Some of us have had the fortune of growing up with siblings while others haven’t. In your growing up years, your sibling relationships have likely been roller coaster rides. You make the best team at one moment, and could well be fighting a-la Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in the ring the very next.

But no matter what, the equation always remains. You continue to share a good rapport despite all the disagreements. And this is a common experience irrespective of the part of the world you are from.

Today is my sibling’s birthday. And we’ve grown up with our share of good times and quarrels alike. I have learnt a lot from her over the years and continue to. And needless to say, we do make a great team.

I am not sure if she’d remember this. But my earliest memory of practicing cursive handwriting dates back to sometime in 1998. I was only in the first grade, but I’d be forced to practice cursive writing every day. I use the term ‘forced’ because I can recall being reluctant to do so on more than one instance.The practicing helped and I have learnt to write beautifully over the years (in the aesthetic sense at least). Many of my friends over the course of school and college have complimented me for my handwriting and claimed that my notebooks looked like printed books. Well, if it wasn’t for the practice, that wouldn’t have been the case.

I hated being forced to practice cursive, but today, I can’t thank you enough for it. Thank you!

It was because of you that I developed a penchant for reading. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a good vocabulary and the ability to write as well as I can. This very blog then would only have been a distant dream – far from reality, never transcending the realms of fantasy. You introduced me to the world of happening kiddie newspapers and got me to read. No kid fancies going through a Times of India or a Loksatta, after all. It took me a while to be a consistent reader and eventually a writer. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to writing, but I will in due course.

But credit to you for getting me started. Thank you!

I am the most clueless person in the world when it comes to shopping for clothes. Over time, I have learnt to pick and choose. But it hasn’t happened on its own. I am still a bit apprehensive when it comes to shopping for myself, although it’s easier when I have you for company.

For helping me choose the right stuff – Thank you!

There was a time when I didn’t know of a world beyond McDonald’s, KFC and Subway.

For introducing me to varieties of food beyond my imagination – Thank you!

Here’s to the best siblings in the world, to all of the nonsensical jokes we crack and still laugh wholeheartedly to, to putting up with football matches and desperate housewives.

Happy Birthday!