Have you ever fought over the bathroom with someone or gotten the hard part of a teddy bear eye thrown at your head as a kid? I can bet right now that you’re not the only child.
I have three siblings: the oldest, Anik, the middle child, Navin, and Karishma (Karish), the youngest. Separated by a six-year age gap with my brother, Anik, a two-year age gap with Navin, and a four-minute age gap with my identical twin sister, Karish, you can imagine there was never a dull moment growing up with these guys. Each one of my siblings has helped shape me into who I am today, and the memories, both good and bad, we have shared truly have had an impact on me.
It’s funny because I feel like I don’t have too many photos of all four siblings together, but the one above is from our Canada trip in 2024, where one of our stops was in Montreal. This is my favorite photo of us, not only because of the big red heart, but because we are all close yet far apart: like real life. Navin is in Indiana, Anik and Karish are in New Jersey, and I’m in Connecticut.
This goes to show that distance may define us, but love unites us.
Anik, Navin, and Karish, if you’re reading this – welcome to Her Campus: the article where I get to brag about how much I love you guys.
the eldest, anik
Anik is not only my brother, but almost like my second dad because of our big age gap. He would often help Karish, Navin, and me with homework because my parents were so busy with work, and he’d never lose his patience. I’m sure we all know the “Johnny has five apples” math problem, and most of us may have memories of someone screaming at our younger self to understand, but Anik never yelled when he taught us math. When I was in second grade, Anik was in eighth grade, and in the midst of all his difficult schoolwork, he’d always make time to help me with anything I needed. Even the dumbest things. For example, one time when I was in fourth grade, I asked him if he could help me figure out the arrangement of stuffed animals on my bed. The poor thing stopped his SAT work and spent 20 minutes in my room, which consisted of me lecturing him about the importance of all my stuffed animals.
Growing up, Anik was a big role model for my other siblings and me. He worked so hard in and outside of school, and still made sure we got our big brother hugs. He put up with so much of Navin, Karish, and my annoyances that I genuinely don’t know how he didn’t lose his temper every second of the day.
The photo above is my favorite of us, from 2024 when our family went to a wedding in Canada. Anik and I bonded over how every aunty there said, “I held you as a baby,” and having zero recollection of that, and we just went back and forth to the buffet about 10 times that night.
Going back to our memories together, I remember during my senior year of high school, I broke down crying because I was so overwhelmed with college applications, and Anik walked up to me and said, “Hansi, I am so proud of you.” This made me cry 10 times harder. I didn’t know siblings could tell each other that they’re proud of you. I only thought parents were supposed to do that. He ended up sitting with me at the dining table while we looked through colleges and the entire Common App website. I couldn’t have done it without him.
Another thing Anik has helped me with is my motivation to be independent. I remember struggling so much with my adjustment to college during my first semester as a freshman, and I would call Anik every day, crying, venting, and storytelling about my day, and I never asked him how his day was or how he was doing. His level of compassion for his younger siblings is so touching, and I know he’d make such an amazing dad one day because of how great he was to my other siblings and me growing up.
On an interesting note, Anik gives great fashion advice. I also have his beautiful girlfriend, Shivani, to thank for that influence on him, but anytime I FaceTime him, there’s almost a 70% chance it’s for fashion advice. He always gives me his honest opinion and is so genuine. That’s another thing I love about Anik. He doesn’t have a fragile masculinity. I think it’s easy for older brothers to not want to talk to their younger sisters or make the effort to spend time with them, but Anik always goes the extra mile with Karish and me. He always takes us out to eat, on shopping sprees, drives with long talks and Taco Bell stops, makes us laugh with dark humor jokes, and of course, gives great hugs.
He is like my therapist, Google, fashion person, and brother all in one.
A song that reminds me of him is “One More Night” by Maroon 5. For my mom’s birthday in 2023, Anik bought my siblings and her concert tickets for a “We Can Survive” by Audacity concert, featuring David Kushner, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, and One Republic. I vividly remember Anik and me screaming the lyrics, and we both lost our voices the next day. Most people may be embarrassed to sing with their older brother, but Anik and I sing like it’s our last day alive.
I realized last year, during my freshman year, that Anik taught me to dance like no one is watching and to always do what makes me happy.
He was always there for me in college. I remember being so scared to go to the University of Connecticut because my twin, Karish, and I weren’t going to the same college. I actually wrote an article about this last year, in case you are in a similar boat and want to read it here. Getting back to the point, Anik and only a few other family members were the ones who pushed me to go to UConn and go after my dream school. He was so understanding with my anxieties about moving away from home, but looking at where I’m at now, I can’t imagine going to another school besides UConn! He always offers a fresh perspective while keeping in mind my sensitivity and feelings.
I appreciate that so much about him and I really hope he knows that.
the middle guy, navin
Navin was always the nonchalant, frat bro, who every family member seemed to love the most. I could literally paint the Mona Lisa, and no one would care, but if Navin smiled, everyone would go “aw.” All jokes aside, as much as Navin is nonchalant about everything, he gives great advice and is there for me when I need it. Whenever I need a second opinion on something, he always offers a nice perspective and doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
Growing up with Navin, my mom called him, my twin, and I “the triplets” because we only had a two-year age gap. Navin may not admit it, but I remember the three of us playing with Lalaloopsy dolls together, and that was such a core memory of my childhood. I think Santa even bought him a few of the boy Lalaloopsy dolls at some point!
On another tangent, I find it so funny that I don’t have a photo of just him and me together! I did have a photo of the triplets, thankfully, from Karish and my high school graduation. Similar to Anik, Navin was one of those few family members to push us to go to different colleges. Not because he wanted us to be apart, but because he knew we could reach our full potential only if we separated. He’s wise, nonchalant, and calm to the point where if I’m ever anxious, I will call him to help calm me down. I wouldn’t change that connection for the world.
Growing up, we’d fight over the remote, and I remember Navin would take the TV remote with him to school so he’d be the first one to watch anything when we all came home. This one time, I was so frustrated that he kept doing that, so instead of putting a regular fork in his lunch box, I swapped it out with a princess fork. He came home, and by the sly look I gave him, he never brought the TV remote with him to school again.
A vivid stream of memories I have with Navin is when he would drive Karish and me with him to high school, and we would be screaming at him that we were going to be late, but he drove like a Nascar driver, so instead of getting to school in 10 minutes, we’d get to school in three minutes. But that’s when the other dilemma popped up: him being a social butterfly. It was like driving with a celebrity. Everyone knew who he was, and it took us about 20 minutes to walk into school because Navin would wave and talk to about 50 people.
There was a certain point in high school, two weeks in, where Navin stopped walking with Karish and me into school because I’m pretty sure we ruined his vibe or social status. But we weren’t bothered by that. We got a free ride to school, great music by Navin the DJ, and it was worth it to be a little car sick from how fast he drove.
Navin was such a great DJ when he would drive Karish and me to school, and the song “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac always comes to mind when I reflect on those times. When he was driving, I would add 90% of the songs he played to my Spotify, and this was my first song where I did just that. Whenever I hear it, it just reminds me of him.
When I think about Navin, I think about how baseball and softball brought us together. I have been playing softball since I was five, and he has been playing baseball since he was five as well. I was determined to make the middle school softball team. Navin was on his middle school and high school baseball teams, so I felt extra inspired by him. He understood that passion and was my biggest cheerleader. Every day after school, he would spend one to two hours with me in the backyard working on pitching, hitting, catching, and even sliding. I knew his schedule was hectic, but he, like Anik, made the time to help me work towards my goal. I also have to mention that I never asked him to help me. He volunteered, and he probably saw how depressing it was watching his sister not throw a pitch in the strike zone!
All jokes aside, in the beginning, each time we practiced, I was just focused on making the team, but as time went on, I couldn’t care less about making the team, and I just loved the one-on-one quality time together. I felt so loved and touched that he would patiently work with me and motivate me to do better each day and not strive for perfection, but for effort. We practiced for two months straight in the cold weather, since tryouts were in the spring, and when tryouts came, I felt confident in my learning. I didn’t end up making the team, but I wasn’t sad about it. The quality time with Navin touched my heart and soul in a way that I had never felt before.
The lessons didn’t stop there. Navin is a phenomenal baseball player and coach. I think we both have a mutual bond about leadership. I channeled my energy towards dance, and he did with baseball. I’m a dance captain for UConn’s intercollegiate hip-hop fusion dance team, and Navin coached baseball in high school. He always remained calm when coaching and motivated the players, and I try to embody that work ethic when I’m teaching. Not a lot of people can say they learned their work ethic from their big brother, so I don’t take that for granted, ever.
Thank you, Navin.
my identical twin, karish
I may be biased when I say that Karish is my favorite sibling, and I think it’s because she’s also my best friend in the entire world. We share the same DNA, know everything about each other, and can genuinely read each other’s minds. Not in a superhero way, but in a twin way.
Our first words were “Akka,” which means older sister in Tamil. Even though we were the same age, I just find it so cute how that was our first word.
Growing up together was so fun. My mom would dress us up in the same outfits until we were in third grade, and I never disliked that. We loved being similar and how no one could tell us apart. From kindergarten to fifth grade, we were in the same classes, but then, once sixth grade came, we were forced to be in separate classes. We were so sad because there were other twins in our grade who got to stay together, so when we asked the teacher why we got separated, she told us it was because we talked to each other too much. But don’t worry, best believe that every time we saw each other in the halls, we got so excited and had our quick two-minute talks.
Outside of going to school together, I have so many memories that Karish and I have shared. We loved playing Lalaloopsy together, baking cookies, shopping, dancing, and pretty much all the girly activities. Karish was always better at doing hair and makeup, and I distinctly remember her practicing her French braiding skills on my hair and yelling at me every time I moved. When I learned how to braid my hair in fifth grade, I remember being so excited to show her, and the first thing she said to me was, “It’s still messy, but not bad.” We are both brutally honest with each other, and I think that’s one of the things I love about our friendship. We have no filter with one another and can appreciate each other’s honesty and feedback. We are also incredibly protective of one another, so I love that part about us.
Karish and I have about 500 inside jokes since we were little girls. We can give each other one look, and we know exactly what the other one is thinking. Karish always knows how I’m feeling, and even from Rutgers, when I had a bad day at UConn, she just senses it and calls me. I love talking on the phone with anyone, but when she calls me, she’s my favorite person to answer.
Something I loved growing up was the fact that we were always together and shared a room. She’d be the first person I talked to when I woke up and the last person I’d talk to before going to bed. I see on Instagram and TikTok the “dream house” people have with their best friend next door. I’m grateful enough to have had that for the last 18 years, and even though in college we don’t share a room, I’m always grateful for the times we did. It’s honestly pretty sad to think there won’t ever be a time in our future anytime soon where we’ll be together 24/7 like when we were kids. I really took that time for granted, and I miss sharing a room with my best friend.
I could talk for ten years about my favorite memories with this amazing girl, but my most recent favorite memory is when we went to Boston for the first time with my dad this past summer. My poor dad worked all week while we got a free vacation.
The photo below is from the Ice Cream Museum in Boston. Karish and I have been to the Ice Cream Museum and the Color Factory in New York City, but the one in Boston was our favorite. We love going to picturesque places like this and taking a million pictures. We took our favorite kind of photo, a 0.5, in the sprinkle pool, and you can see my dad standing in the back waiting patiently, because we spent an hour in there taking pictures.
Huge shoutout to Karish for planning the entire trip. I just blindly followed her while we discovered Boston together. Our favorite thing to do together is shop, and Boston was just perfect for that. My dad’s Capital One credit card suffers a lot when itsees Karish and me coming. With my vertigo, I’m not the strongest shopper for 20 stores back-to-back, but Karish always made sure I had a bench and a snack for our shopping trips, and she took care of me while I held all her shopping bags. We did so much damage on Newbury Street, and when we came back to the hotel, we just saw my dad’s eyes immediately find the 10 shopping bags we tried hiding. Well, we put it right in the open because we were too high on the shopping to hide it. That’s another thing I love about Karish and our friendship. We genuinely share one brain cell when we’re together, and it’s so fun to have someone like that in your life.
Besides shopping, we love trying out new cafes. In Boston, we tried out the iconic Tatte Bakery and Cafe, and the workers were so blown away by the fact that we were twins. Karish and I love seeing people’s reactions to how similar we look, and it’s always a core memory for us when someone asks us, “Are you guys twins?!”
The song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish reminds me of Karish because this song was released around the same time we decided to go to different colleges. I’d always listen to this song on the walk to class, and it just reminded me so much of Karish.
Outside of those memories with her, something someone who has never met Karish should know how driven and passionate she is. She is studying at Rutgers to follow the career footsteps of our mom and become an occupational therapist. She is incredibly hard on herself, but strives to be the best student she can be, and her brain reminds me of a sponge because of how much she loves to learn and absorb. I love how I am studying to become a speech language pathologist, and she is pursuing occupational therapy because, I mean, how twin coded is that?! I know she is going to be a fantastic occupational therapist one day, and who knows, maybe she and I will open up an OT and SLP twin private practice together.
I’m so excited for all the future traveling trips, cafe discoveries, careers, and 0.5’s, Karish!
the twins vs the brothers
Growing up, Karish and I would get asked all the time, “Are your brothers twins too?” This was so funny because we had always wondered how our lives would be different if we had an older set of twin brothers. But, a 26-year-old and a 22-year-old work!
Two boys, two girls; two older brothers, two younger sisters; two brothers and two twins, what could we possibly fight about?
Answer: quite literally anything and everything.
Those arguments started when we were young and fought over what channel was on TV. Navin and Anik wanted Teen Nick, and Karish and I wanted Disney Channel. The boys won that argument, but we bonded over how funny Coco Wexler from Zoey 101 was and how we all loved Drake and Josh. Partly because I’m sure Megan reminded the boys of Karish and me. After the TV arguments, we started fighting over random things, but the pattern I quickly noticed was that I was at an advantage. Why?
Well, because I had my twin!
The only person who can mess with Karish or me is each other, no one else. We are the first to defend each other, and trust me, you won’t win an argument if the twin duo is against you. A recurring example was when Karish and I would yell at the boys for not helping load the dishwasher. We were neat freaks growing up and loved a clean house. My brothers were the exact opposite. They would be the kind of people to add more plates and cups to the sink once you are near the end of the task. If one of us yelled at them, they wouldn’t listen, but when they had two people with high-pitched voices screaming at them, then they would help out.
Karish and I would also become Megan from Drake and Josh because we’d mess with the boys so much. Karish and I would methodically plot to get back at the boys. Now, I can’t say it in this article, or I’d give our tactics away, but let’s just say the boys picked up on our alliance at a young age as well. We all have our bickering moments, but we do it out of protectiveness and love.
As we got older, we started to fight over who could have the shared car for the weekend, whose turn it was to pay for gas, or who left the gas tank with one bar for the next person. A common variable in this was the car, but the boys usually won the argument because they had farther drives, and Karish and I would just go to the mall. But the recurring issue of who left the car’s gas tank with one bar still happens today. My bet is it’s Anik, but I could be completely wrong and just outing him in this article.
Growing up, you know you’re older, and your sibling bond is strong when you guys don’t tattle on each other anymore and take cover for one another. The number of times one of us has broken something in the house or forgotten to take out the trash, we all easily had each other’s backs and didn’t hesitate to help the other out.
Now, you know the songs that remind me of each of them, but this song reminds me of all of us. Through all the fights and disagreements, I know I can count on them wherever necessary.
finding our identities
With four siblings in the house, there were times when it was easy to follow my siblings’ footsteps and forget to carve my own path. I admired all of my siblings in their own unique way, but there were times we almost forgot about ourselves.
The photo below is one of my favorites and it relates to our identities. It was taken in 2022 when we went to Outer banks North Carolina on a boat cruise. We each have a different style and haircut, but all had a way to come together and capture the moment.
Something I loved that my parents did is they signed us up for a lot of extracurriculars, sports, and different activities. Karish and I did the same ones, but at the end of the day, I had my best friend with me everywhere, so I loved it. We were involved in Girl Scouts, softball, dance (both Indian and Western styles), tennis, swimming, painting, and so much more. My brothers, on the other hand, were involved in similar things but in a different font, including tennis, baseball, Taekwondo, soccer, swimming, academic extracurriculars, and more. As much as these activities were different, they were similar because I remember going to my brother’s baseball games growing up, and they would come to our softball games. I remember being bored out of my mind during the boys’ Taekwondo practices, but I’m sure that’s how they felt at my dance performances! To quote one of our favorite shows we watched together, Cobra Kai, “It’s all about balance.“
Our mom was the girl scout troop leader and my dad helped out with the baseball/softball coaching, so it was truly so special having that familial bond growing up.
I know this article is about my siblings, but I have to mention my parents because they’re the reason we’re on this Earth! A huge shoutout to my mom (Amma) because you signed us up for all these activities and drove us to everything, which truly helped us all find our passions. I am still in love with dance, Karish loves to play tennis, Navin loves baseball, and Anik channeled his inner Martial Arts training to pursue his passion for MMA and UFC media. And a huge shoutout to my dad (Appa) for funding all of these activities! Another special shoutout to that Capital One Card! Amma and Appa, you both always showed up to every dance performance, Taekwondo ceremony, baseball/softball game, Girl Scout ceremony, and everything else. Anik, Navin, Karish, and I cannot thank you both enough for always being there for us. The biggest gift you gave all of us was our siblings.
Going back to siblings, as much as we are bonded siblings, I love how we are each passionate about different things and continue to inspire and support one another with our endeavors. I think it’s easy for sibling rivalries and jealousy to come out, but I’m grateful that we always remained appreciative of each other’s efforts and passions.
my favorite memories
For the last 19 years, I have absolutely cherished every memory with my siblings. Whether it’s going on Cava runs together or being together for the holidays, and even the fights we’ve had. In my opinion, you often fight with people you love, so every fight we have, I honestly appreciate.
I think my favorite memory of all of us was when Karish and I came home from college during our freshman year winter break and woke up at 2 a.m. to get a snack from the kitchen, and we saw Anik and Navin in there, also getting a 2 a.m. snack. We all chatted for so long, and we never talked that much as kids. It really showed me how old we were getting and how much I missed these guys in college. As we told each other stories from college, we all shared a special sibling moment that sometimes, when I’m home for break, I go into the kitchen at 2 a.m., waiting for that memory to be recreated. Hint, hint!
Reflecting outside of the home, another favorite memory I remember is when we all visited Canada for a wedding, and it was so fun to finally have our sibling time. Karish and I had just graduated from high school, Navin was home for summer break from Indiana University, and Anik was home from New York City, so the timing fell perfectly. I thought I was going to be dancing with Karish the entire wedding weekend, but my brothers joined in, and we had a great time at all the events. The photo below is from the Sangeet, which is basically a pre-wedding dance party, and we had a ball. I was so surprised to see my brothers show off their moves and confidently join in on some traditional dances. A true example of no fragile masculinities in our household, and that is something I love about Anik and Navin! I think being raised with sisters definitely helped that, but I won’t take all the credit.
Another memory that I love, which often gets recreated, is playing Cards Against Humanity with them. Anik always gets the best cards, and it is not even a joke. The amount of laughter I remember from each of these game nights, where Anik, as usual, wins, absolutely makes my heart so happy. It’s not even the game that matters, but being in my siblings’ company is such a boost of serotonin in my heart that I just cherish wholeheartedly.
Because we are all grown up and have our own busy schedules, we don’t get to see each other often, but when we all see each other after a long time, our routine of a Cava run and catch-up talks is my favorite. Not only because Anik always treats his younger siblings, but because we get an escape that makes us feel like we all never left home and just soak in the time we have together.
to my siblings
Some may argue that being the only child is the best thing ever. Unlimited attention, your own room, and possibly more one-on-one time with your parents. I used to think that was the best life, but after these last 19 years, I 100% disagree. Having siblings is like having missing puzzle pieces that beautifully fit into your life. I can’t imagine growing up without any of these guys, and I’m sure they’d say the same. I tend to imagine what my life would be like without my three favorite people, but then my mind just can’t fathom that. I mean, without them, we wouldn’t have this adorable photo of all of us staring at a caterpillar for the first time! Well, everyone but Karish. She, as you can tell, is staring at the camera. Or maybe you thought that was me?
Anik, Navin, and Karish, I know I don’t say it enough, but you guys are truly my world and I wouldn’t trade you guys for anything. Growing up with you guys has been the biggest blessing I could ever ask for, and you guys have been my rock for the last 19 years. I’m so excited to see where we’ll all be in ten years and how much closer our bond will have grown.
I love you all and I am so incredibly proud of each of you.
Xoxo,
Hansi