What is brotherhood and how does it manifest? While Sigma Beta Rho teaches its new members that brotherhood is the invisible bond shared between brothers of this fraternity, skeptics wonder if this is just an ideal to be preached and if it is actually true or not. The purpose of this short essay is to prove, with several testimonies, that not only is the bond that Sigma Beta Rho brothers share real, but it breaks all conventional boundaries – both within and without of the brother’s respective chapter – and even transcends the brotherhood altogether.

Shahan Ritvi, Brother Patriot of UMBC, shares: “There was a time when my mother went to the grocery store and she slipped on the stairs. She got a bloody forehead and passed out for a while. I got a call from my five-year-old sister that my mom fell and I had to get them. I had no car at the time and so I called Akhil Patel, Brother Menace for help, who at the time was eating lunch at a local restaurant with friends. He immediately left his table, with food just served, took maybe at most two bites and rushed to pick me up from my house to take me to the scene. To me, that's qurbani. The fact he drove a half hour out of his way just when his food came out to come help my mother means a lot to me and for that I am forever indebted to Brother Menace.”

Akash Kuruvilla, Brother Patriot of the University of Florida, says of is road trip up the East coast:  “As we were approaching Richmond, our journey hit another snag when a tire of my car blew out on I-85. Brother Deebo and I thought our trip was about to come to an ugly conclusion. But thanks to the close proximity of Lambda chapter, salvation was but a phone call away. Our rescue came in the form of Brother Prophet (Vibin Roy). Within ten minutes, Brother Prophet was on the scene with car jack in hand. He helped us put a spare on and we were back on the road. We finally made it to the restaurant and we were able to meet up some of the Lambda guys. We realized that we were in quite a predicament. We had a car to be fixed and still had to get to D.C. But it was already evening and no car shops were open. Once again, Lambda came through. Brother Senator (Ali Khan) gave me his keys to his SUV and Brothers Wonder (Alex Orlando) and Response (Nikhil Palluvoi) offered to get my tire fixed in the morning by the time I came back from Maryland. The road trip was still alive! The rest of the drive gave me an opportunity to ponder on all the good times we had, all the great Brothers we met, and the reason why we were part of the Sigma Beta Rho family. Life is full of uncertainty, but we can always be assured of the tight bonds of Brotherhood we all share. I thank Sigma Beta Rho for all the relationships it has given me and all the lessons it has taught me.”

Sometimes people approach me and inquire: you’re not Indian, why are you part of Sigma Beta Rho? Each time I respond that it’s multicultural and that the diverse crowd I roll with serves to prove this. Even when brothers who are predominantly South Asian surround me, somehow I take no notice. There is no racial, ethnic or religious boundary in Sigma Beta Rho. Not only is it a brotherhood beyond all barriers, but also to me, at least, it transcends any barrier facing the majority of the world today. There is mutual trust and universal suffrage. This is why I joined the fraternity. I saw this aspect before I pledged and continue to further it as a brother. To me, nothing can compare, and that is why I’m proud of Sigma Beta Rho.

Author: Ari Stillman | Brother Haywire