'He's my 2 am phone-call buddy…'

…says Manisha Sanghavi, about her brother Parag, who is the most dependable person she knows and is pampered thoroughly by three sisters

Preeti Devnani

The sacred thread symbolising the special bond shared between a brother and sister holds great sentimental value for Dr Parag Sancheti, chairman of Sancheti Institute for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. The only brother amongst three sisters looks forward to Raksha Bandhan, as it is one of those festivals where all four siblings get together to celebrate the love, closeness, friendship and attachment that exists between them. "Manisha Sanghavi, my elder sister was working with me at the hospital for 10 years and would look after its administration. But this year, she has taken over our healthcare academy and I really miss having her around at the hospital. Now, along with diagnosing patients and performing surgeries, I have to also preside over administrative matters at the hospital. Surgery is much easier than handling administration work and my best rakhi gift would be her joining me back at the hospital," says Parag, who teases Manisha that she may be the older one at home, but he is her senior at the workplace. Parag's younger sister Sonal Sancheti is an architect in Mumbai and the youngest Rupal Sancheti has moved base to New Delhi. "Distance separates me from Sonal and Rupal, but as Manisha is here in Pune, I am very close to her. We meet almost everyday," says Parag, who complains that after one Raksha Bandhan, his sisters went off on a trip to Rajasthan with the money he gave them for rakhi and did not even invite him! Manisha smirks at the comment and clarifies with a little giggle, "This year we are planning to take him along on the trip post Raksha Bandhan." The executive director of Sancheti Healthcare Academy says that one of the best Raksha Bandhan days was when Parag had just come back from Scotland and cooked an entire meal for the sisters that included pav bhaji and pulav. "He did make a mess of the entire kitchen, but we thought the gesture was really sweet," says the daughter of Padmashree Dr KH Sancheti, describing her brother as her 2 am phone-call buddy, because he's the most dependable person she knows. "On the maternal side of our family, Parag is the only brother among 11 sisters and has been totally pampered by all of us. We also have a big family celebration with all our cousins on this day and it means a lot to all of us because it is filled with mithais, gifts and warm gatherings," smiles Manisha, while tying a pretty golden coloured rakhi on her little brother's wrist, who in return promises her to always be there for her.