He was truly the best big brother anyone could ever have. He brought a lot of happiness in my life which I will always cherish. Being with him was the best moments of my life. He made me laugh and sometimes cry by teasing me. Remembering those times, it still brings a smile on my face. He was nine years elder to me, yet that didn’t bother much in our relationship.

He suffered from Muscular Dystrophy. He couldn’t walk after a few years. But he was so brave and courageous that he left all of us in awe. To me, he was not only a brother; he was my best friend, a guide, a guardian. From ABCD to whatever I know, it is all because of him.

He went to the nearest school in a wheelchair and also gained a lot of knowledge through TV channels.

I prayed every day that he would be fine. When we were younger, we used to call the fallen eyelashes as ‘wish charms’. Wherever we got fallen eyelashes, we used to wish and blow it away. I always wished that my brother would be fine.

Words like smart, intelligent, heroic, funny, active, curious, gallant, studious are not enough to describe him. He always stood first in class. He was my inspiration. He had an amazing character that everyone loved. Every person was fond of him. He taught me how to smile no matter how much difficulty we were facing. I learnt many things from him that have helped me through the painful times of my life.

Remembering him still brings tears to my eyes. He was and always will be my role model. To be like him is my dream. I cannot believe I had such a good brother. I must have done really good deeds in my previous life to have had him as my brother. It gives me great pride to say that I am Anushpa’s sister.

He is no longer with us, but I will always remember him. I want to tell him, ‘Wherever you are, I want you to know that I miss you. You’re the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me and I love you’.

— Aayushree Nepal, Class X, GEMS