Yet Another Open Letter To Closest American Brother

NOTE: As in every other open letter of mine, most names have been changed for the sake of online privacy.

Hi Andy, this is my third open letter to you (I will have to warn you again; this one too will be long!). It has been 6 months since I wrote the second one; here are the first two for your reference:

1. https://ashwinkumar1989.in/2025/06/10/an-open-letter-to-one-of-my-dearest-brothers/
2. https://ashwinkumar1989.in/2026/01/03/another-open-letter-to-dearest-american-brother/

To refresh your memory, I have covered all my thoughts and experiences with you till your emotional return to USA in Dec 2015. As you know, our very dear Grandpa Ron passed away in March 2016. I must say you took the news almost like a soldier, much better than myself – I was depressed for a few days, leaned onto my Mom for support and only reading “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” all over again helped me get over my depression. Andy, I must say I am proud of you, for the way you managed on your own in a massive country like USA; especially when doing your Masters in a place with significantly less facilities (particularly medical) like Oregon. Also, we have always been in regular touch; proving that distance matters not when a relationship has a strong and unshakeable base.

In the meantime, I got closer to your little brother Ashley; since I kept coming to Chennai frequently after shifting back to Mumbai. I could see more and more of you in Ashley in terms of looks as well as personality, as the years passed. I am also pleased to say that your interest in trains gradually grew; though I wouldn’t call you a “rail enthusiast” as such 😀 . We even occasionally called each other and our calls were usually long. While I started writing articles on a regular basis in this blog of mine, it was thanks to your suggestions that I wrote about the United Airlines fiasco in 2017, as well as the gun violence across various states of USA (particularly Chicago, where you would occasionally stay with Uncle Steve, Aunt Lisa and family). You, Ashley and I had a fantastic dinner at Barbecue Nation (my first time at BBQ Nation) when you visited India in Dec 2017.

As the years trickled by, you kept making visits to India and even otherwise we continued to message each other on Whatsapp. Oh, I missed mentioning Andy, I really loved the Hufflepuff and Slytherin tshirts you and Ashley gifted me in 2017; even better was your comment (when you delivered the Slytherin tshirt) that I should not destroy the package thinking it to be suspicious; a la Mad Eye Moody who once thought one of his birthday presents to be a “cunningly disguised Basilisk Egg” and smashed it to pieces before coming to know it was just a carriage clock 😛 !!This comedic note in a tense scene between Karkaroff and Moody (actually Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr in disguise) is one of the reasons why “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is my favourite book in the series!! 😉

Talking about Harry Potter, “The Order of the Phoenix” was our least favourite book of the series for a variety of reasons; but I re-read it in May 2019 and was floored by the incredible detailing and character building; the best part being the numerous instances of foreshadowing of Sirius Black’s eventual death at the end of the book. What I loved was that you too began to re-read the book; as you once said famously to your Mom – “great minds think alike”; though that was pure irony at play 😀 !! Meanwhile, you continued to walk the talk, when it came to life in USA; by getting a prestigious job in one of the world’s largest MNCs. One of the best things about you is you can work hard AND smart and yours is a job that requires both; no wonder you can hold your own even when working on weekends and late nights!! The pandemic would have been an extremely tough time for you; I can’t even imagine what you would have gone through, dear bro, I myself didn’t fare very well even at a much older age!! It certainly wouldn’t have helped that Ashley himself was down with COVID and had to be quarantined for a while!!

Andy, you and Ashley were some of the first people I reached out to, after the untimely passing of my maternal grandmother “Kylie Grandma” in Oct 2021. You also provided valuable moral support, when I was cracking under the strain of a very stressful research project in March 2022. It was partly thanks to you that I managed to complete the project successfully; you understood me so well because you’ve been through the same. Later in July, when I was again getting burned out due to handling multiple recruitment mandates at a time; it was again you who understood me almost as well as (or maybe even better than) my parents did. I have lost track of how many times I’ve said it, but I am so so lucky to have a brother like you!!!

Our (you, Ashley and I’s) lunch at Coal BBQ in Oct 2023 is something that I’ll never forget. The food was fantastic, especially the ice-creams and Rabdi Jalebi – the only dessert item that you took extra helpings of, since you were anyway used to having excellent ice-creams in USA. However, as always, what I loved most was the time spent with each other; it didn’t feel like we were meeting after several years – rather it felt like a regular meetup!! There was a funny incident which I’ve already mentioned several times but can’t resist mentioning it once more here – I had intended to gift you and Ashley ice-creams (that I’d bought at New Select Store), but totally forgot about it and it was when I returned home that I finally remembered; that too after my Mom asked me – the ice-creams had of course melted by then, but we kept them in the fridge and had them later; the upshot is that my Mom still can’t resist teasing me whenever she remembers this incident!! 😛

By the way, I was absolutely thrilled to be added to a Whatsapp group with just the two of you – Andy and Ashley! The group was (and still is!!) quite active, especially during the 2023 ODI World Cup final. I still remember that day vividly – we were (like almost every other Indian fan) shocked by Pat Cummin’s decision to bowl first and thought it was going to be a role reversal of the 2003 WC final – where India chose to bowl first and got hammered by 125 runs; especially since in the group game of the 2023 WC Australia were skittled for 190-odd and India chased it down with many overs to spare; though after a horror start – 2 for 3. However, as the match progressed, Cummin’s decision began to make more and more sense as India (particularly Virat Kohli and KL Rahul) choked under the pressure applied by the Aus bowlers and made a woefully inadequate total of 240; which Aus ultimately chased down with ease, though after a jittery start – 40-odd for 3. Like you rightly said, it would have been a totally different result had India made 280+ and Aus were 40-odd for 4.

I am sorry that I again have to abruptly end the open letter, Andy. I want to write more and more about you; but at the same time, I want to ensure that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it – so will keep the rest for another letter!! Take care, bro, love you and hope to see you soon!!