Gagan Pradhan, Himalayan Java’s founder, fondly recalls one of his most cherished childhood memories with his two sisters – Sanju and Shailaja – with a bright smile on his face.[break]
Seated alongside in one of the comfortable couches in Java, Sanju, his older sister, adds as she giggles, “And the games we played! He would be the shopkeeper and we would be his customers. Or he would be our driver with a plate as his steering wheel and the bed as his bus and we would drive around the world.”
Though the siblings now live in different parts of the world, they were inseparable for most of their lives.
“Everywhere we went during our schooldays, we were like a package – if one was there, the other two always tagged along. We were also so content with our company we didn’t even need other friends,” Gagan says.
Even now, despite the geographical distances and their busy schedules, Sanju, who has never missed a Bhai Tika with her brother, says the bond remains strong. Travel and technology definitely have also definitely helped in their proximity.
Pampered by his mother as a child, Gagan says his sisters also eventually took over that role, always keeping him first. From as early as when Sanju was just eight years old, whenever their parents were away, she would prepare their lunch, feed her younger siblings and look after them.
Sanju also adds, “In fact, Gagan has taken good care of us as well. As a kid he was like a bodyguard ready to beat up guys who would trouble us.”
Now an independent single mother, she adds “He’s been the one who always stood up for me. Even when mom and dad wouldn’t understand me, he would, and give me the support and encouragement I needed.”
Unlike most siblings who fight all the time, they say the three of them did not even get into any serious arguments.
Besides the immense love they had for each other, it was also mutual respect that kept them this strong, Sanju says.
With busy schedules, an expanding business and the amount of hard work Gagan puts in, Sanju says the respect has only grown.
As Gagan politely excuses himself for another meeting, Sanju looks at him endearingly and adds, “I hear other people talking about their wonderful bonds with their brothers. But in this one single regard, I feel I’m the luckiest one and above everyone else.”
There they are, then: Sanju, Gagan, and Shailaja as a symphonic trio of one brother and two sisters – three harmonious chords in a sweet song of serene siblinghood.
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