Just 25

25! Silver jubilee celebration of my existence on the EaRtH.

Frankly speaking it baffles me to think why people should celebrate their birthdays. I mean, yes its perfectly understandable to celebrate your success or achievements but celebrating birthdays does not make any sense. Its something which comes on its own. By Default!

You may say that be happy because you have completed one more year. So, what? Its nothing special I have done. Or is it that we are so fearful to lose life, the so-called gift from HIM, that we celebrate for having not. It smacks of subservience, to be on his mercy for every second that he throws at us. And being a firm believer in the human spirit, I dont bye that.

So what is it that actually makes b day's so spcl. Let us analyze it piece-meal.

Man, by nature, is a social animal. We all crave to be in company of other beings. I dont say that its fear of solitude or something, but that its a plain fact. Then, admit it or not, no matter how much one says that 'I dont love praises, but criticism', the truth is, that most of us actually want to hear nothing but good things about ourselves, and love attention. This is one reason why we feel happy on our b'days.

Secondly, the memories associated. It all starts when one is born. The next year, parents like to celebrate the day in memory of 'the day'. It gives them immense pleasure to celebrate the occasion as one on which they were presented with this Gift by HIM. Again, an act of subservience to HIM. Then, from there on it becomes a tradition, which we blindly pick up, and force us to be happy every next year without actually going into the reason behind it.

Finally, and the most dumbest of all. Its because one sees others celebrate it and feels an inferiority complex of not him/her-self doing it. Yes, its true. I mean I have my grandparents who never ever celebrated their birthday. Infact they dont remember it. Why? Because it was never a part of the vogue of their days, and they never felt a necessity of it. Its true with most of our grandparents. This is a trend which we have picked from the west or is one of the vestiges of our collonial hang-over.

But is it all that grim. No! It does come with a sense of deja-vu. Its time when all your close friends, no matter where they are, call upon you. Parents, Siblings and other family members ring you up and wish you happiness. Your well-wishers show up with a smile to make you happy. And thus actually letting you belive its relevance. In older days the necessity was not felt because we used to be at one place with all our well wishers at arms distance. Those days were marked with so much of bondage, love and closeness among friends and family members that a day on the calendar was not needed for them to express their undying love and ever-lastig affection for each-other. Hence a birthday never existed.

Its true that human progress & success has made the whole world very small, but having said that its equally true that we have gone far away from people who matter to us. And rememberance to them is done by "a day".

No matter how much you try to convince, to me 27th Dec 2005 - the day I experienced 'the first droplet of snow' - much more calls for a celebration than 28th Dec 2005.

Epilogue: Today is my birthday! I am happy because the whole day I spent was busy reading beautiful mails from my parents, brothers, friends and colleagues. The fact that I am away in a foreign country -UK- miles away from my homeland- India has not hindered them to show affection and love. But simultaneously, I am unhappy about the growing distance between one human to and other human, by materialism taking place of values and fast diminishing family ties & friendship.