HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER: MY LIFELINE !!!

Everyone has one person in their life,who is their lifeline. Their source of sustenance. Someone who can complete their unfinished sentences. Someone who will always stand by their side, no matter which walk of life they are in. Someone who loves them unconditionally.For me that is my brother. Riddhiman.

He is that jewel which any and every sister should have in their life.

For thsoe who ahvent met him, he is a man of many talents. He is an Avid Biker and is a prominent part of the Biking community of India. He is a an awesome Animal activist. He has rescued innumerable abandoned and injured animals all across and continues to do so. He has never shied from standing up for what is right,without caring for the consequences. He is working hard in building a new SHELTER for Abandoned Animals in Kolkata.

 
Coming back to his birthday. Yes, I was due on my brother's birthday. Riona and her Mamuji would have shared birthdays,except for a few hours here and there. Riona came a few hours earlier and she and her Mamuji shared two different birthdays. Two days of back to back celebrations for our family for sure. I was at the hospital recuperating from a normal delivery with third degree lacerations, but I had made sure that my brother's birthday cake had been shipped to him,continents apart, right on time.

For the age gap, we have between us, I have always been Motherly towards him. And also been guilty of being overt;y bossy as well.

 I still remember the first time I had heard of his arrival. We had been expecting my sibling for the whole 40 weeks. Mom had been taken to the hospital and the next morning,as I was sleepily brushing my teeth, my Dad had rushed home to inform me, that I had a brother. All the sleep vanished from my eyes,and I wanted to run and see him. It was a Bharat Bandh on that day, or an All India Shutdown of sorts. Those were the days when strikes were more common than anything else, in the Indian political psyche.  The streets were completely empty. No vehicles were in sight. we made our way to the hospital. Me,my Dad and my Koiya(my Nanny). My mother was still drowsy from her Epidural as I saw her. But she managed to smile despite all her pain and tiredness.

And there he was. Our biggest bundle of joy had arrived. Riddhiman was earthside. He was in his small cot  staring at us with his big eyes. No,he wasn't crying at all. He was a very Happy Baby. You could not miss his head full of jet black hair. Full of ringlets. If there was perfection on earth, it was embodied in him.

My partner in crime for life had arrived. I used to rush home from the bus stop after I got off from the school bus, to catch the first glimpse of him at home. There he was. Sleeping in his swing in the warm Indian Summer afternoons.

How time flies. Seems like just yesterday.

He was always the outdoorsy kind, making up for my lack of being active and all about town, as a kid. We always had so much to share with each other,despite our apparent age gap.  We have always consulted each other on anything and everything,including what to wear for parties. It's always each others opinion or advice which has mattered to us.

 
He is a person, who is quite an extrovert for the apparent eye. But to know what is within his heart needs some effort. He will never reveal to you even when he is in deep pain, but will work extra hard to even remove the traces of your slightest discomfort. He will go all out to help any and everyone in need. May be that is the reason so many people try to take advantage of his goodness. He is one of those rare good people around. If there were more people like him, around the globe, the world would be a better place, for the sheer amount t of warmth he exudes even in daily life.

He manages to touch the hearts of everyone whom he comes across effortlessly. His smile is enough to make any heart melt.

Its another Birthday of his that I am far away from him. My heart wishes for his well being above everything else. May he be as special as he is. Love you Tumzee. Miss you. Always proud of you.

Our sibling love is what the legends are made of, I feel. I have so often heard from so many siblings complaining, as to why don't they have as much bonding as much as Bhai and Me do. I have overheard these conversations and sent a silent prayer to the Almighty for such a perfect bond. I could never have asked for more.