Sister to sister

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“They are really fond of each other,” was an oft quoted observation during their childhood and teen years. I was not surprised. They were together for a great part of the day on their trips to the Talkatora Pool, Russian Centre for Science and Culture, Kathak Kendra and the  Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. There were also the rounds of Danceworx at Sanskriti School and theatre workshops of the National School of Drama.   

One day meshed into the next. The PPT that comes to mind includes slide images of rushing out the front door, running back to grab the forgotten lemonade bottle, rummaging around the bursting sports bag for the ever elusive pass, of the two slumped over each other in the backseat of the non-AC car, of quick snacks grabbed on the way and lessons revised by the emergency light in the wings on stage….ever on the move; if we were not going somewhere it was because we were returning from someplace!

They kept at it for they did not know any better. In those few years when they probably thought that every young person like them was juggling between “ghunghroos”, music sheets and swimming goggles, there they were, rehearsing together, competing together, warming up together, and travelling together. There were some flaky patches with difficult dancers, irritable parents, disorganized functions, poorly set up stages, insensitive coaches but the two stuck it all out together.
It was around the senior school years that the drifting away began. Having struck two divergent paths that neither could follow the other on, they seemed to have gradually turned their strobe lights away. There has since been a period of solo and relatively silent travel. The two have been crafting their own lives in two different parts of the world. They communicate yes, they are in the know of each other’s updates of course but like Aqseer says, “We interact like men. We go: so what’s up boss?!”
It is not difficult to understand. It began with a sense of loss when Aqseer left the nest for college. Three years later, it was there again, that feeling of a vacuum coming on with Asawari’s exit from not just the home but the country as well.  Brought up to nurse a strong self-belief and take care of themselves, they seemed to also have taken care not to lean or cry or reach out for a bail. But really, what appears at first blush to be a growing apart is a critical phase of their personal growth when they explore deep friendships outside of the family. It is only with this experience of the exterior that they will come to appreciate the interior.

They may today be sensing a strange feeling of “being out of touch” with each other but they will realize soon that there is no getting away from one’s closest witnesses. That is what sisters are. They are people you never grow old to. They are your safety nets and identity keepers. In their bodies flows the same blood, they have lived the same lives as you. They know the scent of your childhood; they share memories of all the family feuds, the grief and joys. When Dad and Mom don’t understand, it is the sisters who do.

Most friends will come and go. But sisters are for keeps. I read somewhere, “In the cookie of life, sisters are your chocolate chips.” Chameleon like, they are also the tigeresses who spring up beside you, if ever you are in trouble.

Sister to sister you will always be

A couple of nuts off the family tree…