And this brings me to my two sisters, both younger than me. One is just a couple of years younger, the other is almost a decade. This post is about the first with whom I had the good fortune to spend many years when we both were in school, the same school in a small town in Maharashtra. We both were less than ten years of age then and lived with our maternal grandparents. My parents, both doctors served in Govt hospitals in the north and were transferred every two years or so. Therefore, they decided to keep us with our grandparents for the sake of continuity in our schooling and education.
I still remember those years. Being two years senior, I was ahead of my sister in the school. But she was the one who was better known and lauded for her good behavior and matching performance. On the other hand, I was pretty indifferent in my studies to put it mildly! And this created quite a few 'problems' for me. My sister, by sheer dint of hard work and sincerity, constantly maintained her high ranking in her class. And I was generally average which resulted in the inevitable comparison between us by the teachers concerned. The standard comment used to be, 'you are Nirmala's brother. How come you are not as good!' Or words to that effect. I call her Nima, by the way!
As you can easily guess, this situation was hardly conducive to any 'friendly' relations between myself and my sister, at least from my side, you get it?! And if this was not bad enough, at home too, she was admired for her quiet and submissive nature. Very obedient to elders, she was a role model. Regardless, I treated her with my big brother attitude, telling her to run errands, do things for me, warning her NEVER to speak to me in the school and things like that. You get the picture? But I must admit, she always took care of me and protected me if I was found guilty of some mischief or misdemeanor. Once, when I broke an expensive table lamp and was scared that elders in the house would really let me have it, my dear sister told them that she was the one who accidentally broke it. Her excellent reputation spared her from any scolding. No wonder, she was the favorite child of our grandparents, uncle and aunt who had their own kids younger to us.
Then there were times couple of years later when we were teenagers, I would sneak out of the house with my friends to watch the late night second show at the only movie theater in the town. She knew this and was concerned about me. She kept a sort of vigil;she would know when I went and when I returned. But she never, NEVER let out the secret to any one in the house. In due course of time, we both graduated from our school. I got above average marks, managed to enter college at Gwalior. Nima passed out with distinction and secured admission at the prestigious Benares Hindu university, and deservedly so. She continued her success story by getting into the well known Lady Hardinge Medical college at Delhi and became a doctor. Got married to a doctor and eventually moved to America.
It is more than fifty years since. She and her doctor husband have retired from work. As luck would have it, we all have settled down with our respective families in the same country, USA. She and her husband, my brother in law, visited us recently. We were meeting after more than five years. What is most remarkable about my sister Nima is that she has just not changed over the years. She remains the same person what she was in her school days, very simple, gullible and very trusting and believing in nature. You can easily fool her by keeping a straight face. There is no guile about her. In many ways, she is a misfit in today's world of 'smart' people. But, most importantly, she is a very good person and that is what really matters. I am very proud of her!
