A Journey of Sibling Bonding: Exploring Delhi with My Younger Brother - Shwetha

 

As a 21-year-old college student studying in Haryana, I eagerly awaited the end of the semester to return home and spend some quality time with my family. Little did I know that this time, my homecoming would be accompanied by a delightful twist. My 16-year-old brother and I came up with a brilliant idea: he would join me in Delhi for a few days before my return. 

We were both excited to tour the bustling capital city together. We saw this as a chance to not only build our relationship but also to make priceless memories that would make an impression on us forever. Our journey began as I picked him up at the Delhi IGI Airport. 

My brother, having lived in Bangalore his entire life, was shocked as soon as he stepped out of the flight, in his words; “Bro, there are like - heat waves”. I’d always thought I could never survive anywhere other than Bangalore because of it’s perfect weather but I was proven wrong. I realised then that I had grown used to the heat quite fast and now it was part of my normal. I had underestimated how well one could adapt to their surroundings, even after just two summers in Delhi. 

Anyhow, once we said our hello, I took him to see my college in Sonipat. Delhi roads are the peak of chaos. A million different vehicles from trucks, buses, TukTuks, bullock carts; there’s nothing that you won’t find on the road. And now if we were to combine this sambhar of vehicles with us in a taxi, travelling 50 km, it would have certainly left both of exhausted. The Delhi metro is a true blessing, we took the metro to Jahangirpuri and from there my university provides a shuttle back to our campus. A tiring journey that would’ve cost us around Rs. 2000 was hence replaced by a light and fun journey. Amidst the crowd of the metro, the atmosphere was just right for conversation to flow naturally. Before we know it, we had reached Jahangirpuri, spending only Rs. 200. 

We had reached 50 mins too early for the shuttle, and it was hot. It was probably the heat but we decided to do something massively stupid; we decided to walk to a Burger King that was supposed to be 1.2 km away. I knew the location it was showing was shady and it was a blistering 3 pm heat, yet we decided to go. Google maps was wrong, there was an open sewage in the supposed Burger King location. We laughed at our stupidity and fortunately, the location was at the literal doorstep of the previous metro station. We dragged our sweaty selves into the metro and relished the two minutes if air conditioning before our stop arrived again. We had at least managed to spend the 50 minutes so we got onto the shuttle and headed to college. 

We spent a wonderful evening at Ashoka University. After walking around in the shady roads of Delhi where the worry for safety is a constant thought, the security and comfort of the university felt like home. We walked around, ate good food and my brother had his first real introduction to what college looks like. Although he’s 16, my brother is still a baby. I figured out that he still has a bedtime and needs to have breakfast by 10 am other wise he gets cranky. Living by yourself in college makes you forget the amount of pampering that you get at home. Being the first child, it was not too hard for me to start taking care of myself, I wonder how the experience will be for my brother. 

Now although I did say that my brother is still a baby, he has learnt to take up responsibility and share blame. Whether it was at the hotel we stayed at when we forgot to collect our key or when we walked in the heat blindly following google maps, we both felt equally stupid. the decision was both of ours. We left from Ashoka University and headed to Zostel. The decision to book a room here instead of a generic hotel was the best one we made. The vibe was perfect and like me, my brother loved the sense of community and the lazy laid back atmosphere. We spend a good amount of our trip just enjoying the place. We played pool, listened to good music, laid on the open sofas for hours just talking; it was a well needed break for both of us. 

However, we did not just spend the whole trip indoors. In fact, we spent an entire day from 10 am to 10 pm, hopping from Sarojini to Connaught Place to Janpath to Khan market. The next day we even toured a little more of Janpath and visited Chandni Chowk. Neither of us where keen on seeing the tourist attractions, whether it was the heat or our dire need for a break, we just were not in the mood for it- so we skipped it. 

Being in our youth allowed us to summon the energy to be able to do all of this. We were so sure that if we’d gone with our parents, the planning would have been completely different. We also realised that both of us are spontaneous planners. The maximum we decided was the general location we’d go to, which also changed multiple times. We visited places as we pleased and spent time there until we were satisfied and ready to move to the next place. We both definitely enjoy this over planned itineraries. 

I feel like we budgeted the trip really well too. We took either walked or took public transport everywhere, metro was our go to. We did eat a few expensive meals but we also ate a few normal simple meals to make up for it. We bought good clothes from the markets and over the years, I’ve learnt to bargain well enough too. I have also finally gotten a grip over buying too many clothes. This I learnt while packing up my dorm room for summer breaks. When you have to fit your entire life in a locker, you end up realising the amount of unnecessary stuff that you accumulate and how every piece of clothing you buy will just add to that ridiculous pile. My brother, on the other hand, is always too lazy to go buy clothes. So in this trip he finished all his shopping for an entire year. 

Our three day trip in Delhi has left an incredible mark on us and strengthened our bond massively. From strolling through the infinite markets to savouring the delectable flavours of Delhi's street food, each experience brought us closer together and ignited a sense of wonder within us. This journey taught us invaluable lessons that extended far beyond the boundaries of Delhi. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to embark on this remarkable adventure with my brother, and I eagerly look forward to the countless more memories we will create.

- Shwetha