Being ur brother...

Being your brother, I am proud...

My eyes found you first, when you were a five year old. And I took your place in the
family without ever asking..
And when an age difference of "five years" amounted to more than double the age of mine, I recognized you as my dear brother...
But for you, I was more than a "younger brother". You took me to wherever you went. Playing cricket and football with your friends (You covered me in my mistakes.. but then I had thought I was upto that level) , cycling treks with your friends ( You were carrying me with you for miles when all you friends were cycling freely), Fishing in our "thodu" for hours and days ( You taught me fishing/angling.. though now I consider myself more experienced in this field), hunting birds with stones and "kyabelt" in our orchard (You made our parents hunt for "undhividu" in the Ooty market), Flying kites with our cousins which only you could make ( Teach me this some time :) ), Climbing those big mango trees in memas home ( You were head and shoulders above all our cousins... My generation fears it like anything), Squeezing each others hands ( You taught me how to suffer the pain and keep the head up.. Now I bet you can't make me yell again), Swimming in the 7 ft swimming pool when I didn't even know swimming (You taught me swimming in a matter of 3 days.. ..You even faked the instructor that I knew swimming for allowing me to get in),... This list never ends... I cherish those moments so close to my heart..

You inspired me to study... ( then I thought my achievements were better than yours..) ..You told me to "tuck in the shirt" and "wear shoes" and "comb the hairs" and always try to look good ( Then I told you I prefer comfort)...
But then you probabily have influenced me more than any one in my life.. You even shared your childhood fantacies with me.. We had fought with our imagnary enemy "prani" with those small cannons and arms which you made for us in our thoughts...Strategies that india should follow in cricket, Argentina in football, strategies for making a new saline aquarium, techniques of making traps for birds, making our parrot talk and what not have we discussed... We are good and bad at exactly the same things like twins...

Oh yes.. then there were troubled times. We stopped talking to each other for nearly three years ( from the time when I was in 3rd standard to the time you were in 10th :- may be a world record for brothers considering our ages ).. May be our egos were exactly the same.. Though we lived under the same roof with out ever mentioning each other's name I was secretly proud of you and was missing you a lot. I am sure same is the case with you, or may be you missed me more. I had this feeling that you always found in me, yourself and tried to achieve things that you hadn't achieved through me... But I let you down more often than not...

Now It's your marriage this monday (23/04/07). What shall I give as a present to you for being my guide, hero, dearest friend and above all the loving brother....

May be, Just may be, I will call you "chettan" for once** which you always wanted to hear from me. I know there's no greater present for you from me... "wish you a happy and wonderful married life" my dear chettan..



*kyabelt ( a sling, the weapon david used to kill goliath..I faintly remember "undhividu" is its the name in Tamil)
** It's a million dollar qn for me.. I hate myself :(