Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time

30th July. It comes every year and I will be at the centre of the stage. It's my birthday. Right from childhood, my birthday celebrations have all been big and wonderful. It will be a family union. Lots of calls with wishes before even saying Hello; Mom asking me to take oil bath; Myself and my sisters cutting the cake even though its my birthday only and the big breakfast and hefty lunch that follows. This is the way my Birthday celebrations will be every year. Birthdays in my School days had more memorable moments.

I like the part of distributing sweets to all the teachers in the School. Every class we enter, all the students will be singing the Birthday song. Sometimes I wonder if I should stay till they finish the song or not. But mostly looking at the staff who wants to continue class, I would leave as soon as she has taken the sweets. The most interesting part is keeping less number of chocolates in the box when going to the Nannies for they will take lot of sweets. We used to apply all our Mathematics skills to estimate the number of chocolates we have to buy and what to do with the chocolates left if any. That was great fun.

When I moved to college, the fun got changed from chocolates to treats. What is a birthday boy (or his friends) worth of if his wallet remains full at the end of the day! But something that I had in my previous birthdays at School wasn't there. Family! I couldn't go home on all my Birthdays in college days. I had fun with friends though. Every year, it would be different. Beginning from first year when I went to a temple and distributed chocolates to friends to the final year when I cut the cake at midnight and big treat to my friends in batches. :D. After leaving the college, the first birthday in office was really a wonderful one. The surprise party with 2 kg Black Forest cake from my friends, the big treat that followed with our college professor who happened to be in Bangalore on that day and of course, my first salary in my career given on that day.

More birthdays passed and the current year birthday was something to be remembered. It was my first Birthday outside India. The first confusion about celebrating birthday is when to celebrate. Should I consider the Indian Time Zone or English Time Zone? And the decision was to celebrate on both. :D. My dad wished me early midnight at Indian time and my friends started wishing from UK midnight time. There are more things to smile about this birthday. Not able to spend birthday with family for the last six years, I wished this should be different. And it was. The surprise party that the Copsley gang threw at me was wonderful. I know there would be a Birthday card from them. But I never thought there will be Chocolate cake. I don't even know when they bought it. To top it all, the presence of Kannan's father and mother gave a family touch on me. The group of 13 members which appeared as both family and friends gave me the happiness I wanted to start my birthday. And it was the first time (trust me) I had my cake applied all over my face. Not even in my college days, I had this experience. (I didn't like applying cake on face during college days). Blowing the candle and the birthday song that followed is a happy moment. And what's more surprising was the T-shirt presented to me. I wanted to buy a similar T-shirt and was looking for that on that same day. Though I couldn't find it, I got it from the Copsleys. Thanks to everyone for that. The day turned out just fine with playing my favourite games, watching Superman returns, replying to my friends' wishes on the net. Another birthday has passed and reminds me that not only I am growing older, but also I am growing more friends. Thanks guys.

Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. Waiting patiently for the next birthday!