Brothers are a lot more emo about their sisters

Rakshabandhan is the one day of the year when brothers get to feel like the hero of the story. As if all those years of annoying you were actual training to protect you (or at least that’s what he thinks), but we know that a brother and sisters’ bond is more than that of a bully and bullied.

A brother is also a built-in friend, an on-command fart machine, and your first insight into the art of negotiating and dividing everything from bars of Dairy Milk to TV schedules equally. He’s locked you in the bathroom, used your expensive face cream as body lotion, and you’ve bribed him more than once to let you do his makeup and then used those photos to blackmail him.

No festive day is complete without your parents yelling this line at both of you, “At least Rakshabandhan ke din toh mat lado.” (At least don’t fight on Rakshabhandan).

You’ve helped him with school projects, and begrudgingly taken him along to your friend’s birthday parties because your mom wouldn’t let you go otherwise. In exchange, he’s helped you sneak out of the house late at night, and lied for you at least once when it counted.

You know all his secrets, and he knows exactly which button to press to ruin your mood. You’ve never once agreed on anything, yet you somehow know how to build a tower of lies to scare your younger cousins without ever discussing it.

He’d probably never tell you that he has always got your back, so we asked five brothers to share how they show their love to their sisters, from their earliest Rakshabandhan memories, the silly pranks to the gift that meant more than they let on.

Turns out brothers secretly look up to their sisters

When she was the perfect prank victim

A brother who doesn’t prank is unheard of; it’s practically written in his job description, right next to protecting her. These pranks hardly differ from brother to brother, like there’s a shared syllabus that none of them will ever admit to studying.

Aryan Dubey, 25, an assistant manager at an IT consultant firm, still laughs while talking about how he used to fool his sister. He says, “My sister is a whole decade younger than me. When she started school, I was already preparing for my board exams. I used a lot of pen-pencils back then, and I would tell her that the lead was actually a needle. I’d pretend to jab it in my arm, and she would start crying thinking it was as painful as an injection. This went on for a year before she figured it out.”

Kishan Pancholi, 40, interior designer, recounts annoying his older sister with late night pranks. He says, “As kids, we loved watching horror shows like Aahat together, and we shared a room, so after we’d switch off the lights and get into bed, I’d make creepy noises to scare her. To this day, she won’t admit whether it actually worked; she’d just tell me to go to sleep as any older sister would.”

When he got her the perfect gift

The days before Rakshabandhan are tough for brothers trying to keep up with his sister’s ever-evolving taste. You can hand her a simple cover or get her a gift card, but turns out the most memorable gifts are the most thoughtful ones.

Nilesh Adatia, 55, a customs and KPMG consultant, remembers the first time he got it right, back in the ’90s. “My sister was preparing for her 7th grade finals and her favourite (the expensive one) had run out of ink. It cost ₹ 200 and our parents refused to replace it for her; they said she shouldn’t have wasted it so close to exams. I was 20 and had just got my first salary. I had managed to save some money for emergencies, but I felt so bad for her that I spent it to get her that pen. When she saw the pen, she was just speechless then yelled the biggest thank you I’ve ever heard.”

Nirav Mehta, 35, a bookseller, still thinks of the watch he gifted his sister on his wedding day: “It’s probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever gifted anyone, and what makes it even more special was the timing. Giving her something meaningful in that moment felt just right. Even now, when I think of that watch, I’m reminded of exactly where both of us were in our lives. It’s one of my favourite gifts I’ve ever given.”

When she made him want to be a better person

A sister has the power to make you cooler just by association, whether it’s an older sister helping you pick the right outfit for your first date or a younger sister keeping you fluent in the latest slang words.

Aniket Hulamajage, 29, content producer, talked about how despite being the older sibling, his sister makes him a better person, “She keeps our family bond grounded and strong. I left home at 18 for my studies, so she’s the one who is actually there with our parents, being an incredible anchor for all of us. Even with everyone playing their part, it’s her presence and care that brings warmth to our home, no matter the distance. I am so proud of her for that.”

Adatia, who has a nine-year age gap with his younger sister, says she’s braver than both her brothers put together, “Out of the three of us, despite being the youngest, she’s always the first to stand strong in a moment of crisis. She’s always first to reach if someone’s in trouble or needs help. Like, last year, when her cook’s son got very sick, she left a family dinner to be there with them. She took care of all the hospital-related paperwork so the boy’s mother could focus on her son.”

So sisters, now you know, at least a little, how your brother thinks. He may not say it, but it’s definitely there when he’s pulling your leg or saving up to buy you a gift. And brothers, if any of this pulled you back to that precious memory of your first rakhi, this year, take a moment to let her know how much she means to you, she might just forgive you for eating her hidden chocolates that one time.