16th July

July 16th has always been the best day in my life. It’s the day that lets you know who remembers you and who doesn’t. I started celebrating this day only after my wife came into my life. It was not a ‘culture’ in my family when I was young. It was not on the priority list anyway. Putting food on the table was more important with Dad’s meager income with 7 mouths to feed. When I was a kid, birthdays just came and went…no big deal…..just another day. There had even been occasions when the day simply slipped by and no one remembered until someone blurts out “Oh! It was Ravi’s birthday 2 days ago”. I remember being moved to tears then. Not that we were going to cut a cake and sing and party and all that .…..but at that age, to miss such an important day was heart-breaking.

All that changed after I got married. Prema had been pampered with the belief that her ‘new’ year doesn’t start if a cake had not been cut. So she had been doing it all her life. She just incorporated her ‘culture’ into ours when she joined my family. And from then on, we used to celebrate everyone’s birthday…..my dad, mum, sister, brother, the kids…all. Found that the camaraderie sort of helped keep the family happy and together.

And so it went until 1991 when my last daughter was born…on July 17th! From then on, we have been celebrating only hers. Perhaps at my age, I feel I’m kind of a tad too old to celebrate birthdays anymore.

Anyway, the heat generated from 52 candles waiting to be blown may not be good for the air-conditioners in the house.