The fascinating Brother Sister bond

At home:

Mummy, he is beating me…

Daddy, she is scolding me…

Outside:

If you behave like this with my sis, you will have to face me, beware …

My brother is the best…

 

This is the strange and adorable fun-frustrating relation between brothers and sisters. Most of the time, they neither can live with each other nor can live without each other. Every other person including parents is a third person. Parents play a prominent role in the first half of your life and spouse and kids in your second half. But your sibling stays with you all your life. Whether you like it or not 🙂

Whenever you are in need, your sibling is there for you and whenever you are happy, they are one of the first whom you share your good news with. Every brother-sister relationship goes through different stages as they grow together.

When the younger one is born, the elder one becomes very excited and sometimes insecure as well. He or she wants to play with the younger ones, and the younger one becomes the favorite toy. But, when the mother or father holds the younger ones, the elder one does not like it.

While they grow playing and fighting with each other, both want to become “Apple of the eye” of their parents. They play as well as fight with each other. They protect each other as well from other kids and parents. Sometimes they even become partners in crime defending each other.

This relationship grows mature as they grow older, they start sharing secrets, helping each other, stopping the other from doing anything wrong, etc. And as they grow to become parents and gradually lose their parents, they grow extremely close to each other.

From classic literature to modern stories, this relationship has been celebrated with different flavors. Be it famous Nicholas and Kate Nickleby (Nicholas Nickleby – a classic novel by Charles Dickens), Hansel and Gretel from the famous fairy tale or Rahel and Esthappen in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, you get to see this lovely relationship standing against and flowing with the tides of time.

In the united states of America also, this relationship is celebrated as “National Brothers and Sisters Day” on May 2nd every year. This day was created after a woman lost her brother and realized how she never let him know how much he meant to her. Two years after his death, she decided to create a holiday when brothers and sisters can connect, reconnect, and appreciate each other so that others did not miss out on what she did with her brother. And thus, the National Brothers and Sisters Day was born.

This beautiful relationship is celebrated in India as Raksha Bandhan. Sisters pray for their brothers’ well-being and brothers pledge to protect their sisters. “Raksha” means “Protect” and “Bandhan” means “The tied knot”. Sister ties decorated threads called Rakhi, on her brother’s wrist, prays for his well-being, and shares sweets. In return. brother pledges to protect her and showers her with gifts. This occasion is filled with fun and frolic and is a reminder of the essence of this invincible relationship.

Today in the time of pandemic as we celebrate Raksha Bandhan, let us spread the message of protecting each other and helping each other to sail across this crisis and get back to the good old times.

 

Love you all 🙂

 

Here are some references to famous brother-sister relationships in fiction. Hope you enjoy reading 🙂

6-favorite-brother-sister-relationships-in-fiction

11-popular-novels-that-explore-sibling-relationships

 

2 Comments

  1. Beautiful bond made more beautiful by your expression through this article

    • thanks Salma 🙂


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