A special gift

Illustration: Srushti Shekatkar | Photo Credit: Illustration: Srushti Shekatkar Kala was worried that she wouldn’t be able to buy a Raksha Bandhan gift for her brother Karthik. Ever since their father had lost his job and shifted to the village to look after their fields, the household ran on a shoestring budget. Their mother was constantly on the move — doing errands, household chores, and fetching them from tuition, dance classes, and cricket practice on their father’s old scooter while also running her catering business to add to the family income.Karthik was also worried that he wouldn’t be able to buy a rakhi gift for Kala. This would be a special Raksha Bandhan, as it fell on their birthday. Karthik and Kala were twins, with Karthik being older by 15 minutes. He was protective of his sister and, now that their father was in the village, considered himself the man of the house. Seeing the condition of the household, both felt they couldn’t burden their mother with extra expenditure.An accidentA couple of days before rakhi, the doorbell rang. Opening the door, Karthik was rooted to the spot.“Who is there?” Kala asked.Their mother Rani, was propped up by their neighbours.“A car hit your mother’s scooter. She fell from the scooter and sprained her ankle,” said Mrs. Sharma. “My husband and I happened to be driving past. We took her to the hospital. The doctor has advised your mother to rest for a few days. My driver will bring the scooter later.”The Sharmas made Rani comfortable on her bed. “I’ll send you meals for the next few days,” Mrs. Sharma said. Turning to their mother, she warned, “You’d better not argue. I still remember how you looked after us when I had my surgery.”The twins watched their mother. She looked worried and in pain. They knew that she was worried about their 13th birthday, which she had wanted to celebrate in a grand style. No wonder she was always out of the house delivering her homemade goodies and trying to increase her orders.Making plansGesturing to his sister, Karthik pointed to the door. “Mama, we will make some ginger tea for you.”While making tea for their mother and sandwiches for themselves, Kala and Karthik had a long discussion. They returned carrying tea for their mother and sandwiches and biscuits for everyone. Placing the tray on the side table, Karthik helped their mother sit up in bed, while Kala handed her a plate with a sandwich and their mother’s favourite cream biscuits.“Mama, we want to share something with you,” Kala said. Karthik nodded.As their mother stared at the twins, the worry lines on her forehead increased. “Is it something serious?” she asked.The twins nodded. “Very serious,” they said.“Have you failed in your weekly tests? Has your principal punished you?”Exchanging looks, the twins laughed. “No, no, don’t get stressed, it’s something else.” Karthik patted his mother’s arm, as though he was consoling a child.“We have decided that we don’t want a 13th birthday party,” Kala smiled. “Teenage years are about growing up and taking responsibility.”Solutions Illustration: Srushti Shekatkar Karthik continued, “You don’t have to worry about how Kala will return from her dance practice alone so late in the evening. I have cricket practice nearby, so my teammates and I will bring Kala back home every evening. She won’t have to miss her dance practice before her arangetram in mid-September. This will be my rakhi gift to her.”“You don’t have to worry about packing snacks for Karthik’s cricket practice before the inter-school tournament,” Kala jumped in. “I’ll ensure that my brother gets his smoothies and food on time so that his nutrition doesn’t suffer. This will be my rakhi gift for Karthik.”“My children have grown up.” Their mother wiped the tears from her eyes.On Raksha Bandhan, using her mother’s recipe, Kala made kheer for Karthik and his teammates. In fact, she tied rakhis on 11 wrists on that special day. Published - August 28, 2026 11:02 am IST