My Elder Sister, My Support System

She sat inside the playgroup class, crying inconsolably, wanting to go home back. “Didi, please pick me up, I want to be with you…..where have I come to? I don’t like this place”, said Isha, afraid of the new kids and teachers around her. It was a whole new world for her outside the home for the first time. She constantly kept looking at Sujata, her elder sister, who was sitting outside the classroom to watch over her.  In the initial days, Sujata accompanied her little sister to school and was her constant companion.

With the passage of time, schooling for both the girls were coming to an end. One afternoon, Sujata and Isha, with their parents were invited for a lunch get-together. As is the case in most family gatherings, the ladies were in the kitchen, the children were playing and the men were busy in merrymaking. Sujata, although was very uncomfortable. She had a weird stomachache that she could not fathom. She was also extremely distracted and could not understand what was happening to her. She tried to approach both her mother and Sujata, but both of them were busy in the chaos.

Soon after they reached home, Sujata noticed blood stains on her sister’s clothes and immediately understood the reason for her worry and anxiety. She lovingly took her little sister and explained to her as to what had actually happened. She explained to her the whole process, the reason behind it and how to cope with it. She made her feel comfortable and taught her about hygiene and the care that needs to be taken during periods.

Isha said, “Didi, I do not want to continue engineering. I want to quit and join to continue B.Sc. I am finding it too tough”.

Sujata smiled and consoled her with her soothing words, “My little angel, this is the first step towards the competitive world. You have to face many more challenges in life, not just professionally but personally as well. You need to be a fighter.  And it is OK to be fearful, but use it as a weapon to succeed. Give time to yourself to succeed and you will witness things changing”.

Listening to her sister’s words, she stopped crying and became stable. She took note of her words of wisdom and started acting upon them. Day by day, she noticed changes in herself. She became competitive and confident.

Days passed. Sujata had to settle to the USA with her husband in a few months. She came to stay with her parents for a few days. Isha was happy for her sister but was also sad of losing her support system. Her didi was going to leave her and go far away.

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Soon, Sujata settled and life moved on for Isha until that dreaded phone call one evening. It was Isha’s cousin who had called them to give them the surprising news of Dev’s marriage. Dev was one of Isha’s distant relatives but Isha and Dev shared a strong bond from childhood. Unknowingly, love for Dev started to bloom in Isha’s mind, but she was unaware of her feelings. And when she did realize them, her heart broke upon hearing about his impending marriage.  

She could not believe this was happening to her. She could not imagine Dev with someone else and was unable to accept the news. Sujata was around her and knew of her feelings. She allowed her to cry to vent out her grief. She knew this trauma would not be easy for her to handle.  

Sujata explained to her the concept of destiny and that one must accept their fate. One day, she would also find her soul mate and until then, she should just let time heal her wounded heart. Sujata’s presence in those sad and tough times really mattered. Isha was thankful at least she had her sister around her to come out of it.

Soon, Sujata had to fly to her husband. Isha was again left alone. But she was more confident now. They kept in touch through video calls, emails and long telephone conversations. Isha used to share all small and big happenings of her life with her darling sister. Soon she completed her engineering.  

Then the struggle for a job started. She took up a job but quit it soon since it was not what she wanted. She travelled all around Mumbai to give interviews and finally got the desired job but the salary was not up to her expectations. She was upset. But, her guiding star was there with her. She reassured her that this difficult time would pass.

In 3 years, she got selected in an MNC with a good salary package and her happiness knew no bounds. She remembered the days how she used to be sad due to her unsatisfied job and how her sister one day said to her “Jab acche din ayenge naa, tab dekhna iss chehre pe kaisi khushi jhalkegi….” and here it was.

In a few years, Isha also got married to a boy who was chosen by her parents. The boy was very loving, however the struggles of a married life were to be fought. At this time also, Sujata kept giving her life lessons to handle these new relationships from her own experiences. This helped Isha cope with all big and small instances of married life.

Sujata always showed her the bright side of every situation that gave her the courage to face all odds. Isha became mature beyond her years and Sujata was proud of her. Isha was to be mother soon and happiness knew no bounds for the family. Isha wanted a family with two daughters who would share the same bond like her sister and her.

Sujata was her role model, her strength and weakness too; her strong support system, the closest and most dearest person in her life with whom she could be herself and could share anything in this world. She could go mad in front of her, she could get upset and angry on her, she could use her stuff without her permission, and she could hide her flaws behind Sujata. She could go crazy, she could go fearless, she could laugh and chitchat with her……..Sujata was her more than a mother to her……her lifeline……

Image is a representative image sourced from the Internet and bears no resemblance to any person mentioned in this article

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