She and Her 14 Quirky Brothers on Raksha Bandhan: A Poetry in Prose (Part 2/2)

Brother No.8 was She’s brother from the same mother. As I said, he wasn’t the favourite. But the Partners in Crime Brass Metal Rakhi on his wrist that She gave him one Raksha Bandhan was a testament to their bond. You see, She dreamed to be a filmmaker. But their parents thought her dream was nonsense. So when a project that required a parents’ clearance made its bold appearance, She and Eight, armed with tripods and smartphones, boarded the 8 o'clock bus and filmed “The Life in Circus”. When they came home later and missed dinner, Eight told their parents that they had theirs at Greenr.

However, Brother No.9 played Sherlock at that time and derailed their tale. She and Eight had no choice but to come out clean and tell the whole story in detail. Nine complained later on that he would have shut his mouth had they taken him to the shooting scenes and let him say “Cut". After that incident, Brother No.9 earned the Irritating Brother badge and received a rakhi from She that had the same wordings. As usual, he complained about it but accepted his fate, nonetheless.

Brother No.10 reminded me of Starter for Ten. It is a movie about a young man whose mind worked like a goldmine. He liked his knowledge about everything squeezed into all kinds of quizzes. When he teamed up with his collegemates in one quizzing contest in another state, he made a blunder during the final round and sent his team home quite ashamed of what had happened. But unlike the hero of this film, Das-bro, as She referred to him, was never fond of quizzing. In fact, he was not into anything. If you asked him to fix a broken pipe, he’d rather call a plumber and reasoned that there is always someone to get a job done.

Out of frustration, She chained him with a Nalayak Bhai Rakhi and called him an aberration. Of course, it was a family joke and not meant to provoke.

Brother Eleven was not a stranger. He was a cousin who was a certified denizen. His hide-out was the basement; his company were computers; his playmates were virtual greats with whom he sparred quite often in a game of wits and violence. He may have had virtual enemies, but in reality, he was a hero to She, for even though he was as busy as any game genius, he would make time for his sister and leave everything precious.

One Rakhi day, She gave him the “Game Bro (Brass Metal) Rakhi” and said, “You may be a pro gamer, but to capture Bhaabhee’s heart you surely are a pro archer”.

Brother Twelve was no stranger to She either. They were cousins who grew up wall to wall together. And like the wall that separated them, there seemed to be always something that divided them. When they were young, it was toys. When they were teenagers, it was a birdcage. Twelve caged a parrot and gave it a carrot. She wanted the parrot freed, but the cousin never agreed. To resolve the issue, which was as thin as tissue, She brought him “Sis vs Bro Brass Metal Rakhi” and made him promise not to enslave anyone again.

 

Now, we've been talking about these men, but what makes a man?

You can think of batman or superman, even a clergyman.

But She had an answer to it, empyrean.

And that, dear readers, was how she described her thirteenth brother. For Thirteen, there is only one race-- the human race. It didn’t matter to him how many degrees you’ve earned or how fat is your bank account. How you behave towards others weighs heavier than all the gold you hold.

These attributes were quite hidden. Perhaps because he never liked his face clean-shaven. He would prefer being feared as aggressive than explaining and proving to people he was as noble as anyone without stubbles. He knew he was everything but aggressive. In fact, She described him as “The Bearded Beast Who Is One of the Best”, and those close to him concurred. If you aren’t assured, She couldn’t be bothered. For when she gave him the “Beard Wala Bhai Brass Metal Rakhi” one Raksha Bandhan, she was convinced her brother was none like the other.

If there was a Big Brother out there who made sure everything went well with her, it would be She’s fourteenth brother. When She left her parent's nest to be on a dream quest, Fourteen saw to it that she had everything. Though if it were his choice he wouldn’t have let his sister out of his sight. But her dreams were not his so he supported her from first to finish instead.

One Rakhi day, She came home and gave him the “Bada Bhai Rakhi” and thanked him for being the wind beneath her wings.

“Where are they now,” you ask.

They are us, dear readers.

She could be you, a sister to a brother or two whom you love and trust your life with. Or you could be one of these brothers-- quirky but with personality.

Someone with a splendid character who vows to do everything within their power to ensure no harm would come to their or somebody else’s sister.

Isn't that why despite all the evil lurking in the world, the good still prevails? 

~ the end ~