My Akka - Suji (Dr.Sujatha Vivekananda )

"It was nice growing up with someone like you - someone to lean on, someone to count on... someone to tell on! " ~Author Unknown

What a rush!!! It all justseems like s'terday -my roller coaster ride thru my growing up years with my sister-Suji. It was awesome, awesome, awesome (that’s to emphasize on how gr8 it was :):)If given a chance 2 rewind time I wld want to go on a life ride with Suji for God knows how long, but somehow could never do it, finally got a chance today 2 recollect d vivid memories:) n’ loved every bit of it---thanks Suji 4 everything dat u did/taught/spoke knowingly or unknowingly :):) :):)]

Well now that I have started thanking her...which doesn’t happen very often:):) let me write a little about my sister AKKA :):) or Suji as I call her(& so does 1/2 d people who know her) ---she is 2 yrs elder to me and well, I have always adored her)As any self respecting elder sibling would do, Suji too made me believe that our parents picked me up from the dustbin and I actually believed her for 8-10 years, what can I say, I was a naive kid :):)She beat me up regularly...used me to help her implement all her evil experiments....made me her guinea pig for some of the experiments....she calls me "bondhu" cause she thinks I was a fat(which I was!!!:)...in other words she was your regular big bossing sister :):)Ok I do agree, I usually deserved the beatings cause I was a real snitch and as for the experiments, well I did tag along where ever she went (just like Mary’s little lamb:), so I guess I was asking for it most of the times:):)As we grew up guess the physical violence changed into a more verbal fight. We would argue about almost anything and everything and drive mom & especially dad up the wall :):)SHe has given me my first DENIM JEAN to be precise (she already knew my obsession with the word Denims by then:), my first big B'day card, my costliest wealth- till date -d unique ability 2 laugh at anything and this super big ambition in me 2 ahieve something 2 outbeta her....(ya ya she was seemingly beter than me in almost everything dat v did...playnig wit d guys next door, dance,sports,quizzes,seminars,debates ,fashion shows & u name it!) Well something I have to write about someday soon:) dat actuaaly I was much more street smart than d outgoing n ultra freindly gal dat she was n always played on d fact dat I was d chotu at home n cld easily garner d affection of our parenst or elders around . It’s been almost a decade since we have had a serious fight; guess we have grown up (though I think this is highly impossible :):)I don’t want to give her fodder to pull my leg but I have to say this...Suji, I know I can be a pain in the butt at times and know you hate me for all the times I snitched on you:) but then if I don’t do all this who will right???:):)Anyways, just wanted you to know that I love you so much and you will always be my hero:):):):)PS: Suji, this doesn’t mean that I will stop troubling you ok...that’s like my janam sidd adhikar right!!!:):)

Everyone ,yes everyone thoght she was the most outgoing & social between the two of us as she always had people eatnig out of her hands n seemingly had a big circle of friends.I was considered the sober,quiet,introverted kinds n till date dat image has stuck when infact its exactly the opposite!! Suji made it obvious 2 everyone dat she was the LOUDSPEAKED of d house n sometimes many a guests who came home would not even relaise I was home..I was suppsoedly dat quiet n silent kinds...winkk .

She had d whole neighbourhood as pals n spent more housr outdoors dan indoors..playingh with her huge gang .I was always d ones who made few but real lastnig friendships with select few whom I cld open up n be myself! I was ridiculed ,joked n laughed at by these seniors as a silent quiet boy who was suppsoedly gud at nothing.But fact was I was better than all of them in chess, cricket,badminton & any sport involving balls .Slowly dat stigma got erased as they started loosing to me & yet their mega egos could never be inflated!! dats childhood!!

Only time stands witness 2 all d naughty,freaky, circuses dat I had thru my growing up years!! (Yes, all at their expense & till date they do not know..or ever relaised dat I was d one laughing all my way thru,..hehehhee...)err dat sounds mean eh?

Well..shld mention here dat GANESH CHATHURTHI was a big event for the gang.V used 2 go around d houses in our locality & seek blessings.Dats wat it was suppsoed 2 b!How cld I not recolelct a hosue where their doggy came running ebhind us..n all d seniors left d scene ina whiffy with just me & d barking ,chasing doggy 2 do all d hug puf n well....reality dawned on me..dat I was all alone..n these super studs had disappaeared leavg me alone......Till date I can feel dat open mouthed bark of d dog n sense its closeness 2 my bums..as I managed 2 jump d wall n run home 4 safety!!!!

Well...another gr8 incident..n quite popular with d crowd was a day when a mad woman came shouting on d roads,chasing away kids & throwing stones ,etc . Now how cuodl our gang be not adventurous.So off we all went & me feeling secure in d company of my bold ,daring sister 2 c wat dsi mad woman was all abt!! LO!!!I can still feel dat miss of a heart beat when I suddenly realised dat when we were face to face with dat mad lady with huge bricks in her hand dat my super confident big sister was missing n so were d others....!& & & till date i can feel dat heart throbbing n d way I ran 2 save my life...............

Ultimate was infatc another incident.D' entire neighbourhood kids were playing on our terrace.Ther was this big chimney of ours & aroudn whihc was supposedly the kitchen of all d kids.Strangely,luking bakc wunder y i was left alone near dat chimney..whilst all the gals/guys were prancing around n acting as if they had never been so free & playful!! Suddenly there was dis big sis of mine who came up with a brillaint idea of the great churing episode fm d Vedas. So all d gals were decided to be Gods/Goddesses(hahaha n strangely some of their names were infact Godly..hehehe..Sridevi..JayaLakshi,etc etc) & all d Demons were d boys! The guys managed to get a big rope, d gals tied to the chimney & lo d churning began!!! I was suppsoed 2 b d tortoise sitting at the foot of the chimney!! Sooon..there was a BIIGGG BANG & I cld see stars in absolute darkness around me!! Ya-ya d chimney had broken n fallen on my head!! I hv never been d same ever again!! heheheh & & y Did I enjoi d shouting, beating d entire gang got...n d pampering I got fm my mom n all d Aunties around..heheheheh

Well...there ofcourse was another incidents dat almost had my right eye damaged!My big sis had dsi unique skill of writting everything she studied on our wall & I was a master of erasing all dat she wrote(yes yes..I made sure she wasnt around when I used to erase those stuffs).But one ill fortunate day,I was caught red handed by my big bully sis & lo,began a chase!A cahse dat ended wit me collinding to the corner of our study table that almost pireced hrough my right eye!My eyes were swollen big time!!I could not see anything & after a awhile I could see only blurred images!! Thankfully within few hours d 'swelling subsided n I cld see properly aagin!!& all along I could c d caring expressions of my sis change from euphoria dat her ENEMY(ya dats how we felt abt each other) was hurt n in pain,crying to..worry as to what had happened to her lil bro & finally ecstacy when I was fine!! I stiil can see those expressiosn vividly in front of my eyes............

Another milestone in our growing up years was when I was in my 6th Std.My Big Sis had just changed her school n was a big superstar in dat school-winning all praises of students/teachers beineg a all rounder!She was like family to all teachers too. One day outta blue I had developed sever stomachahe..with puking n high fever & shivers! Dad tuk me to a doc & soon I was hospitallised.Before I could know anything I was told I would have to be operated for APPENDICITIES!Next early morning I was operated & dat evening when I regained consciousness,I saw my big strong sister holding my hands by my bedside & weeping away to glory as if I had passed away! She was inconsolable! With her was her entire troupe of school pals , classmates n all teachers around my bed! All d teachers were tryng to pacify Suji who wouldnt stop howling!It tuk the stern nurse aroudn to ensure she stopped howling & cryed with open mouth yet no noise n tears flooding down her face!! Dat memory stands !!I relaised how much she cared for me & learnt from all her classmates n teachers ,how much she was praying for me to get well! That was it!The turning point of my aprehension of my sister as my enemy!!

Gradualy we became calmer & more friendly towards eachother!Just when I was about to open up to her like a close buddy,she got her Medical seat & went off to Mangalore for her MBBS studies.There on it was only letters, calls & happy few moments whenever she used ot come home during her breaks amidst semisters!I was in my 10th then & slowly started growing up to my own world!!

Now luking back, everything seems so much fun n enjoyable .Wish those times cum back...as d fights we used 2 have even for small thinsg as who wld have a bath 1st, who got a bigger banana to eat, who would roll the bed or even who would take our lil doggy Jimmy for a walk!!

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family grief’s and joys. We live outside the touch of time." ~Clara Ortega