This is an apology.
I am sorry for all those days Tambi and I ganged up against you. I am sorry I didn’t tell you when he had an accident trying to take me for the Zee Antakshari audition and ended up with a hole in his stomach. I am sorry we were both more scared of you figuring it out by the scratch on his bike and found a matching nail polish to fix it. I am sorry he didn’t tell you when my first boyfriend who was his best friend told him that he was going to ask me out.
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you he was bunking school and going through the hole in the wall to the tapovan and God alone knows where else. I am sorry he didn’t tell you so much and I didn’t tell you so much.
(Above – MM and Tambi on the old mango at home. Below: MM with sidekick – mottai Tambi!)
I am sorry one of us is still likely call up and yell at you if you upset the other. Okay, I yell, he merely politely asks you to leave me alone. I am sorry there are still things we only tell each other and no one else on earth. I am sorry if that ever made you feel we’re ganging up against you and that our little mixed up gene batch made us a special twosome that no one else could ever be a part of.
I am sorry for all of it, not because I’m mature and honest and trying to be a better daughter. But because karma is biting my arse and my BRATS ARE DRIVING ME NUTS. If you cursed us, please write to the big man up there and take this curse off us.
This morning the Bean refused to eat her lunch so I gave her a timeout. Two minutes with her dining chair. But she bawled like her heart would break and the Brat, my beautiful sunshiney child who eats his meals without a fuss, threw himself on the floor and sulked until her time out was over. Argh!
So kindly undo your curse, take off your jinx, stop grinning in revenge and spare me this trauma.
As for Tambi and I, well after 30 years its a hard habit to break, but we do promise to be a little less gang-ish! Oh who we’re kidding?! We’re never going to put you before ‘us’ so dream on 😀
Happy Raksha Bandhan Tambi, I miss you my darling baby brother (okay, so you’re a grown up now!) .. and my own two dear little brats. Don’t mind your mad mother – stand by each other to the end.
Love
MM
So then readers. Any stories of sibling louu you’d like to share with us? Go on. Hit me with your best shot!
The Mad Momma 
G’morning, MM!
Sibling ‘louu’ is throttling us parents right now. Say anything to Apya and her sidekick growls or roars at us to “SAY SHOWWY TO APYA, MUMMY/BABA!!”
I envy you having such a brother, Mad Momma! May your babies always love each other as much as you and Tambi do.
d only kind of story i can remember is when cousin 1 ‘accidentally’ spilled her milo on me when i was 7, cousin 2 stole my milk bottle with i was a few months old, cousin 3 dumped her vege on my plate like i was d MPSP bin when i was 9, cousin 4 stole my pen pals, cousin 5 got most of my fav toys cos mummy says we have to always share, and the list goes on and on… so much for sibling louu uh!
I clearly heard your ma and dada’s *evil satisfied laughter*. it travelled all the way upto Kuala Lumpur.
Hi MM,
Your stories about the Brat n the Beanie make me smile. Well we are three sisters. And I truly believe that siblings are god’s gifts. My younger sister and I are 4 years apart. And I’ve always treated her like my baby. I can read her face like an open book. I can make out if is she is lying or trying to hide something from me…just like that! To the extent that it shocks her at times! My heart really cringes when I see her cry.
When we were small…whenever we used to have fights…my parents used to stay out of it. My Dad used to tell my Mom…”look…they are thick friends…within no time they’ll be best buddies again. Let us not turn into evil characters by trying to intervene inbetween them”. My sisters have always stood by me…no matter what! Being the eldest kid at home when I announced that I wanted to get married to a boy of my choice…all hell broke loose and it was a 3 year long saga! During that phase my sisters were the only people who kept the family thing going and convinced my parents about the whole thing!
Ah…I could write pages about all the incidents that we’ve had as kids, teenagers and finally adults!
Have a nice day! And Happy Rakhi to all of you!
– Vani
That is so sweet of the Brat! Sharing Bean’s time-out!
No stories from my childhood, I’m an only child! But I’m making up for it big-time watching my two and relishing when they gang up against us. It’s all I can do to bite back my grin.
They’re driving me nuts too…thank God!
Oh I wish to God that I had tales like yours! But the truth is my elder brothers were ssso much elder that they were just visiting”uncles” when I was growing up,and are still distant as a result! Oh well! Can’t get it all can we? But, simply enjoyed your lil pranks as kids…that must make for SOME treasure of memories!!
you lucky girl! I am sure your parents knew most of it, sometimes they know by osmosis
(and how apt a post for the occasion!).
There was this one time when my bro got in trouble over his homework and my mom yelled at him. “I’ll throw you out of the house the next time you talk back..”.
I, who was at the table as well, and supposed to be minding my own business, figured enough was enough – so I yelled back at her and got “Fine, you get out as well.”.
As very proud 12 and 7 year olds, we stormed out to the balcony and sulked out there. Dad was not back from work yet. We sat in the balcony, right under the bedroom window.
Still raging over the incident, I told him “Man! Mom is so mean – she hates us. She will never take us back. I wouldn’t go even if she begged me to.”
And then when reality finally hit us, I asked him – So, what will we do now? How will we eat?”. “Don’t worry. I will find a job. I will wash cars, coz we do it for Dad anyway, so I know how and you can still go to school”. So Bollywoodesque, I know 😛
I cried some more thinking of how much he was willing to sacrifice for me.
The parents, who were eavesdropping on our conversation from the window, came out an hour later and sternly asked us to come in for dinner. Needless to say, we did without uttering a word 🙂 Pride be damned when “Rasam sadam” calls!
Ok – too long of a comment – but you did ask!
Happy Raksha Bandhan to you as well.
Your kids are adorable! (touch wood, nazar na lage, and all that, as my mother says)
Sibling love: that would DEFINITELY be when my brother came to visit me in college when he was 11 and sternly informed a guy twice his height and thrice his width “Stop looking at my sister like that!”
Oh beautiful raksha bandhan posts everywhere, totally unfair that I never had a brother and neither do my kids 😦
But hey, I remember this one time when I was desperate to have a brother to tie rakhi to and was sulking. My sister came home and said, why don’t you tie one on me – I protect you don’t i?
So I did, and she gave me a audio tape as a gift! I was thrilled and she stoically bore the burden of being teased for wearing a rakhi!
Me: gah, you dont need a sibling of the opposite sex to know sibling love. but you definitely need a sibling 🙂
rofl, Your mom must be laughing out loud.
My gang does all sorts of things. I really dont know how I am going to survive the teenage years with them.
Stories about my brother and me growing up will involve the following words:
Beating
Hitting
Scratching
Pulling hair
Punching
Giving a black eye
We’re doing pretty well now considering all of this!
Heheheee..I loved this post.
Okay, my mum and dad were going away to our native place to visit our uncle there. That time I was in school and my brothers were in college, supposedly responsible, so thought our parents! So they left for the 5 oclock train and we were sleeping. The moment they said goodbyes, we all woke up. My brothers took out the bat and the ball, and we started to play cricket right there in the dining room. And my brother’s mimicked Gavaskar signature shot cost him good. He smashed a chandlier that was gifted to my parents on their anniversary. The entire chandlier crashed, only the bulb remained. I burst out crying and they burst out laughing!!
Well, when my parents came back some days later in the evening and switched on the lights, only the bulb glowed, the crystal around it was missing.
The look on my fathers face was priceless. And we were grounded! 😀
Sorry! long comment!!
aargh. you wont mind me directly sending this to my folks i guess.
first time on yoru blog. vame via via via lots of blog
i enjoyed reading your post and it reminded me so much about the young old days of my son and daughter and the pranks they used to play
Has she taken the curse back. Did you chk with your ma?
This is adorable MM…having a sibling is very important…
During my wedding my little sis was a rock solid support. Starting from being by my side during the make up session, to rushing and picking up a green kurta for my mehendi (i refused to wear anything else) to help me pack, to just hold my hand during the ceremony, to ensuring I had my food before the long ceremonies began…
No wonder, she bawled the loudest when the ceremony got over. She held me for 10 long minutes and cried till pulled her away….
Must stop here or I wil never end 🙂
We still gang against the parents and make their life hell(even though I am almost on the cusp of 30!)
The sister wanted to find a job after her undergrad, parents wanted her to try to do her masters, she called me, we both bad mouthed them, eventually they had to say do what u want! I am scared that my parents have already cursed me,…..the husband and the sister do this to me!
Okay, you wonder about the Brat and the Bean and their antics??? 😉 Those are some lovely childhood pics. You look so cute in bangs. Happy Rakshabhandhan to you and the kids.
Off-topic: the Brat’s face is so much like yours!
how totally sweet of the Brat. And after seeing those pictures of your baby-hood I see the Beans face in all of them!!
My sister took a lot of bullets being the older on
great…something happened…Anyhoo – so she dodged a lot of bullets to get me the freedom I got! The incidents happen on a regular basis when we confide in each other (read crib about Mom’s wiley ways) and mom will hear us doing some whisper talk and come and say. “What are you saying about me? Tell me what you’re talking about. Are you complaining?” It’s hysterical!
So yes…ganging up on parents is totally fun 🙂
Bean looks so much like young MM !!
I have a younger sis and we have had our good and bad times as we were growing up but now we are each other’s strongest support!!
Though I have always wanted a Big brother, I had 16 male first cousins elder to us as compensation.
Aww..What a lovely post..Yeah, sibling love is amazing in fact..I was waiting to read something from you about brat and bean on rakhi 😉
I had the loneliest Rakhi ever with me being abroad and my brother back home in India..Your tale warmed up my heart..
HaHaHa…you have been bewitched!!! Your kids are adorable individually and as a pair .
#9 by RM almost made me cry.
When I was in my 7th, I accidentally stepped on a broken prism glass which was incidentally broken by my best friend who didnt think it important enough to notify me. It was deep wound and was on my heel so the doctor couldnt even stitch it. I was not able to walk for a month and my brother (2 years olders) carried me on his bike whereever I wanted to go, to school, to painting classes, I was his constant pillion rider. Its something that has always remained with me.
happy Raksha-bandhan
Loved this post. LOL! Too cute! BTW if it helps I am under a similar curse.
Wow, that was sweet!Am thinking of something equally sweet to say about my bro 🙂
That’s you and your tambi?? You put your complete, clear pic out….how come 😉 😉
Me::p because i am sure you will recognise me from that picture. here’s a hint. I look exactly the same 😀
Hey MM, lovely pic of you and your brother up in the tree. You guys look so much at ease on the tree!
Me: years later I was climbing it in a saree 🙂
what a wonderful post………… btw, whats the age diff between u and tambi…
Me: 14 months.
Lovely post,MM…14 months!your mom was cutting it fine;)..I thought I was bad with 15 months ‘tween mine!
Coming to sibs-I’ve been blessed(my kids are soooo envious)with the 2 most wonderful older brothers(and an older sis)-the eldest one used to buy books with his prize money from school to add to my collection of Enid Blyton…and the second one used to travel all the way from Madras to the college I was studying at with chocolate cake(baked by my sis) for me and my pals who were sick of hostel food…how can I ever forget??
oh those bangs from hell! so de rigeur in the 80s…monkey crop, they called it back where I come from. The baby shalini mania contributed to a million embarrasing childhood pictures.
ME: tell me abt it
my mom had to have it too. grandma thought we both had huge foreheads that needed to be covered up.
Hey,I just had to add this..the motai tambi looks like he so wants to smile like you in that pic!!It’s so cute!do you still call him Tambi??
Me: 🙂 yep. everyone calls him tambi. even my kids.
😀
what would we do without siblings?! everyone in our building still calls me “diiddee” because bro would came wailing to me when anyone said / did anything to him!
i remember once the creche lady didnt tell me that someone hit bro with a belt because she thought i would kill that guy! she wasnt very wrong! 😉
and ofcos we ganged up against our parents and laughed at them for everything including bad english at time! made up our own langugae that they wouldnt unnerstand! 😀
aah! life was good!
and the pictures are way too cute! 😀 God bless!
cheers!
Baba was scolding us one day and Dada got very senti. Grabbed my hand and told me, we should leave and go starve (and die, I think) on the roads since nobody loved us at home.
He cared for me enough to share this martyrdom with me. I think he was 8 so I’d have been about 5.
sweet 🙂 reading this post made me want to ring my brother and call him poochie poochie despite the fact he is embarrassed no end when i talk baby talk to him. but thats exactly what i did!!
i know exactly what you mean!!
btw, slight clarification- is tambi your brother’s name or pet name? and what does ‘mottai’ mean?
i was thinking of what fun the brat and the bean must have had on raksha bandhan. while i am sure they must have..your post took me in to another space.
god bless you and tambi..i can only wistfully think about my own torn family fabric…
Okay, totally unrelated to the post and not even a comment so feel free to delete/not publish.
Just wanted to share this link with you because this lady gave a real talking-to to all her detractors and seeing as how you keep getting trolls all the time, thought you might want to read it.
http://www.mcknob.com/2009/08/no-i-dont-have-to.html
Brings back good memories of when my brother would run after the other little girls in the neighbourhood and terrorize them with grasshoppers but i was spared cause i was his sister 🙂
This is not a Brother-Sister story but a Brother-Brother one.
Once I (aged 5 that time, 35 yrs ago) spilled a whole bottle of Alta (the red liquid women apply on their feet) on a bunch of washed and ironed clothes. Was scared as s**t when mom asked. My brother, 2 years my senior, took the blame on himself. He got a BIG scolding from her. To this day she does not know that it was I.
There…it is out. Miss my brother a lot..lost him to a heart attack 10 years ago. RIP bhai.
Me: I’m sorry to hear that… And what a lovely memory to have..
Aww.. My sis and I used to drive Mom crazy by whispering late into the night; covering for each other every single time and always always putting up that united front. Even when we argued, we’ll end up on one side in the end with Amma being the bad guy 😉
To this day, my sister is the person I am closest to in the world tho we too have a long distance relationship now.
She is the only one who can make me change my mind once I decide something.. So much so that Mom sometiems try to bribe my sis to influence me 🙂
Her best friend thinks and acts like me very often, my best friend is a lot like her.. We seem to gravitate towards the type..
Very touchy and adorable post as a tribute 🙂 What did Brat gifted Bean for RB?