Bandhan out of pyaar?

*Peppy music in playing in the background*

A pissed off brother-sister duo screamed, “Maa! issne shuru ki, maine nahi!”  and a tag line comes up in big bold letters, ‘THINGS BROTHERS AND SISTERS RELATE TO’, and the brother sister duo enact various scenarios and some of them, to be honest, are very hilarious. 

The advertisements made by Cadbury showcased their new range of products every year during one particular time and melted my heart every single time I watched them. Yes, you might have guessed by now that this post is dedicated to the infamous Indian festival Raksha Bandhan.

Weeks before the festival, shops on all streets are clad with colorful rakhis, hanging from the roof, gift cards neatly arranged on the racks and tables. Like every Indian festival, scrumptious food follows all the rituals. Social media will be filled videos and posts about the festival and common things which most siblings relate to. All in all, these make a memorable day for the entire family with a lot of filmy gestures in play.

You might have also guessed that these videos and posts caught my attention slightly more than every other person since I am an only child and I didn’t understand these feelings. Although I have a lot of cousins, nothing can match the affection showed by your own siblings. One of my friends pointed out saying “Your own sibling will never turn their back on you, given any kind of situation. They will always be your partner in crime.”

The first reaction every single child has towards is, “Raksha Bandhan is over hyped. I can ‘Raksha’ myself from the big bad world outside and I don’t need a brother to do so. Hmph!” because self-defense is always the first thing on our minds. But later when we watch those fun filled yet over dramatic fights of a brother and sister, our hearts long for that sweet gesture. The fun filled threats with a smug smile on one of the faces, and the sense of relief that on the other one’s face after pacifying his/her sibling by coercing them with chocolates, ice creams and the like. Any chores given by parents were always a huge fight regarding who is going to carry them out. Every brother loves irritating their sister by messing up his sister’s hair and touching each other’s things was out of bounds. You are dead meat if you are caught in the act! The wonderful cooking experiments which every sibling duo would have undergone and pretend puked the food just to annoy the other. Car/bike lessons from the older sibling are priceless and the ever green dialogue to the younger sibling, “You were adopted. Mom and dad saw you in the dustbin and they felt sad.”

The child inside me has always missed the company of an older brother, a soul who would have my back no matter what the situation is, shield you from your parents while receiving an earful. Someone who would be proud of me for becoming a strong independent woman from the irritating little sister that I would have been as a kid. Even though my friends have always said that I am very lucky to not have a sibling since I didn’t have to share anything with anyone while they had to, I have to say that life is always happier with a tiny bit of teasing and the joy of reluctant sharing.

Happy Raksha Bandhan to all those sibling duos around the world!