One of the first memories of my birthday celebrations that shall always be a part of my life is looking at my little sister (she was a kiddo then...not even 3...not that I was any older at my 4th birthday) sitting on the window sill all grumpy and teary eyed, with two balloon sticks in one hand and a candy wrapper in another. In fact, I shall always be indebted to whoever took the snap of her sitting there all alone, with her cheeks puffed up on being ignored and her tears having dried up on being given the little consolation she had in the form of the balloons and the candies. I still use the photograph whenever I have to get "kiddo" psyched up. :-)

The cakes and friends and temples and gifts routine carried on for quite some time but most of that is vague and hazy in my mind...till the last of them came about. Incidentally, it was my 13th birthday that was the last one celebrated with all fanfare and gung-ho enthusiasm on part of my parents and guardians. Everyone we knew in the city was called up and invited to the last birthday celebration of a 13-year old (I am not sure but as far as I remember, it was me in one of my crazy want-to-grow-up moods who suggested the birthdays-are-for-kids funda). And what a birthday celebration it was and what amazing gifts!!! It was the birthday when I received my first cricket kit, some "intelligent" board games and all this not for nothing...for it was also the only birthday where added to the usual cake and snacks bit, there was a sumptuous dinner spread for the guests, as well.

And then I was 18. Having already decided to avoid the guests invitation and gifts receiving routine (and unfotunately sticking to the decision), I had my family planning a rather moderate celebration and how moderate it was!!! We went to one of the most expensive and stylish and considered-hep restaurants of the city and reserved a table for nearly twenty (yes, that was the number of relatives whose presence blessed my trasition to legal adulthood). I had a ball that day and still carry so many memories of the party...how Nana and Nani got into the party mood for the first time...how my Mausis and Mami pulled my leg every minute of the first day of my adult life...how I laughed and laughed and laughed!

The mother of all parties, however, was when I turned 21 and when I gave a birthday treat to my friends out of my own hard-earned money, for the very first time. I was in Bangalore then, working as a research assistant under the fellowship program of JNCASR (Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research) and had received the monthly stipend of three thousand bucks for the month of May. About ten of my batchmates from engineering were doing their summer projects in Bangalore at the time and then of course, there was Shabana from JNCASR. I don't know where you are, Shabana but this memory shall always be incomplete without you...without your childish enthusiasm, without your corn cobs...without the great friendship that we had. And before I forget, it was also the time when we had some good fun with another of my good friends. Ashish, with his girl-who-was-born-on-the-same-day connection and the rest of us, with the freshly created mail id inviting him for the girl's birthday treat...that birthday was FUN. In fact, whenever my friends from college wish me on my birthday post that year, they always refer to "that party we had...when's something similar happening again?" Probably never...but who knows!

I went out with my PG room-mates last night and thanks to the extra half hour that the PG aunty graciously allowed us post closing time, we were back after a good (though expensive :-( ) dinner and back to open doors for a change. The cake was there, courtesy Anurag and so were the cards with all those whacky messages. And then it was time...to keep the cell phone in one hand pressed hard to the ears and the knife in another slicing the cake in one sweet motion amidst loud cheers of "Happy Birthday to you". There is another party due tonight with all the summer trainees (thanks to Orkut, my birth date is not something I had to shout from the rooftop for the others at PG or office to know...I know that you were not thinking I had done something like that but still... ;-)). Thnakfully, this party involves a fixed (though by no means small) contribution from me and the rest is going to be pooled in by everybody as the contribution to the summers-at-PwC-Kolkata farewell party.

Since it is my birthday, I will leave the cynicism part for some other day and won't talk about how wishing people on their birthday is fast becoming a social farce and how long-lost friendships seem to come out of thin air as soon as the birthday comes and get lost into oblivion a day later. But didn't I say I will not talk about this? So long then and thanks for all the wishes!