He thinks I am beautiful, but calls me monkey-faced. He loves me, but doesn’t show it. He scolds me, but doesn’t mean it. He showers me with gifts, but rarely buys anything for himself.
My cousin brother is full of ironies.
He is around 10 years elder to me. Ours was quite a typical childhood, but then, not really.
We fought a lot, played WWE cards and some actual WWE too. I used to follow him around like a shadow when I used to visit my aunt’s place. Silently watching him learn PhotoShop. Silently watching him play games like Counter Strike, Quake and DoTA. Silently wondering why he watches so many documentaries. “Knowledge never goes waste,” he had said.
His was a tough love. Not one for mellifluous words, he was crisp and laconic with emotions. Aged 15, the day I lost a parent, he had just said, “I was five when this happened to me and I didn’t understand anything. You know exactly how your life will be changing and you are handling it well. Be strong, I am with you.” This helped me more than any amount of coddling would have.
I learnt resilience from him. I learnt the value of knowledge from him. Inspite of being a girl, I also learnt fashion from him. Yes, fashion.
My childhood went by wearing epic combinations like neon and maroons. My brother used to make constipated faces looking at my wardrobe. He used to drag me to Pantaloons to get decent dresses for me. I used to be fascinated by the beautiful variety available and felt like a kid in a candy store. I was so happy to have someone as thoughtful as my brother to do this for me. I swore that one day when I earn by myself, I would do the same for him.
In recent years, I finally got a chance to do so – and what could be a better day than his birthday! As May the 2
nd approached, I hopped Louis Phillipe, Peter England, Van Heusen to get the perfect formal wear for him to wear to his office. The store staff were kind enough to help me choose the right fit.
Finally, on his birthday, I gifted him a portrait I drew and the clothes I bought from the ABG stores. His joy and smile were priceless.
He is not one for emotions, though he had a smile. And suspiciously watery eyes.
Well, my cousin brother is full of ironies.
Indeed, life came a full-circle!
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“Next please!” I say, while role-playing a banker during my childhood. One would think that I am sure of my inclination. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I used to hate any form of finance-related task and words like “investment, savings, accounts” would have me running for the hills. It didn’t matter much, since finances of the family had always been handled by my father. I still remember it was a pleasant evening with twilight filtering through our room when dad had called me in and tried to talk some sense into me. “You need to learn this on your own. I won’t always be here to help you.” While his words didn’t have an immediate effect on me, the ambience of the moment and his words stayed in my memory.
A few months later, stuck in a horrendous moment, the words seemed to echo at me through a tunnel. “Ma’am, your father’s hospital bills are overdue. Can you deposit the money now?” I wished I could ease my mom’s burden by helping her at least with this. But I was utterly incompetent. That day, I swore I would teach myself everything about personal finance and rid myself of ignorance.
After the ordeal, I set on overcoming the challenge of not only making myself educated in personal finance, but also making the family wealth grow. I devoted many, many days reading all sorts of books from libraries, articles on the internet to educate myself. I slowly ventured into fixed deposits. I moved on further to setting up my SIP plan during my first salary, investing in direct mutual funds and eventually equities.
It gives me immense satisfaction to look back at my journey of transforming myself from a person who didn't even know what a bank slip book was used, to a person who now not only manages, but also grows her family wealth!