“So handsome my son looks!” Parvati said, neatly tucking in Ganesha’s silk dhoti. “Where are your pearl necklaces?”
“Oh, I’ll wear them later. I have to go! Karthikeya will be waiting for me.”
“But…” Before Parvati could stop him, Ganesha had rushed out.
“Paravani, where is Karthikeya?” Ganesha asked his brother’s vahana.
“Kiyan! Kiyan! Kiyan!” the peacock replied.
“How can he still be asleep?” Ganesha frowned.
“Wake up, sleepy head! Do you know what day it is today?” Ganesha beamed as he entered their chamber. Karthikeya looked at Ganesha through his half-opened eyes and mumbled, “It’s a lazy day.”
“Noooo…it’s my birthday,” Ganesha reminded him.
“Oh, right. Sorry…happy birthday…” yawned Karthikeya, barely sitting up on the bed.
“Ugh! Stop it! Where’s my gift?” Ganesha asked, excitedly.
Karthikeya blinked at him sleepily and yawned again. “I don’t have a gift for you.”
“Oh, but you do! Remember you promised to take me on a ride on Paravani? Here I am, ready for my ride. Come, let’s go!” Ganesha said.
“Daddy says one mustn’t ride their vahana when one is feeling sleepy,” mumbling so, Karthikeya went back to sleep.
Ganesha waited and waited. Finally, more than an hour later, Karthikeya was up and ready. “Happy birthday again!” he said more chirpily this time and gave Ganesha a tight hug.
“Thank you! Shall we go now?” Ganesha asked.
“Where to?” Karthikeya asked.
“On a peacock ride,” Ganesha smiled.
“Oh, that? Actually…Daddy wants me to polish all the weapons in the house. I must do that first,” Karthikeya shrugged.
“But the ride won’t take much time,” insisted Ganesha. “You can finish the chore once we return.”
Karthikeya refused. “I will be done soon, and then we can go for the ride. Why don’t you go celebrate with your friends in the meantime?”
“All right,” Ganesha sulked and went to meet his friends.
They had brought him many yummy treats and cute handmade gifts, which made Ganesha feel rather special. But at the back of his mind, Ganesha was still thinking about Karthikeya’s promise.
“Do you like it, Ganesha?” a friend asked.
“Huh? Yes, the peacock is good,” Ganesha replied absent-mindedly.
“Peacock? I was asking about the modaks my sister and I made for you.” Ganesha’s friend seemed confused.
“Yes, yes! They are delicious!” Ganesha said and quickly polished off the sweets before heading home.
“Hi,” Ganesha said as he peeped into the armoury, where Karthikeya was admiring his work. The whole room dazzled, reflecting the shine of the weapons he had cleaned and polished.
“Hi, I was thinking…we should go in the evening. It’s too hot now. I don’t want Paravani to get a sunstroke. Also, dusk is a beautiful time to see the universe.” Karthikeya turned Ganesha away once again.
But when evening came, Karthikeya went out to play with his friends, forgetting all about his promise to his brother.
A heartbroken Ganesha went to the vahanas’ chamber and snuggled next to Nandi. The bull comforted him with gentle nudges. The vahanas, who had observed all that had been going on between the brothers since morning, felt bad to see Ganesha sad. It was his birthday, after all.
So, Paravani flew straight to Parvati’s balcony. “Kiyan! Kiyan!”
“Are you hungry, Paravani?” Parvati asked, wondering why the peacock had come to her.
Then, she noticed that even Mooshika and Dawon were trying to get her attention from the garden below. They would look at her, then hurry a few feet in the opposite direction and pause, as if they were waiting for her.
“You three want me to follow you?” Parvati asked, finding this behaviour quite strange.
“Kiyaan! Kiyaaaan!” Paravani said, relieved that the goddess had understood.
The three vahanas took Parvati straight to their chamber, where Ganesha was with Nandi.
“What’s the matter, birthday boy?” Parvati asked, sensing her son’s sadness.
“Nothing,” murmured Ganesha.
“Then why do you look so glum? The Ganesha I know loves his birthday. Loves dressing up, gobbling scrumptious foods, getting gifts… Did you not like the silk dhoti that Daddy and I gifted you?” Parvati asked.
“No, it is lovely,” Ganesha said, trying to sound cheerful.
“Is it Karthikeya’s gift then? Wait a minute… what did your brother gift you? You haven’t even shown it to me,” Parvati said, gently tickling Ganesha to make him laugh.
Ganesha smiled a little for his mother’s sake. “He hasn’t given me my gift yet, Ma.”
“Oh, so that’s what this is about!” Parvati wondered aloud.
Ganesha reluctantly told her about Karthikeya’s promise, and how he had waited all day for him to fulfil it.
Excerpted with permission from ‘Take One For a Ride’ in Threads That Bind: Sibling Stories from Indian Mythology, Nalini Ramachandran, illustrated by Sayani Ray, Puffin Books.
