Beware: Devil at home!!

4.30 AM. The day was Tuesday, May the 11th, 1999. The King for twelve years was dethroned! An enigmatic personality was born. Here she is, 8 years into her life, dictating and commanding things to her parents and to her unfortunate brother, Rivat Hanss. Meet A.R.Sriranjini or Harini as I like to call her. The first look of her in the hospital got me fuming. ‘She is very fair!! She cant be my sis!’ I cried to my mom, only to get an answer that girls are always fair and boys are better off with a darker complexion. I dumbly believed that then. Suddenly I found that my mom and dad had no time to tell me stories in the night (yeah even at twelve I liked listening to stories!). Slowly, I was being ignored and she was attaining glory. Yes I knew that she was going to be pampered a lot. But I never expected my life to take a hit. I started accepting things and my career was shaping up. Soon I was away and was not able to assist her in her pedagogy or her life in general.

But during these holidays I have had time to monitor her activities and was shocked to say the least. She enjoys absolute freedom at home. Be it changing TV channels as and when wished, taking money from the shelf and getting anything she wants, or making my mom plead before her to do a thing! The mom I once feared and thought any other child would. She has no respect for our words, takes an independent decision always and has this ready made cry if we oppose it. The fact that we are better off financially than some ten years ago isn’t helping her much. My parents want her to get all the things I was deprived off in my childhood. I tried admonishing my parents a lot of times and all I got back was ‘she is a child’. Yes her activities are innocuous still but over the years it can become dangerous if not controlled.

The first question she asks whenever I return home from hostel, greeting her with a nice sweet five star, is ‘anna when you returning to college?’ and she is very possessive generally. Doesn’t share a biscuit also with anyone. And of late she has become possessive of the pet name ARS too! (One of the reasons I switched over to a new distinct name). She interferes in anything and everything I do. Sees my messages, sits besides me whenever I am online and is pestering me now also to come and check something. Three days ago she called me up from school(has memorized all our nos) to come take her back complaining of fever, stomachache and what not. Already I was angry that she woke me up from my deep sleep (11AM) and when she started jumping around, watching TV, playing with neighbors after returning home, I couldn’t stand it. But when I look at her school diary that has my name as her guardian, my eyes moisten. Whatever said and done, she is my sister and I have a moral responsibility to take care of her. I have learnt a lot from her too (that watching pogo and chutti tv is a good way to spend time!). Above all I love her more than I love anyone else!! :) :)