Those without siblings are rather unfortunate as they don’t have anybody to share stuff with. Life is so much better with a brother and sister around, Agree?
Although I am not that senti, ‘bhai-behen’ love brings out the Meena Kumari in me. I never had to share my toys, books or clothes. In fact, I never had anybody to fight with or for. I never had anybody to defend or protect. Yes, as an only child, I have had a rather meh childhood. No ‘sibling secrets’ to share, no ‘I will die for you’ promises and certainly no ‘fighting for maa-baap ka pyaar’. May be I am filmy or whatever, I miss having a sibling. The bond that you share with your sibling is one of the rarest in the world. It touches you on a level that no other relationship ever can. Boyfriends will come and go, friends will move apart, but a sibling will stick with you through everything…even when shit is hitting the roof and splattering all across the room!
I belong to the unfortunate lot that doesn’t have a brother or sister to chill with, share stuff with and of course grow up with. I don’t know what it’s to tell on a sibling or to fight for them till hell froze over. But I do know from all my friends who have siblings that life is one big celebration with one of your kind around. Every kid should definitely have someone while growing up, else life becomes quite dull. I used to feel so lonely that I started making up my own characters (alter-egos) to play with. In fact, as a kid, I had even pretended to have a sister named ‘Raji Preeti’ who is always getting into adventures with me. It helped that I am a voracious reader as I could cook up extravagant tales about her. Oh, what joy!
But that phase didn’t last long as my mother gave away the secret and I lost my bunch of friends who loved my ‘adventures’ with Raji Preeti. All my toys had siblings…whether they were Teddy Bears, Barbie dolls, Racing Cars or Stuffed Animals…all of them came with a sibling or two. It somehow made up for me not having one. I even had elaborate names and surnames for these toys and would only address them by those peculiar names.
Siblings complete you. You may be busy fighting over a pair of heels or who gets to drive dad’s BMW, but when you grow out of these frivolous things, you’d realise what comfort and love siblings offer. You can tell them anything and everything as they are your first best friend, guide and also enemy. When you’ve lived a sibling, you can adjust a lot better while staying with roomies. Because you learn to share, care and protect. You start looking out for them and there’s a certain code language that only you two can understand! Even if the whole world turns up against you, you know there’s that one person who would stand by you no matter what. You may fight like cats and dogs, but when the world is out to get you, he/she will stand right in front of you, as your shield. I will never have that, you see?
