My brother and I cuddle. We sleep together. We baby each other. And, apparently, that is enough to make some people uncomfortable.

Some relatives, with their conservative ideas of how a brother and sister should behave, have questioned us with a disbelieving, “Tum log yeh sab bhi karte ho?” A few former college friends have made incestuous remarks about our relationship. It is a strange thing to have to defend — the fact that I love my younger brother and am comfortable showing it. And it is disconcerting the way society can interpret this innocent relationship.