The day of tying rakhis is a day of much fervour and celebration among the girls, but not so much the guys on campus, who try their darnedest to dodge the eternal thread of brotherhood.
Now every day can be a ‘rakhi’ day for a girl who wants to elude the amorous advances of a boy who keeps saying he wants to get to know her better.
Often, a straightforward rejection can be considered rude. “It’s always difficult to tell a person that you don’t like him, it could sound offensive. There was a guy who was interested in me. I tried to give him the message politely that I didn’t reciprocate his feelings, but he wouldn’t understand. Finally, one day, I just confronted him directly, requesting him to be my brother, since I didn’t have one. The next day he wasn’t around! I guess this is an effective way to get rid of campus stalkers,” says Nikita Vasa, a media student.
Studying in a co-educational set-up can bring up a different set of relationship issues. Vaishnavi Iyer, a final year student, recalls, “There was this incident when a newcomer entered my class and everyone teased him, I helped him out. After that for every bit of monkey business he did. I had to be answerable as I was now entitled to be his ‘sister’!” she laughs.
Says Shruti Iyer, a ninth standard student, “Having a campus brother makes things very clear. When my classmate approached me, even though he knew I was not interested, I was left with no option but to turn him into a brother.” The reaction was instantaneous. “He just darted away! Now we ignore each other. It’s one of the best ways to make things crystal-clear.”
Sometimes when he realises there’s no hope of a romantic relationship, a boy may actually consent to being a brother just to be close to the object of his affection.
“When a guy who I knew had certain feelings towards me came up to me, I started ignoring him. After a few days, he himself said he wanted to be a brother, probably thinking if the relationship changed I would at least talk to him.”
The guy got it right. “We are still in touch,” reports Sweetie Jain, a graduate.