International Brother’s Day is celebrated May 24 to honour the role of brothers in our lives. As kids, siblings may fight for getting hold of a TV remote, watching a favourite TV programme, getting a larger share of chocolates or simply for more attention from parents. But the bond with brothers blossoms with the passage of time. On International Brother’s Day, Orissa POST chatted with some young kids to find out if they had a special celebration with their brother.
Ritika Raiguru, a Class V student of Xavier International, had not been aware of International Brother’s Day. But once she came to know about the special day, she started making plans. She said, “I love my little brother Ujjwal very much. As I did not know about the day earlier, I hadn’t bought anything to gift him. When I came to know, I went to a nearby shop and bought a box of colour pencils and a school bag as Ujjwal will join kindergarten after the vacation. In the evening, I presented my gift and cut a cake to make the day memorable.”
Kriti Das, a Class IV student, said, “I live in Punjab while my cousin Chichi resides in Bhubaneswar. As I do not have a sibling, Chichi means everything to me. He is my best friend forever. Whenever I am with him, time flies so fast. We hardly fight. A month ago, my mother had told me about Brother’s Day. I shopped for gifts for Chichi including a cricket bat because he is a diehard fan of Sachin Tendulkar. He wants to be a batsman like Sachin and has kept a bat of the brand endorsed by the cricketing legend. I sent him the gifts along with a letter. We do not get to meet often, so I miss him a lot.”
Class X student Sailendu Mohanty from Cuttack said, “It was only in 2017 that I started celebrating the day with my elder brother Abhishek. Although the day is about celebrating the role of brothers, I feel every day is Brother’s Day. I am thankful to God that I have a brother like him. But I never really expressed my love towards him. He has a guitar and he wanted a book that would help him learn the fundamentals of playing the instrument. So, to make him feel special, I gifted him a comprehensive guide on how to play a guitar. He felt so happy to get the book but cautioned me not to spend big money on such gifts.”
Anshuman, a Class IX student of Bhubaneswar, said, “I feel the day is not only about the sibling bond, but is also meant to promote universal brotherhood. I am a single child. So, my friend Ashwin is like my brother. Because of the summer vacation, he was at our place on Brother’s Day for the whole day. While we played some games, my mom cooked biryani for lunch. His parents visited us in the evening with some packets of sweets. We also got some gifts from our parents that we opened at night. They had some words of advice for us that we should maintain our good relationship forever.”
SOYONG, OP