Memories - Days with my brother

Bangalore Days

Turning around & cuddled up inside the blanket…the sounds of rain, the speeding train & the snuffling sounds from all over the place…Couldn't sleep at all and I got up, came near to the door…

        Everyone is sleeping and I saw the doors are closed because of the rains, came back to my place and slept … At least 3 more hours I have to adjust with this snuffling sounds before it reach Bangalore…The train is slowing down and it’s nearing Bangalore Station. Everyone is queuing up to get down with their luggage. It’s my first time to Bangalore in train and its been 10 years since I visited this beautiful city. 

        Drizzling outside to my surprise and I somehow managed to get out from the crowded streets & started searching for a hotel. Every hotel hanged placards with “No room available” in the front. I saw the same response from all the hotels in that street and I was going in circles with no luck. I was amazed with way Bangalore welcomed me and asked one of the auto rickshaw driver “why this chaos?” . With a 'Hindi' accent he replied that there are some entrance exams going on and every hotels are booked, thronged with people from all over India. I was shocked and checked my clothes, it was almost drenched. The rain is getting heavy and I gained some pace in my walk and turned to the next street.

         After searching few streets, I got one . They charged me double but I didn't have a choice. It was a small room, quite dark and was not that clean too.  I saw the ash trays with cigarette pieces and left overs in the Waste basket. I asked the room boys to clean the stuff and later slept for few hours after a shower.

                       Wake up call from my mom, no need to check the time! Its 9 in the morning … After my breakfast, I walked through the city of Bangalore…The streets were crowded and vehicles were speeding through the muddy roads splashing the dirt to the pavements. The 'PWD' works added havoc to the pedestrians. But nothing perturbed me, I enjoyed the morning breeze and the pleasant climate… it was so soothing after an early morning rain and I felt so good when the cool breeze touched my face, like a whisper of chiffon. I walked a long way with a smiling face …The people, the shops, the hawkers, the chirping sounds of birds’ added beauty to the scene. Slowly I felt the rising temperature… It’s 12 in the noon and saw the red giant laughing on top of my head… I took an auto and asked him to drop me to the nearest mall…The best place to spent time alone in noon. I had a nice lunch there and spent some time seeing the Fashion freaks... It was ticking to 5 & I am in a crowded bus back to Majestic. Like every new face in the town hundred thoughts clashed at the same time “whether this bus stops at that place or whether I passed the place, is it the next stop? Shall I ask the conductor once more” sometimes I behave and thinks like a paranoid, which made the Conductor and the passengers irate. Somehow managed to get back to the room before the rain. It seemed like rains where waiting for me to enter the hotel, it rained heavily that night… I wished if I had someone to enjoy this cold and romantic night.

                            In the middle of sleep, I got a call and it was my brother, “Pollakkannaaa”  His usual way to start the conversation, he called me like that since I had big eyes. It’s not the biggest of all but bigger than him. I laughed and screamed at him... The conversation went for some time and we pranked at each other. It’s been nearly a year since he left for AIRFORCE and I missed him so badly. Tomorrow we are going to meet.

                              Phone rings… Oh! Shit... its 9 AM, I slept like a pig... I wished my Mom a great day and then got fresh, wore my new T-shirt and stepped away from my hotel. I called my brother and he is on the way to my place with his friend…

                                        It’s nearly one hour and it’s my 3^rd coffee.  I was getting frantic…My brother at last called me and squawked “waiting near the Restaurant, come fast you biggie”.

 I saw him and couldn't believe my eyes. He went black, became so thin –lost all his muscles, but with the same smile. He came near me ,  hugged me and said "Pollakanna"… It’s been a year I  heard that from him . His friend was laughing, seeing us pulling each other's leg in the streets under the hot sun. Since everyone was feeling so ravenous we ran to the nearest hotel and had a heavy brunch.Later we left to the nearest mall and spent some time roaming there. 

                                         My brother had a stress fracture and came to get admitted in the IAF hospital, but we are roaming in Bangalore city… By afternoon we enjoyed the Robert Downey’s Iron man 3 in a Cineplex, had lunch from KFC and later his friend left the party...

He said “you are like friends and I have never seen any brothers exchanging bad words , prank at each other , fighting in an auto rickshaw like kids, you both are the most crazy brothers of all time and be like this all the time …”  

                                            Me and Saji came back to our hotel and took rest for few hours. He was so tired and I could feel the pain in his eyes when he was climbing the stairs. I helped him in putting those Bandages and asked him to take rest. 

                                           We were talking about our lives, he showed me those scars and marks because of the tough physical training he had in IAF. It was so doleful and I sat near him and showed some old photos and some funny videos to make him cheerful. After dinner I planned to return back to the room since we need to depart to the hospital early morning and also because of his health issue. But he said “Bro, it’s only one more night –let’s walk for some time”. I was reluctant because of his health, but as usual I agreed with him after he promised that he won’t let parents know that we both roamed the whole day... which he broke later…

                                              With one hand in my shoulders, we walked through the pavements. It was nearly 9 at night and saw people still shopping. He bought me a shirt ,trouser and 'TDK' headset. I was so proud to get those from him, because it was bought from his salary. First gift from my 'IAF' hero…

                                                After a small shopping we were walking back to the hotel. I felt that he is finding it difficult to walk and I couldn't find an auto on that way. He told “Bro, it’s one of the best days in my life and you know how good it is to be with you after a year in IAF academy.” I smiled and told him “I wish if we were like this all the time.” He giggled …

                                                Many thoughts came to our minds …Our family, the tough times we had when we were children, the funniest moments, the fights, about our crush, the days in college and our ambitions, about the future and so on... It is his wish to have a home near a beach where both our families are together along with our parents so that we can both prank on each other and fight with our dad all the time… We talked about all those and walked to the hotel. On the way back we saw two guys , probably in their Eighteens looking at the textile showroom checking their money in hand. They seemed to be like brothers.

                                                Saji, "Did you see those kids? Do you remember the days when we were in college? Whenever we used to get money from our Dad, how we roamed in our town searching for the stores to get the cheap and best, which looked like the branded ones? How many times we stood like this in front of the Branded stores and wished for such clothes and accessories, especially in front of that Woodland Store?  I still remember for a ‘VISHU’ with 250 bucks, how we managed to get the things we wished. Dad scolded us on that night for being late, he didn't know that we walked the whole town for one shirt, relatives mocked at us for wasting the whole evening for just one shirt. But we both were not interested in any of those because we were so happy for what we have got, a new shirt to wear on the auspicious day... It meant a lot for us because it happened only once or twice in our life, isn't it? 

See how the time has changed brother… we are going in stores now and buying things what we wished for with our money…But bro every time I swipe my card, I remember those days which we spent together in those streets in our town. I feel that I am lucky to be born this way because I know how hard it is to earn and how fruitfully we should spent it. People may call me as a miser but as you know I never bother what others think about me. Yes, I am not a spendthrift like many and I won’t be in my life … I am not a miser but frugal... " He is stressing more on my shoulders…Few more yards to the hotel… 

                                           Slept nicely that night.  The next day we took an auto and got him admitted in the hospital. Spent the whole day with him in the hospital… The hospital didn't looked like one because of the environment. It looked like a resort with lot of trees and the clean roads. Sat for some time in the park and talked for some time, later we both hugged each other ,high-fived and left… I left the place heavyhearted with lot of thoughts in my mind. Caught the bus to Chennai and started the journey back. Three days which I would never forget... It was so nostalgic that I was recollecting all the occurrences on my way back                                                           to Chennai and still now...

                                               Back in Chennai ,it’s time to start the mechanical life…..

-Sunil