Happy Birthday to You...
Happy Birthday to You...
Happy Birthday dear n0nee...
Happy Birthday to You....


As I receive all the birthday messages from far far away I can't help recalling those days when days like these made me feel like am a Princess. Once much celebrated day! Weren't they cheering you for loosing one more year of your life? Yet it was the most important day. How optimistic! and childish, too. Talking about past, lets see.

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22nd July, 2007 (11.30 p.m)
I, wasting my time watching some hindi crap movie, named "Hum Sath Sath hain" (that my cable wala and my mom loved the most). While imitating and commenting on that shit showing how 3 brothers share this unique bond of love among them and how they would overcome every highs and lows without complaining once to God or their evil mom, I glance at my mobile time to time fearing I might have missed hearing my cellphone beep for I haven't received any msg for last whole hour! Strange! (I was quite well-known for receving sms all day long, even at very odd timings and yup having my cellphone by my side lest I get late replying to any sms I receive)

By 11.55 p.m I sense my siblings counting every second under their breath, and I pretend as if I totally forgot about the next day or atleast am not expecting any wishes from these brothers and sisters with whom I under normal circumstances shared a much-loved-irritating-bond full of troubles,violence and mental disorder. I keep on mocking one of the characters my mom much adored until the time piece started filling air with melodious music (that could pat you to sleep) followed by twelve "BIG"-bangs (that could shake your senses away).

Suddenly the landline phone started ringing continously and my previously dumb and dead mobile came to life as it started filling with Birthday wishes, from friends and cousins but the first few of them were from my own siblings sitting right in front of me . Don't be confused. We were so loyal to technology that we usually smsed each other from one room to other and even some times couldn't help leaving scraps on others orkut profile. Scraps as important as "It is 3.30 a.m now and I can see you sleeping on your side of the bed. I remember that I didn't tell mom I would be late tomorrow, inform her if I forget to tell her in the morning." and scraps as lame as "Whenever you read this scrap check my scrapbook and text msg me if I received any new message after Anday-Wala-Baba-SAien's scrap."

Back to Birthday, finally it is 12.00 a.m of 23rd July, 2007
Cheerfully I check every messages I received and reading out loud the funniest ones of them that I dare not to share here (being a little sorry for my sense of humour I had back then). Receiving calls and sms for next two hours its time to get to bed.

Next day was much simpler, I woke up late at 1.30 p.m or so, as I usually did, nothing much to do since was on vacation, passing time until its 6;00 p.m. Knock on the door and its me rushing to get my "piece of cake". Dad always had his own way of wishing birthday, when we were young, he would bring us gifts like Parker pen or any board game (and for me it was always something special or unique to us like an electronic clock that tells time of 15 different countries of the world and has this simple calculator, 30 different alarm tones, stopwatch, converter for different measurements and a small torch O.k. these functions are available even in Nokia 1100 but back then when I got this gift it, mobile phone was just a theory, am talking about 1997 or 98...thats an advantage of being Daddy's Dearest Daughter!) Having my cake I unwrap my present, wrapper being an envelope and gift ofcourse mouth-watering, hand-itching big fat money. What a perfect gift since I was running short of mobile credit! (While writing this I can't help thinking what was I? A Mobile-monster???)

Its around 8.00 p.m and here, with a knock on door, is my cutest and darling cousin, my sweetum, apple of my eye, Rafey. 5 year old my favourite baby-bro and I being his favourite 'baji' and best friend-as he said; always enjoyed his affection. Here he is with his special gifts; a drawing of me and him holding hands, an sticker of Spiderman, and a tissue paper perfumed with his mom's cologne (which I assume he learned to do from some hindi movie!). Cuddling him in my arms I listen to his made-up 'true stories' of this parrot he knows whom he heard talking to a sparrow, and then cat and dog, and how that parrot locked the cat, 'cause she tried to eat sparrow, in his cage and ran away using dog as his horse!

10.00p.m and its time for late dinner, Biryani, Kabab and my fav Achar Gosht; all cooked by mom specially for me and this reminds me of how my parents always made it very special for us!

Later that night, content and full of emotions of being important I rest my head on my pillow and soon am flying high!

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And now here I am, just an year later same day 23rd July , 2008 . Away from all those loved ones, my making-me-feel-special parents, much-irritating-loving siblings, friends from school/ college/ tuition centre and where not, my cute and not-so-cute cousins and God knows who else...

I did receive those
....cheerful sms from friends "wishing you your first birthday with your hubby, hoping you both enjoy and celebrate it in the best way possible"
....irritating sms.s from my siblings "wishing you your most boring birthday alone, hoping jeej will have work pressure today and comes as late as possible"
....anonymous sms.s from those who forgot to mention their name on their sms "wishing you the best in life"
....heartening phone calls from my parents "wishing you a long life ahead with your hubby"
....loving calls from parents-in-law "wishing you both happiness of love, inner peace, and future family"
....naughty calls from siblings-in-law "wishing my brother, strength and confidence to accept his fate and look ahead your next birthday with a cold sigh!"
...And most important wishes from 'him' "........... ............"


Thankyou all for making my first Birthday much easier and less painful for me than I had expected it to be!