Yappie budday!

“Akka” I heard a loud shout when I was swiftly walking  towards home. I dint bother to reply because I was thinking who would call me akka when the world is used to an other word to address any girl who is past teenage. No points for guessing the word. “Akkaaaaaa”  this time the shout was much louder. I turned in that direction and saw a little girl who looked as if some doll had come to life. She was standing in her verandah and was dressed in a pattu skirt and pattu blouse. “ivvala naa happy birthday” she shyly said. I was amused. Not at the cliché “happy birthday”. Birthday is supposed to be preceded by happy for all telugu kids. If you say just birthday, the whole meaning is lost for them. I wanted to shout back “happy birthday” but I simply gestured my best wishes. Then, in a filmy way, my master mind slipped into memories of my birthdays. Someone  promptly started rotating a mosquito coil in this scene.

An ideal birthday has to be like this:

• If you ask me, both the birthday and the day before are anticipated. The day before birthday is special because the festive mood starts slowly setting in. Friends would repeatedly ask about the birthday dress, chocolates and party details.


• Father would come home early and take his little girl for shopping. Mother, like a waiter in Shankar Vilas/Gayatri Bhavan, would take down the list for next day’s party. The heroine would be equally busy.  Packing chocolates in a big round bottomed box, cajoling mummy for Rs.50-100 so that she can buy something in the school canteen and thus making her sibling jealous of her.


• Next day is real fun.  The birthday girl puts on the dress and will admire herself for such a pretty one.  This is one day she wishes was not a school holiday or some exam day.


• She stands in the morning prayer proud and confident as numerous eyes check her out. The class would sing “happy birthday to you ,many boyfriends to you” and she would coyly smile at the song.  She distributes the chocolates and invites her dear ones for the evening party.

PS: Remember to say something good about her and her dress, the birthday girl is really fishing for a compliment when she is talking to you.

• In the evening party, the drawing-room in her house would be decorated with balloons and party papers. Cake is ready and luring. Numbered candles are lit and the routine follows. Remember to take a gift wrapped in colored paper for the birthday girl. Your Rs.500 in an envelope wouldn’t count as much as the Rs.50 pencil box wrapped in teddy’s gift paper would do.


• People disperse and the birthday girl will sit unwrapping the gifts till late night. Ask her the next morning, she'd  say she got X pencil boxes, X-1 pen sets and X-2 board games as gifts.


•  Next day, she is no longer ‘the birthday girl’ and hence no longer special. Her boring school uniform is back and so is she singing “happy birthday to you” for some one else. She sadly looks at the calender wishing every year had just two days.

Here I am wishing every year had just two days and I wouldn’t age every year. The terrible fact that I was born before this millennium began is making me feel I belong to stone age. Jokes apart, I have decided the little girl in me wouldn’t grow at all. Let her tummy grow, I will pamper her with golgappas and pastas. Let her like zaree saris and not kurti-jeans like she used to. I will buy her whatever she wants.  In short, the princess in me shall remain royal like ever despite of changing seasons.

PS: All ARR fans will like changing seasons. So do I :)

Next post would be Two-to-Tango. Nothing related to IIIT. I promise :)