Rupa - My sister

'Rakhi' - The festival of brothers and sisters. There would be no crackers and no playing with the colors. There won't be even delicious cuisines on this day. Even then, this day used to be special for me.

On this auspicious day, sisters tie sacred Rakhi to their brothers' hands. It is believed that when a sister ties Rakhi to her brother's hand it brings success to her brother and the brother would protect her at all times. From my childhood, I always wished to have a vibrant Rakhi on my hand. Since I had no sisters, no one used to be there to tie Rakhi to my hand.

May be, my mother might have known about my wish. She used to arrange our servant’s daughter (Rupa) to tie Rakhi to my hand. As a kid, I was more interested in Rakhi than the sister (Rupa) who had tied it. But unknowingly I learned that it was an occasion to show our affection towards our servants, by treating them as a part of our family. Later when my family has to shift to a new place, our maid Sakhubai felt very sad to lose us. As I was a kid, I don’t know how painful it was when we left her. Sometimes, when my mom tells us about how well Sakhubai used to take care of us, I can feel the bond shared by us. Though its very much normal for my parents, it is simply great for our generation since it is very rare to have such relationships.

I still like to see Rakhi on my hand, but I miss Rupa who can fulfill my wish.