Sibling Revelry.

It is rightly said no matter how old you are when you are with your siblings, you always revert back to childhood. I have a sister and a brother and we are just two and three years apart. Today we are settled in different parts of the world but we have the time of our life when we all meet up at least once in a year.

This is the time when we gorge on good food and reminiscence the good old days. In our childhood we followed the golden rule i.e when your sibling has something that you want all you have to do is take it or break it. Another thing that could be done was convince your sibling it's no good and it's all yours.

I know many of you who are reading this will find it relatable. We all do it sometime or the other. I have some memories of childhood which I will never forget. Unlike the children of this generation who get everything served on a platter, we had to prove our mettle. For instance we did not have bicycles of our own. Bicycle was a luxury which your parents would buy for you if your scores in the Board Examination were good. But we always pine for things that we don't have. In those days we could rent a bicycle for Rs.5/hour and my sister would save all the money (which grandparents gave us when they visited us) so that my brother and I could ride a bicycle for an hour on the weekend.

We also used to celebrate the Holi festival in the chawl where we used to stay. In the evening during the festival firewood collected would be piled up and then the senior most person in the chawl would light it up. Every family would then offer their prayers. The significance of this ritual was to put all our bad qualities in the fire and burn it. But lo behold we would do that and next year retort to doing the same thing as the firewood which was brought for burning up was all stolen from different people's backyards.

As was the custom during Holi the kids would go to different houses in the area and ask them to give firewood. But when someone refuses, then the children would gang up together and plan to steal. The planning would be done and executed meticulously. Though stealing is bad but my siblings and myself would be very thrilled to be a part of this annual ritual.

Also we would play marbles on the streets of Mumbai. We would win marbles in the game and collect it in empty transparent plastic containers in our house. My brother would always come to my defence when there would be fights about ownership of the marbles and we were the proud owners of five

containers full of marbles in the entire colony. We would proudly boast our collection of marbles.

Cheating while playing cards so that our sibling team wins were all a done thing. What expertise was needed in seeing the cards of the people sitting next to you and then through your eyes pass on the message to your siblings so that your team wins. The children who play video games and games on the computer or mobile will never understand the joy of playing the games which we played. The cheating done while playing was all in good spirits and a part and parcel of the game.

Time just flew by and we grew up. All that remains with me today is our bond that just becomes stronger as the years pass by and the fond memories of childhood. The bond between us only becomes stronger as time passes. We are there for each other and stand by each other in good and bad times. Happy Bonding.