This
is a story of two sisters - two friends, from their childhood to their
college days to their married lives right till the present where both
of them are 55 year plus grannies - My mom and my Mavshi :-)
They were a group of 6 girls in college. 6 saree-clad girls always
together, one of the typical "girl-gangs" that are such a
characteristic of college life. They obviously presented a very
attractive sight to all the head-in-the air, young lads in college and
were the target of playful teasing and mischievous comments. At the
same time, the quiet dignity of the young ladies kept these naughty
boys at bay and no one dared misbehave.
They had innocent and fun-filled college days of bunking lectures just
to go and play on the swings (an almost unheard way of having fun
nowadays). Excitedly but demurely they scanned guys to find the big,
brown eyed stranger who had stolen their friend's heart. They were
chastised by their mother for the big sin of some stranger daring to
ask them out through no fault of their own; since obviously if he asked
them, they certainly had done something to attract attention (what
would Aji say if she ever saw us girls of today totally checking out
guys and rating them on a scale of 1 to 10 :-)). Lungis and Kurtas were
the rage during their college days. But these two draped only sarees
since Lungis and Kurtas were too "modern" then.
A black and white picture of the two of them perfectly captures the
essence of these days - My mother wearing a sleeveless blouse and a
lovely saree looking quite the older sister and a perfect comely lady
and my Mavshi wearing slacks and a kurta - the quintessential
old-fashioned heroine (typical Sadhna or Mumtaz style).
Thus passed their college days. After graduation, both wanted to work.
But a girl working in those days, especially in a small village, was
quite unthinkable. So while, their friends moved on pursue BEd, these
two returned home and were married. Mavshi did work after marriage but
not quite what she wanted to and Mom took the full-time job of bringing
up 4 daughters (3 of us + Elsa, our dog :-))
I could never imagine them as the pig-tailed, giggly, young gals full
of spirits and bright hopes of their future. Since the time I have seen
them, they have been busy with in-laws, kids, relatives. But seeing
them together for the past few months has made me see them in a totally
different light. Both of them are still so innocent and childlike but
at the same time have the strength of 10 men (needs to be awakened at
times for mom :-)). They are still curious, still enthusiastic about
everything around and keep molding themselves into the casts of the new
generation. One is enthusiastic, a born convincer, ever weaving
everyone around in her charming web and making them willingly dance to
her tune while the other is a dreamer - shy, extremely loyal and
possessive and completely guileless and gullible. Both are as different
as chalk and cheese (not in their appearances J) but still perfectly
complement each-other.
They have been with each other through thick and thin. There are no
secrets between the two; there’s only absolute trust. For as long as I
have seen them, I have never seen them bicker. This does sound
idealistic. Of course there is a difference of opinions but there are
no raised voices and no digging up past grievances and throwing them in
the face (typical sibling style). When you look at them, you can see
just genuine love for each other -the kind of love that can only be
there with someone who has grown up with you and knows you through and
through. The years have bought them to a new level of understanding
where a simple look or a lift of the eyebrow conveys much more than
words.
When Mavshi was down with cancer and several places were vociferously
being considered for treatment, without any hesitation she declared her
wish to stay with her sister. A place where her Tai was around was her
secure haven - a place where she completely relaxed. They are so
amazingly fine-tuned into each others frequencies. In the hospital
Mavshi just had to think about something delectable and without even
mentioning it aloud, Mom would send it in the Tiffin. This uncanny
telepathy would leave us shaking our heads in disbelief while the two
of them would be smiling mysteriously. For the past few months, I have
seen Mom hovering over Mavshi protectively like a worried mother over
her newborn child and Mavshi, in turn, totally laying her worries to
rest, trusting her sister to take care of her. A very touching picture!
There is no trying to correct, no trying to change; Just acceptance -
absolute and complete acceptance. Both have been each others pillars of
strength. They feel each others pain and rejoice in each other. So at
ease and so at peace - touch wood. But that’s what it takes -
unconditional love and acceptance of everything that comes in the
package called "You" - to create this wonderful bond.
