. It was a peaceful hamlet – school at a walking distance (to think of it, everything was at a walking distance), those were times when we actually used to play outside (unlike the simulator games on playstation and computers now), only Doordarshan to watch (other channels like Zee, Sony, came much later) and all in all, a happy life.

 

I had wide-eyed ideas about big cities. I was overawed by the life in a metro. Infact, I would even admit that I used to feel inferior to my metro-contemporaries for whatever reasons. But now after having stayed in Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai and having seen Delhi, Kolkata and so many of other cities, I think we are more or less same, with similar expectations, hopes, dreams and worries.

 

Childhood is a time of innocence and freedom from all worries. But of course, you don’t realise it then, when home works are like monsters and exams, your nemesis. Still, whenever I and my brother get together, we would recollect our childhood – his bullying me, my getting fooled, cooking many a disasters together, and my brothers’ cooking of several unbelievable stories! Her are some stories of my childhood….the memories of which still linger on….

> My brother was the mischievous one, I was prim and propah! We used to come back from school, mostly together. We had to cross a play-ground to reach home. As soon as he would reach play-ground, he would conveniently hand over his school bag to carry back home. Of course, carrying 2 bags home wasn’t really my idea of fun, but what can you say to a big brother when you are that young. So I would be fuming all along the way, and make very ‘bechari’ face to my mum, so that my brother gets full thrashing.

> There was a sports club at our township, where all the ladies would go and play some indoor games like cards, Chinese checkers, etc. We were some of those privileged kids, whose mum was also a member there. So we would wait for our mum to go, showing that we are totally engrossed in studies; but once she was gone, it was party time. We would fry loads of home-made potato chips and place ourselves royally in front of the TV.  

> I remember, mum would make nice namkeens and other delicacies, and store it in the unlikeliest of places, to evade attack from us. Now, I know why mum used to do that. It is such hard work to make them and when they finish off within few hours, you feel so bad….I can’t tell you! But anyways, I would be in charge of guarding the door, and my brother would hunt down wherever it was kept hidden. Even after that my brother would gorge on it; I would just look on or take just a little bit because I used to be really scared.

>I am sure, many would have done this. I and my brother used to read comics inside our course books. I have even read novels, like that. My brother has also tried putting me into trouble, by shouting that I was sleeping, when I was not.

> Our parents nurtured this dream to see both of us wake up early in the morning and study! Well, they tried this lot many times. We would wake up, and sit for studying; all cosy and comfortable inside razaai. My smart brother would slip slowly deep inside, with just his book propped up prominently on his knees. He would caution me to keep a watch and wake him up if dad or mum comes over to check. So poor I, would try to keep myself awake to keep a vigil!

 

We have thrown slippers at each other (yeah, at my elder brother! But don’t judge me, children are absolved of such misbehaviors), we have got each other in trouble, we have called each other names; but then along the way, we grew very close, and he became a friend, a mentor and a role model for me!

 

Wherever he goes, my brother owns the room. He has that charisma to attract everyone to himself. I would be waiting for his trips, when he was doing his Engineering from Sindri and then worked in different places. He always seem to have so many stories to tell, and all three of us– mum, dad, and I would be all ears! We still are!

P.S. Yes, that's us in the picture