In Gratitude - S6 : Paying my homage through years of my life || My Sister || By Anupama Vaidya

Series Part 6… towards my big milestone - 2021 - Golden Celebrations.

Published on Facebook: 24-Oct-2021

While I write the part 5.4 and part 5.5 of my career phase, it’s a Saturday! and weekend’s are family and friends time!!! So the part 5.4 will arrive next week on a working day!!!

And let me take this beautiful Saturday, as I sit here at Leeds, UK and reflect on such a wonderful gift of life and express my gratitude…

I dedicate today to my sister, Dr. Vaijayanti Jain, Vaiju as many of you know and for me: my “Didi” …, Jijaji and my nephews… Siddhartha and Rishabh… Didi, an essence of what an elder sister should be from childhood… fond memories of growing up together with amazing parents – Aai and Baba…blessed to be born into this family and be with such an incredible family through this life.

Didi, loving, caring, soft spoken, so full of respect, loved by all for her mannerisms and her sensitivity… … … … the adjectives go on and on and am sure all of you will add many more in the comment boxes to express the wonderful person she is!!!

Remember our growing days together, her studious/mature nature and my naughty/playful pranks!

We were so different, yet so same, intertwined with wonderful values that our parents imbibed, carrying such a wonderful legacy of our family…

Learning loads through the journey of growing up with Didi and so much to thank her for everything!

Her ability to keep everything so tidy, while I was full of masti and always wanting to run the errands on my cycle…

So religious, and meticulous in saying her prayers everyday, even today! and me while being fully a believer, so full of life, could never take on this like her! Yet both are so full of traditions and have the same faith and belief.

Me so playful with cats, and her fear for cats… … finally having a lovely cat in Chimu to make her fear disappear while I cherished every memory with my loving cat.

Didi, do you remember, for one Diwali when I asked you what you will have to eat and you had said anything will do, while I was wanting a more firm answer - chakli, chiwda or laddoo… and me naughtily, going to the kitchen and serving you a piece of paper with “Anything” written on it…. I know seems so childish, but that what my naughtiness, which multiplied when always around you. Couldn’t have done that with anyone else except you.

And when you used to come to resolve mine and Girju’s fights, how we used to get together and fight with you! How stupid on our part to gang up against you.

The Green house (mine) versus Yellow House (your) competition all the time at home, while I so always wanted to be in Yellow House.

Years of cheers together, as we moved to hostel, a very interesting phase to grow together. Remember those lovely sandwiches that you made for our lunch, and at night sharing the tiffin of Suvarnarekha; years zipped past by and you moved to IISc….

A feeling of a piece of myself really gone missing from then on, and the naughtiness disappearing with responsibility of life falling on me, with you not being there to take care off!

Loads of memories, fun, frolic, being together, sharing, caring, bearing and daring together… so much to share, don’t know whether I will be able to do complete justice to even note it down to express my gratitude to you for all those wonderful years of growing together…

And as you grew through your IISc, we have been blessed as a family to have Jijaji, Dr. Kamal Kumar Jain as such a loving and amazing brother in law, … and then me getting the wonderful title of Maushi through my loving nephews in Siddhartha and Rishabh.

You all have stood by me in my thick and thin … been there, understanding me through my life and always loved me beyond words can describe…

I fall short of words as I write this gratitude dedicated to you, Jijaji and Sid & Rishabh.

All the learnings, caring sharing with you, Jijaji, Sid and Rishabh are a life-time treasure for me… …