My Birthday 2017 Celebration

This is my first blog post! I hope that my first post is good enough to touch the hearts and minds of people.

Childhood Birthday

Selecting the topic for my first post, isn't that difficult, as, I always wanted to write something about the celebration of My Birthday of 2017.

Born on the 2nd of January, the second day of the New Calendar Year, my birth date always excited me, as I always believed I can do celebrate many days together. 31st Dec, the New Year’s Eve can be enjoyed, 1st Jan as the New Year can be celebrated and of course 2nd Jan being My Birthday is to be enjoyed and celebrated too.

In my childhood days, Mom always made sure each and every Birthday of mine was well celebrated.

Birthday with Brother

We were part of a joint family then, and Birthday celebrations were not that common in those days. When only My Birthday was celebrated, I always felt that I am very special.

Coincidentally, my elder brother's birth date falls on 24th December, and as I said, only My Birthday was celebrated, he always got the privilege to cut cake along with me. 

Also, school used reopen after Christmas Vacation on 2nd of January, & on reopening of the school, meeting friends and distributing chocolates among them always excited me.

Childhood Birthdays are special, but I always made sure, that even as I grow older, I celebrate and make my every Birthday special.        

Turning 30

When I turned 30, I made sure my "Turning 30" Birthday was a memorable one. Friends are a very important part of celebrations. The only thing missing that year was the cake cutting moment, but still I recollect this as one of the best Birthdays I celebrated. 

Again after 7 years, some friends of mine, made sure My Birthday was fun, and threw me lovely surprise. Well, unlike many conscious people, I have no problem in revealing my age, because, that's what I am. Age is just number, and what we all need to focus on, is enjoying every moment of life.

 

Well, the post is supposed to be about my Birthday, that I recently celebrated along with my friends, and here it comes.

MY BIRTHDAY 2017

I always had a dream, to celebrate New Year' Eve, the New Year & My Birthday, all out there… somewhere, on a vacation. This dream came true, with the help of my friend Charmi who was the Main Organiser of the trip. I, Charmi, my friends and her friends were the participants. She gave me a golden memory of celebrating My Birthday, in the midst of Mother Nature, in purely blissful environment, and inside a Forested Area. The fact that even in the Forest, she managed to arrange a cake for My Birthday, that still manages to astonish me.I don't know how to start describing My Birthday celebration, but, let me start just before the clocked ticked 12 at midnight.

The amazing bonfire

We were holidaying in Wayanad, a beautiful place by Mother Nature in Kerala. Since it was a chilly winter night, all of us were sitting around the bonfire, and playing "Dumb Charades". Playing Dumb Charades of Bollywood /Hindi movie names was fun, and that too besides the bonfire. For some reason, 3 of my friends left the bonfire, and I was awaiting their return. Just a few minutes before midnight, Peru (Prerna, with love we call her Peru) insisted that I accompany her to the room, and I sheepishly said, “Peru wait, I want to be born near the bonfire.” Childish, I felt when I said this.

I was just gazing at the bonfire till almost midnight, with the thoughts of letting go of any negativity in body and mind, which the fire burns off and cleanses the body and mind, providing healing with its warmth. 

My Fabulous Birthday Cake

And as the clock stroked 12, Peru swiftly became the first one wish me, with a warm hug. The first wish over a phone call was from Soli (Sneha, with love call her Soli). And as requested by Peru, I had to accompany her to our room. Strange thing was that she took me to another room, and I was like, Peru you are entering the wrong room. She didn’t explain herself and just egged me to go along with her. And as soon as I entered the room, I was inundated with the shock of the surprise planned by Charmi. The whole room was decorated with Candles, a big Cake on the table surrounded by Candles. I was left Dazed! I barely remembered that I was there to celebrate My Birthday, and here I was, amongst friends that had elaborately planned a surprise so beautiful and enriching, that words fell short to explain my feelings.    

To cut the cake, with everyone wishing me My Birthday, in that surreal atmosphere, and to be able to relish the joy of cutting the cake, free from all bounds and enjoying the joy in being at the bosom of Mother Nature, took over me completely.        

After that, I gave my friends a return gift, which was a surprise for them too. I showed them a video of “How I celebrated my 2016”. Charmi retorted, “Who would like to know how you Celebrated 2016? Who will watch a 13 minute video which you posted on YouTube? Only those people who were part of your life during that time, or are interested in what you did that year, will be interested in the video…It is an obvious case of extreme Self Obsession…”   

I know what Charmi said was probably true, but who cares?!! I wanted to do something to celebrate myself, and I did it! I enjoyed making the video, and I did it with full passion, and I am sure anyone who sees that passion and self dedication that I have for myself, will learn to enjoy themselves and learn how to self love. Obviously it is a very good video, and I am very very proud of myself and how I celebrated through the year. (You are free to judge as long as you don’t comment negatively *winks*).    

Antakshari in the Car - Video

In the morning, we were leaving for Bangalore, from Wayanad, so it was a very rushed morning. It was a long car ride, so we played Antakshari in the car, during which I got another idea. I was reminded of radio programmes and how much fun it was to dedicate a song to someone.

So I floated the idea. And, Each of my Friends dedicated a song to me! It was so exciting!      

I was pleasantly surprised, when an acquaintance who I didn’t know before the trip, dedicated my favourite song to me, I was like “Wow, How did he manage to guess my favourite song?!”

Cheese Cake

Peru’s dedicated song that made me feel that I was still very childish, despite of being her senior by many years.

Charmi’s dedication made me feel like that I needed to lighten the burdens I had on me, and Party!!

After reaching Bangalore, it was time to have dinner. But no Birthday is finished, without giving your friends a treat. So we had a sumptuous Birthday dinner, and I got to cut cheesecake, which was the second cake of the day.

Birthday Girl

No matter how good the rest of My Birthdays are in the future, this will always be a very memorable one. Thank you all, who made it possible.     



Now, you all must be wondering, as to why I selected such a casual & childish topic, as celebrating My Birthday, to be my first post. Who would want to know how I celebrated My Birthday? Everyone has one. Everyone celebrates it in their own way, be it by cutting cakes, or replying to tonnes of WhatsApps and Facebook Birthday Wishes. 

I believe that a Birthday should be celebrated by the Birthday boy/girl, in the way that the Birthday boy/girl desires. A Birthday isn’t about a fancy dinner, or going to a place with a spectacular view that can be posted on Facebook and Instagram, and be boasted about. It is about making those moments on that day, with people who love and care for you, and making your life better from that moment onwards, that you can look back on Your Birthday, as having made your life more meaningful, and your time more joyous. Birthdays are yours to celebrate, and how someone else celebrates it, or the society celebrates it, doesn’t matter.  

What matters is that everything said and done, Did You get to do what you really wanted to do at that time, or for a very long time??    

Think over it, and let me know.