I love you, dear brother
And for you, will I always be there
Always, have we been close
Right from our school days
Playing a lot of street cricket
Having loads of entertainment
In the form of masala movies
Listening to AR Rahman classics
Debating on Harry Potter-related topics
Playing carrom and chess
The list used to be endless!

I love you, dear brother
So much fun, have we had together
As children, teenagers, adults
Indeed, have we had many a memorable moment
Playing cricket inside the house
And creating a fair amount of chaos
Racking up highly unrealistic totals in book cricket
Going up to the terrace in the evening
And in the process, watching bats
A fair amount of travelling
Especially when it came to trains
Playing the game "20 Questions"
In regards to both cricket and Harry Potter
Going on talking and talking till the wee hours
On a variety of topics
Seriously, were those days epic!!

I love you, dear brother
For me, have you always been there
Advising me from time to time
Always managing to stay calm
Whenever have I gone on ranting and ranting
Taking time out for me while working
Being a shoulder to cry on
Checking on me often
Bringing out the best in me
Not to mention, I'm sure you will agree
It was thanks to you
That I became such an ardent fan of Harris Jayaraj!!

I love you, dear brother
You are going to have an exciting future
So happy am I, for you
Now, is a treat due
Soon, will we meet
Wish you all the very best
And may God bless you
With a truckload of love, happiness, peace and prosperity!!

You are my idol
You is it, who manages to make me smile
When I am down in the dumps
You are an amazing poetess
Imagine, could your writing ****
Then die, the oppressors shall
One of the fiercest voices against injustice
Always, are you ready to make sacrifices
For the benefit of humanity
And the transformation of our extremely regressive society!

You are my idol
Always, do you manage to cast a spell
Through your mind-shattering poems
As well as edge-of-the-seat novels
An enchantment that is almost impossible to lift
Really, are you a gift
To the literary world
So much do I love, the way you play with words!!

You are my idol
Never, are you idle
Buzzing with ideas all the time
Truly, is your mind sublime
You are the light to my darkness
The fire to my icy coldness
The humour to my seriousness
The subtlety to my directness
The list is endless!!

You are my idol
I like you more than I hate Israel
You mean as much to me
As independence means to the Palestinians
It was such an honour to see you perform
Last December, at G5A Warehouse
In front of a full house
That I felt I was in a dream
It was indeed a surreal feeling
May you keep performing and inspiring
May all your dreams come true
And may Jesus bless you!!

You are my sweetest aunt
However, actually it is true, NOT
Because you are more like my cousin
For anything and everything, do you plan
Always, are you in charge
Very gracefully, do you age
You are a superb dentist
To that, can your patients certainly attest
Also, are you a very loving and caring wife and mother
So happy am I, to be your little brother!

You are my sweetest aunt
Always, do you lead from the front
Especially when it comes to family
A lot of sacrifices, do you make regularly
In fact, patience is your middle name
In order, do you always keep your home
Very mature, have you been
Right since your teens
However, still do you manage to look quite young
Which is saying something!!

You are my sweetest aunt
Rarely, do you drop hints
Always, are you direct
However, you mind not, being imperfect
Of me, have you always been very supportive
Never are you negative!!

You are my sweetest aunt
Help and support, have you always lent
To those who have badly needed it
No one, have you ever hurt
Your advice is extremely valuable
On the whole, are you thoroughly lovable!!

You are my sweetest aunt
Never do you taunt
We have had some fantastic times together
You have been boring, never
I totally love your voice
It’s even sweeter than candy floss
Also, are you multilingual
There is nothing, of which are you not capable!!

You are my sweetest aunt
Always, do you put up with my rants
Rarely, have I seen you angry
Most of the time, are you happy
Anyway, wish you the happiest birthday in advance
And may God bless you always!!

Am I really self-centered?
Well, certainly am I not selfish
Always, do I help people in need
And you definitely cannot accuse me of greed
For my family, cousins and friends
My love and care has no end!

Am I really self-centred?
Not boasting, but am I kind
And loyal to a fault
Certainly, am I a compassionate adult
And do my best to empathise with people
As far as possible
Including even those who don't deserve it
Because, I know what it is like
To be ignored or laughed at
Hence, are there certain jokes
For which I do my best
To keep a poker face
Since, I do not appreciate insensitivity
After all, known am I, for my sensitivity!!

Am I really self-centred?
Yes, there are certain times
When I do tend to be self-obsessed
However, not too often do they come
In fact, often has my heart bled
Even when it was not required!!

Am I really self-centred?
Well, many a mistake have I made
However, always do I apologise
And give people space
I don't repeat my mistakes either
Because, truly do I care
For the wellbeing of others!!

Am I really self-centred?
Many a time, have I cried
Even for relatively small things
Doesn't that tell you something?
The fact that I care a lot
About other people's opinions
Should ideally show, that I am self-centred, NOT
In my life, have I learned a lot of lessons
And, over a period of time, changed for the better
Hope this at least provides the answer
To the question I have been repeatedly asking
Genuinely sorry am I, for all the time wasting
However, I am sure you would have understood by now
As to why and how
This issue means so much to me!!

Thou art my last hope
Do my best I shall, not to mope
Thanks to you, and you alone
Because, you have been through so much pain
Yet, have you always emerged strong
Very rarely, has your judgement been wrong
These days, I seem to be doing nothing right
But thanks to you, do I somehow manage to see the light
You motivate me so much
That I feel like I am on a beach
Watching the waves rise and fall
And being at peace, all in all
Suddenly, do I begin to feel
That the possibility of achieving the impossible is very real
Always, have you been a fighter
Pushing harder and harder
Against the tallest of odds
Carrying an extremely heavy load
On your already weary shoulders
Really, are you a warrior!

Thou art my last hope
Even when there is a queen-sized gap
Between expectations and reality
Never do you think of giving up
Because, so much do you care about humanity
Thanks to you, will I try my best not to give up
Always, do you have the mindset
That there is nothing to lose
And never do you mind, being imperfect
Even when there is everything to lose
You are the person, who puts a smile on my face
During my darkest times
If I emerge successful in life
Remember you I will, for sure
For inspiring me during times of strife
Never do you put on airs
Defined are you, by your humility
Totally can I relate, to your brutal honesty
Truly, are you a lioness
Perfectly fits you, does the Tamil hit song 'Badass'
You are one of the bravest Indian women
A bulwark against upper caste male *******
And in spite of the numerous activities you have been doing
Your maternal instincts continue to remain very strong
Really, are you an allrounder
And I can totally feel your righteous anger
Whenever there is even the tiniest injustice
Above all, do you dream of peace
And a much better world
Well, are you absolute gold
As far as character is concerned
Therefore, you are a person whom I've always greatly admired
Indeed, thou art my last hope
Hence, for you will I always clap
Please keep fighting and keep inspiring
And may the Lord bless you with everything
Which you have ever dreamed of!!

Thou art an amazing human being
Your poetry is something
That I could go on reading and reading
And never feel bored at all
Because, I love how you make the mighty fall
Showing the world that they truly are
Which is, nothing but a bunch of pretentious bores!

Thou art an amazing human being
Thanks to whom, are things always happening
Always, do you hit the bull's eye
When it cometh to calling out casteism and misogyny
Not to mention, are you incredibly courageous
What you write, has often been called "outrageous"
However, in my opinion
Nothing could ever come closer to the truth
And never have I been prouder of any person
Especially given that, nowadays, is there a dearth
Of truly radical thinkers
With the system, does nobody dare to tinker!!

Thou art an amazing human being
I find your books extremely inspiring
Not to mention, is your activism of supreme importance
Particularly given that, nowadays, very few dare to take a chance
And challenge the existing class and caste structure
A role model are you, for everyone who aspires
To try and bring about a societal transformation
Not to mention, repeatedly have you breached the bastion
Of cis hetero male *******!!

Thou art an amazing human being
Never do you give up on anything
Compassionate are you, to the core
A very caring mother
Who somehow manages to devote time to her children
In spite of being in the midst of so much action
Not to mention, a lot of genuine respect do you have
For your fans and admirers
Something that we greatly love
Oh, and ***** your haters!!
Just be the way you are
And may Jesus bless you, for now and forever!!

Thou art my creator
Not to mention, my first teacher
From you, have I learned so much
That it has made me rich
Not in terms of wealth
But in terms of character
Always, have you kept me in good health
And assuaged my doubts and fears
To the greatest extent possible
Thanks to you, do I really believe nothing is impossible!

Thou art my creator
There is so much you have to bear
In order to keep me happy
While I often get snappy
Certainly, have I not been the best son
However, rarely have you been wrong
Always, have you been there for me
Constantly coaxing and cajoling
Scolding and admonishing
And finally
Encouraging and praising!!

Thou art my creator
To me, are you extremely dear
The perfect example of unconditional love
However, at the same time
Rarely have you treated me with kid gloves
Many a time, have you taken the blame
For mistakes I have made
Nevertheless, you are the main reason
For me having a strong sense of right and wrong
You are my moral compass
And whenever there is something amiss
You point me in the right direction
Equally important, are your words of caution!!

Thou art my creator
Not just a mother
But also a friend for life
And my strongest companion in times of strife
With me, have you sometimes been patient to the extreme
You are the beam
Of light that surrounds me from all sides
And ensures I never fade
Often, have you been a mixture of strict and lenient
Sometimes, downright blunt
But you can also be exceedingly sweet
All in all, as a parent
Quite hard are you, to beat!!

Thou art my creator
And quite a colourful character
You are the most precious person
In my entire life
From you, have I learned the most important lessons
Thanks to you, have I been able to ride the rough
And ultimately emerge successful
Finally, I love you above one and all
May God bless you
With loads of love, happiness and peace!!