I always wonder how every person is so amazingly different yet similar to each other. Personalities mix & match and in spite of cultural, social, financial or even educational differences we can still compare and contrast our own personality with every individual on this planet. That is what makes me ponder on my own personality. How did I turn out to be what I am today? Now what did I turn out to be is not the question here cause that is quite a point of controversy with me battling a lone war against the entire world. However as I think over what aspects my personality comprises of, I realize that I am made up in the image of all my cousins, with a part of each of them making up me as a whole. Now how much of a part have I picked from each of them and which aspect of their personality is a part of me is a subject open up for debate but all I can hope is that I’ve turned out just fine. That is why I decided to write a blog dedicated to those people who made me the mess that I am today. Now all you average people might feel awestruck as to how can I say such a thing about my loved ones, but all my cousins (me included) have an equally awesome sarcastic sense of humor which gives me the right to speak about them whichever way I want to, without them getting all worked up about it.
DIDI: For my international readers, Didi is how most people refer to their elder sisters back in India. So from where do I start about this individual? Firstly identifying her is not a problem at all; she’s the one with the glass shattering laughter. Fight with her and she’ll either laugh or cry, both things are equally bad. Didi is the eldest of us all and yet somehow she manages to pack the combined energy of the rest of us. She also has had the wildest adventures that I’ve heard of. I know of none who has managed to have an accident with someone from the army and then have the Army call you at your home asking whether you want to register a complaint against that army officer, my Didi did it!! Her persuasion skills are noteworthy considering the innumerous times that she has convinced the cops that she has a “valid” driver’s license. Again no one can ticket a pretty girl sobbing at 30 gallons a minute, now can he? The first rebel in the house, her only objective in life was to piss my uncle (her dad) off. That was cool with us as after my uncle was done with her, he had no energy left for the rest of us. I can proudly say that our paths to individuality were laid down by Didi -The great. I would attribute a lot of my life’s first experiences to my Didi. My first pizza, my first ATM interaction and also my first revelation that wearing a visor-less helmet in an accident can leave you with a 2-inch upper lip, who else but the great Didi can manage something like that. The rest of us were mere spectators who laughed our hearts out for the rest of the week. But the lesson was worth it’s value in gold. Also the astounding acting skills possessed by rest of the gang can be attributed to this drama queen. I guess I should stop at here about her, otherwise I might be found dead under mysterious conditions. For all those who know her, I have wisely skipped the word “temper” from the entire paragraph.
BHAIYA: Bhaiya is what you call your elder brother in Hindi. No one but Didi can say his name (Rohan!) and whenever she does it is always a shriek! He’s the idol for all the younger men in the house. All of us wanted to grow up to be like him. Didi on the other hand wanted us to be anyone but him. Even though all of us (Yes, me included) boast about an awesome sense of humor, Bhaiya is in a totally different league. His wit cracks all the guys up and grosses out all the girls at the same time. I remember no one hour in the house without Didi yelling “Eeeekkkkksssss, Rohan .. That’s disgusting!!!!”. Memoirs include Bhaiya and me scrubbing our heads trying to check who gets the most dandruff on Didi’s black pajamas WHILE she was WEARING them. He’s the wisest guy in the whole world, more emphasis on the word “guy” just in case Didi reads this. But just his words are enough to get you laughing till your stomach aches. No discussion is complete without his pearls of wisdom and based on how you interpret his wisdom, you can get to either rags or riches – mostly rags. The amount of pathetic jokes in the environment rises as Bhaiya enters the scene. And if you think my jokes are bad, I would get you introduced to my Bhaiya just to make a good impression of myself.
DJ: If Bhaiya is the said Devil, DJ is the known Angel. In spite of the fact that she was younger than Didi and Bhaiya, she had the power to yell at both of them alike. Always a brilliant student, she managed to get us to study by being bossy and domineering. DJ would study more than all of us, combined. She kept reminding us about the importance of studies in our lives and it was much easier studying than listening to her rant about it. Even worse was if something in the house was out of place. I really never understood her compelling urge for cleanliness, but never dared confront the dormant volcano. Normally very cool, if she lost her temper it would be the end of mankind as we know it. However it still seems amazing to me as to how Bhaiya can still set her off. I can still recall those fun-filled childhood days when I heard cries of “Rohaaaaan!!!!!” by Didi and shrieks of “Bhaiyaaaaaaaa” by DJ from every corner of the house. Her driving skills are very distinct from the rest of the pack though. The average driving speed of the house has dropped from 70 KMPH to 40KMPH by her driving alone. Some people call it a miracle of physics as to how a person can balance a moped at such low speeds. All I can do is wonder at the irony in the fact that the name of her latest vehicle is Swift!!!!!
AJINKYA: He’s the youngest of the lot and the only one on whom I can exercise my right of being the elder brother. Whenever I see him studying in his room, I wonder whether he’s got the sheer determination of DJ or the deceptive personality of Bhaiya. There is no one in the world that can make better excuses than my dear brother. The worst excuses come for his weird yoga sessions where he can be seen inventing new yoga poses which have left him with a stomach worse than a beer belly. When he’s not exercising he’s researching medicine. As most of the times he is the subject of his own experiments he can be found moaning in bed at least twice a week. It’s really surprising how in spite of the failures, he still never lets go of his ambitions and ideologies. Now his latest conquest is to get into the army, however if he starts treating his colleagues with his medicines, they will be fighting more wars in the restrooms than on the border.
ME: The fifth member of this elite gang is me, and most friends who know me well could relate me to be a mix of all the personalities mentioned above. I have not yet managed to master the individual elements of the other four maestros, yet I guess a little bit of all their superpowers is an equally appreciable asset. And while I always assumed the well wishes of all my cousins with me, it’s when you have been away from home for a year that emotions get the better of you and that is when you value the importance of these family ties.
Love you all ..
HAPPY RAKSHA BANDHAN !!!
