Illustration/Uday Mohite

So, I use the word 'bro' a lot. Bro transcends language. It's beyond Hindi or English. "Hey bro, chill" is the same as 'Hey bro, tension mat le' in the city. See 'bro' is not the same as 'brother', even though it is the abbreviation — brother is a very 'senti' word in a place like Mumbai. Say you scratch a guy's car as you both try and squeeze into the one lane that Linking Road has become. Usually all is forgiven when you say, "Sorry brother". It has rakhi-tying, 'mera pas ma hai' connotations.