Tribute To Sisters

An older sister is perhaps the gentlest person in your life if your mother is gracious enough to step aside for a few minutes every day! Many mothers do that all over the world, to let the motherly instincts of a growing woman child to nurture and strengthen. We have countless names of this angel among us, and as the great guy with a short pointed beard said, “A Rose by any other name is a . . . . . . . . Rose”. This tolerant sister is very often the Dhon Dhaththa, Thiththa, Thuththa or lately a Kudoo !

When two boys who are the closest of brothers play, the wisest action we can take is to let the ‘Dhon’ be the judge, referee or the umpire. As a general rule Judges are very wise and impartial, Umpires never take sides or a Referee will never do anything to tarnish his or his colleagues' images! But can an older sister ever be that professional? Of course not! That is why she is not the Human Rights Commissioner! When brothers wrestle, she is always with the underdog ! Both her brothers know that she will allow them to cheat just a little, or be unfair for a few minutes and they love her for that!

In her presence the little one is assured that his elder brother’s physical superiority will stay bridled and harnessed, so that no unfair advantage is used to tackle him too hard! She is the patient teacher who guides her younger brothers in essay writings and spellings. She is the Fashion Police when a red ribbon day arrives. She is the Censor Board when the brothers watch TV or buy books and magazines! She is the Florence Nightingale when a knee is bruised or a finger is cut. She is the Accountant who makes sure that her younger brother was given one or two marks more than he deserves whenever a teacher marks a class paper!

She is the one who teaches boys to respect girls and treat them with same dignity she is shown at home. A young boy who gets the gentle touch of a sister and a few tricks of the trade from his elder brother is surely in the middle of a long, but not a lonely road to adulthood!