My Brother by Roopa Sarah Thomas

Being the youngest, he has been subject to much pampering. He has been blessed with several baby-sounding pet names. But we are also warned suitably when friends make an appearance. "You are not to use those names when my friends are here," he warns, faking anger. But in private, he thrives on the pampering.

If my mom isn't making him his favourite cake, it's moi, the big sister, who gives him his fill of presents. Pune, for him, is not the place where his sister studies, but a huge shopping mall. "Get me something cool and trendy," he orders. And when I return with those fancy bracelets, hats, chains, footwear and bags, he fakes disinterest. But when he thinks no one is looking, he dresses up and admires himself in the mirror. Then he makes plans with friends to meet up in happening joints. His friends dressed in similar fashion (courtsey: older siblings) drive up in fancy cars, looking "casually hep." Sipping coffee in Barista over a game of Scrabble (he is good at the game), they hope they are being noticed.

His favourite pastime involves watching TV. Most evenings, he settles down to watch comedies with a straight face. He also pretends to be disgusted at those of us who laugh hysterically when Frasier or Chandler (Friends) says something funny. But this is an effect of a movie we watched when we were much younger. We went to a theatre to watch Uncle Bun. Apart from an oversized protagonist, the movie was filled with senseless slapstick comedy. No one was impressed. But we were also mildly aware of the laughing figure beside me. We teased him about it for years. So perhaps he has vowed to laugh at such comedies only in private.

He is quite a favourite with girls (little ones and older ones). In school, there was always one lucky girl who would get to carry his bag. The other would just have to resort to carrying his water bottle (not very chivalrous). A veteran at losing things, he has lost everything - from pencils to bags to his uniform trousers (when he had changed into shorts for his PT class. But we prefer telling people he returned without his pants because he had lost them. And trust me, the response we got was worth it).

He loves eating out, but he prefers doing that with friends or alone. And when he is out with the family, he prays fervently that he doesn't run into friends, who would smile wickedly and say, "Oh, you go out with your parents!" A movie buff, he isn't much of a reader (though he loved the Harry Potter series). He is also quite a prankster. While in school teachers complained that he was too naughty. If he wasn't teasing other classmates and friends, he was busy teasing teachers. But he almost always got away with it, because of teachers who were too busy cooing, "Oh, he is so cute."

For now he is busy repeating yet another "soon-to-become" stale joke about how his friend has AIDS (Arrears In Different Subjects). And this will be followed by another trip to the mirror where he will ponder over what hairdo to have next. So for now, that is all about this entertainer.