A brother from another mother

For the women who do not have brothers by the ties of blood, rakhi brothers or muh-bola brothers are the closest to how they can celebrate Raksha bandhan. On the festival of Rakhi, we spoke to such brother-sister duo who share an unsaid bond of love, care and affection

Rachana Saroj (24) and Hrishikesh Yelulkar (24)

Being a music lover, while surfing on YouTube one day, I came across Hrishikesh’s tabla videos. After commenting on one of the videos, we connected from there and started this bond. Slowly, we got to know each other and he soon started calling me his sister. We had a ‘it’s a small world’ moment after we decided to meet up. To our utter surprise, we discovered that me and his relatives lived right across the street. Being an introverted person, he is very selective of the people he lets into his life. I feel lucky to be a part of his small world as I get to see his protective and caring side for me. Even though he stays far away but still I have his constant support. It’s usually the case that when you talk to someone online, you’re always in doubt whether that other person will be genuine or has your best interests at heart. But I’m so glad we met and I wish someday on Raksha Bandha, we will celebrate it together, where he plays the tabla and I can sing. That will be the best day of our lives!

Jesly Jacob (25) and Martin Joseph (24)

Martin is like my younger brother and is my go-to person for everything. We first met each other in church but we weren’t that close. Life decided to cross our paths again in college. Over the course of two years, we grew close and had a lot of fun. We are hardcore foodies and visit all the new eateries in town. He always irritates me the most but I like it because I know he only does it with the people he likes. We have shared many memories together but my favourite were the nights he dropped me off on his bike to my house. From Bhandup to Bhayandar, we would embarrass each other by loudly singing songs in traffic in front of everyone.

Steffi Louis (31) and Dayal Kandar (42)

It’s true that the family you choose is stronger than the one you are born into. I met my rakhi brother, Dayal Kandar while working at a hospital in South Mumbai as healthcare professionals. An act of kindness while working at the hospital bonded us and it was meant to be because he is one of the kindest souls I know. He is the first person who comes to receive me at the airport every time I come to India, even before my parents. It is a ritual for us! He calls me aniyathi (younger sister in Malayalam) and me being an elder sibling, it’s a fulfilling feeling.

Sakshi Potdar (25) And Abhilash Vaidya (25)

I met Abhilash in school when we were in the ninth standard. He made school fun and I still cherish those memories. We both are foodies and that explains our fights over tiffin boxes during those days. He has remained my partner-in-crime since then. He has stood by me in tough times and celebrated during the happy times and celebrated with me during the happy times, which speaks of how strong and solid our brother-sister bond is. I still remember this one time when he was in Delhi to give an exam before Raksha Bandhan and I happened to be there too. We both went around exploring the street food places in Delhi and also celebrated Raksha Bandhan early on the Delhi streets because I had to leave for Mumbai. But later, he surprised me by coming to Mumbai on the day of Raksha Bandhan and I was ecstatic.

Yaashmin Giani (56) and Ripple (59)

My sister and I grew up in Amritsar and became friends with two brothers — Dimple and Ripple who were friends of the family since 1983. We became close to Ripple as Dimple was off sailing. Since we didn’t have any brothers so we started tying him rakhi and he considered us as family too as he also didn’t have any sisters. Even though we shifted and moved cities, we always kept in touch and sent rakhis via letters. Whenever we go to Delhi, I meet his family and spend time with them. Even recently, when my daughter moved to Delhi too, Ripple’s family took care of her and became her guardian. Though he is elder than me, I pull his legs a lot and we share a friendly banter. We always fight to get the last word. For instance, on Whatsapp, we fight over who sends the last emoji and we get back on each other. No matter how many years have gone by, we still do this.