Ganpati Bappa Morya!

I woke up in the morning repenting my decision of not making it home for Ganesh Chaturthi this year (like last year). I was more sad because of being away from my cousins this year too. Every year we would all gather together and celebrate Ganpati. It is, kinda, a very big festival for us since we are maharashtrians. I was missing all my cousins since quite some time. The feeling of 'missing' them was intense because of the Ganpati.

Every year all 5 of us (cousins) would decorate the living room (my cousins would do the most part) with flowers, ribbons etc. Decoration would be unique every year (creative minds you see). During lunches we would pass on our jalebis to each other (cuz none of us liked Jalebis) and not to forget moti-choor ke laddoo. The first Aarti would be the biggest one. At least one of us would be in the bathroom when the Aarti would begin (struggling to get ready). Aarti would happen twice every day along with AtharvaShirsha. A sense of peace would seep in. It felt purified all of a sudden. A sense of support would be felt. I have always loved that feeling.

But today morning was different. I woke up all alone with a phone call. My colleagues were expecting my help for making rangoli (they actually think i can do that). So i woke up and got ready at Blitz Krieg speed and rushed to office. I started coloring the petals with different varieties of violet. I was just cribbing about the mismatch of colors when the phone rang.

It was my brother. He said, "We are in a conference. I am joining your call." I was delighted to hear all the voices when the call was joined. All of us stay continents away from each other and so the time difference has never allowed us to make a conference call all this time. I was the happiest. It was all 5 of us on the call. Actually 6. My cousin's fiance joined in too! We chatted along for an hour (while i was still coloring the petals violet). My day was made. I wonder how God knew what I wanted!

Life is always like that. Life loves to surprise you but for that...you should give life a chance to surprise you. You generally get what you want (ofcourse if God wants to give you that). Today, I realized how one phone call can change your life; can make your life beautiful; can make you happy.

This is the best gift I could ask Ganpati Bappa for! (ofcourse I have a lot to ask Ganpati Bappa for.. but.... for now.. venda!)
Ganpati Bappa Morya!
- feeling Blessed.

My Sibling... My Life...

So you are this sweet little kid and a Princess for your parents. You are their love, their soul and everything else. Their world revolves around you. Your wish is their command. Every word you speak is iterated and re-iterated (the first word you ever spoke, the first time you said ‘ma’ and ‘baba’ etc). Your parents adjust their sleeping schedules according to yours (and you never have a sleeping schedule). Toys, teddy bear, clothes etc. everything belongs to you. Parents are ‘yours and only yours’. You rule the world.
All of a sudden your world turns upside down. Your parents bring home a sweet little kid. You think of him as a guest at first but he refuses to go. Slowly, the kid wears your clothes, plays with your toys and your parents adjust their sleeping schedules according to his. His presence is celebrated. You feel a little neglected and your life changes.

Eventually you start liking this kid. People around you say he is your ‘brother’. Something called as ‘belongingness’ seeps in. You enjoy his company. You play together. He irritates you at times but you learn to adjust. You fight for every little thing on this earth. You oppose things just because he supports them. After a certain period of time the sibling rivalry ceases to exist.  Life starts rolling amidst this chaos.
One day, while you are trying to keep awake in a boring lecture you see a kid crying outside the class. It’s your brother. You excuse yourself from the class and go to see him. He tells you his teacher threw him out of the class because he refused to stop talking to his bench-partner. You request the teacher to allow your younger brother to attend the lecture but she refuses. So the entire 4th grade witnesses a 7th grader almost arguing with their class teacher for the sake of her brother. The teacher finally gives in. For you, your sibling can never be wrong; at least not in front of a 100 people and their class teacher. You grow extremely protective of your sibling. The bottom line remains ‘Only I can fight with my brother. You lay a finger on him and you die.’

You reserve your chocolates for him and he does the same. You plan his birthday in a big way and so does he. You share your secrets and even your pocket money. You are his ‘other and reliable’ source of income. His happiness matters the most to you.

The bond grows stronger with time and the love is unconditional. This is one bond that can be taken for granted come what may. The bond that every sibling is proud of. A sibling is the best gift your parents can ever give you.