Thursday, January 23, 2014

No Happy-Birthdays For Me...


I had to leave early this morning for office.  It was 6.15 when I started from home. The sun was still in the sleepy mode and the only source of light was the street lamps. I live in the suburbs of Mumbai which is close to nature and here the temperature decisively drops a degree or two more than it does for the city. And even then it is not cold enough to clad in woolens. I just had a wrap around my kurti; both garments thick enough to offer me warmth.  

Yet the chill in the air made it little difficult for me to fight my keenness to get back home. It was difficult to kill the urge of going back and tuck myself in my snug bed. The pink floral bedspread, the fluffy pillow, the comfy mattress were calling for me, I could hear their voices…oh so welcoming. But, work had a stronger voice and I was piloted towards it.

So, there I was waiting for an auto- rickshaw when I saw them. Dressed in red sweaters, ears covered with cute knitted woolen ear scarves, they stood across the street with their respective guardians. Their beige and red uniforms were peeking through the warm clothing giving away their school's identity. One of them looked from a different school though. The girl had her hair done in a different way and her pink frock and ballerinas told a different story. Then it clicked-Of course, she is the birthday girl.


 

Image: Inmagine.com

Birthdays were always special during school days. I think it's still is. One gets to wear fancy new clothes, no boring uniform, no boring hairdos. But, I never got to do that. Every year I longed to wear my birthday dress and flaunt it…every year I craved to stand on the alter and listen merrily to the entire school singing "Happy Birthday" during the morning school assembly… every year I desired to distribute candies and toffees to my classmates. All these never ever happened until we were in 10th grade.

No my parents had nothing to do with this discrimination I faced nor it was an illegal practice, there was no superstitions attached to it either and neither our constitution denied me of this right. The reason was my birthday always fell during Diwali Vacations (I was born on Diwali). Okay, so my parents did have something to do with it, they had me on Diwali. Anyhow, vacations meant no school… except 10th grade when we had our extra classes conducted. Still, it wasn't much fun given that extra classes never required any student to wear uniforms and by that time everyone thought it to be juvenile to sing "Happy Birthday" and eat candies. Those rituals were meant for kiddos. Yet, it was something to me.

A rickshaw halted in front of me with the driver giving me the 'for hire!' Look. I jumped in within seconds and looked at the birthday girl for the last time before my ride took me away.
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34 comments:

  1. I know the feel. I've had all my birthdays in the summer vacations.

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  2. Aww... I hear you. My birthday comes bang in between Christmas and new year's, which means that all through school I missed my moment, and even now, most of my friends are out of town or are saving themselves up for the big new year's party :(

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    1. :-/ I wish someday we could gang up together and celebrate it the way we want to.

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  3. I hear you..My birthday also falls in summer vacations..:-(

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  4. Look at it this way..The whole of India celebrates your birthday!!!
    You don't have to make tantrums to get what you want. New dresses, sweets all come naturally to you..:D

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    1. Preethi even in birthdays new clothes and gifts come naturally to everyone... but yes, it definitely becomes special as the entire country is lit up during Diwali. :D

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  5. That's little sad :( but the good part is that you got to celebrate Diwali during your birthday, that's quite special :D

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  6. That's nice to be born on Diwali! Lights, sweets & enjoyment :)
    B'day girls & boys are easy to spot in Schools. Nice Post dear :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Anita. :)

      And yeah I wanted to be that special student in school every year :P

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  7. Aww..It's nice to be born on Diwaali..double fun. But yes..you missed the fun in the school..flip side of the coin..:-)..

    N.B. Namrota, there is a typo in the fifth line of the third paragraph..please edit it.. ( hope you won't mind my nitpicking attitude ) :-(

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    Replies
    1. Hey girl.. thank you... I am a typo queen and I keep making such mistakes... and I would like you to correct me always, I'll be very happy :)

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  8. My birthday was the only day in entire session teacher would not make me stand on my bench with my ears in hands... that was the result of American Candies my uncle used to send me little earlier from the date of my birth. O' how cozy that place was, just keep standing on bench and staring outta window, leaving the teachers and classmates with their Latitude, Longitude, Pie, Radius ...
    I used to be wish with "You can't do anything in your life." and "Look at Shipra (prettiest gal in school) and learn something from her." And I always looked at her.
    Today, Shipra is a fat mother of three, travels in Blue lines in Delhi as she is a teacher somewhere in Delhi.
    And that, back bencher is an Exporter with 180 employees under him.
    Nice post Namrota, you sent me back to my Comfort Zone (arre, the bench yaar).

    One thing i wanna know is which channel is airing HE GIRL. I would love to watch like I would watch HE MAN on DD every Sunday morning.

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    1. The only day when you weren't punished ... must be very special then.

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  9. I had mine in summer vacations and could never celebrate in school wearing new clothes and distribute sweets. *same pinch* :)

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  10. Aw, I can feel it too! ;)
    Though, in school days, I mostly did celebrate my birthday, dressed in cute frocks, distributing toffees in the class! :D
    But, in Engineering though, my birthdays always landed up in Preparatory Leaves! :P (but then by this time, we are too grown up to celebrate birthdays the way we did in schools!)
    The school days drama was super fun! You're the hero/heroine that day! star of the class! :)

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  11. My birthday...It's in the month of March....when our Annual Exams used to take place....So you can imagine how I used to feel. O_o
    A STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART POST Namrota! :)

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    Replies
    1. OMG.. I can sooo imagine your situation.

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  12. Lovely writing style, just like one scribbles their thoughts on a paper. You created the whole morning scene for me, great work.

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  13. I had mine in summer vacations.. so till now i am also missing the birthday bash of hostels . a straight post :)

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    1. Ah! And I thought I'm the only one with the misery.

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  14. a candy like sweet post!!
    My best friend birthday falls in " summer break" but when we were in 10 because of the extra class reason she got to celebrate it and she had a bizarre excitement so i asked her about it and she replied "Shut up! it's my first time to give away candies" .I smiled that time ,same happened today :)
    (y)

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  15. Such a sweet post :) Can imagine how much happy you were on that day!

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  16. Namrota,
    Very nicely written. I just returned from Borivali from a shoot and facing the chill of Delhi. Would love to trade-in the winter chill you face with the one I am facing here. :)
    Cheers,
    Sabyasachi

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    Replies
    1. Hey Sabyasachi, if you are still in Mumbai then you must be facing heat by now. :D

      Thanks for the appreciation. :)
      Cheers.

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  17. Birthdays are always special either with friends or without them. At every point of life you get someone to celebrate your birthday with. In school, it was different set of friends, in college some more joined in and now when i am married, my husband treats me like princess :) (Parents are always there)

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    1. Yes of course, but I was talking about special memories which as a kid I wanted to have for myself. I never said my birthday celebrations are drab. :)

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