Random Ramblings of a Reluctant Blogger

Celebrating a birthday, especially as you grow older, and not necessarily in intellect or wisdom, is akin to pressing the sponge of the memory cells. Events, incidents and friends are recalled as fresh as they were stored.

And birthday celebrations in the late 60s and early 70s were still in the early stages of evolution. At home mother would prepare a customary ‘payasam; and your favourite food. And most of the time it was on your ‘star’ (as per the Hindu horoscope) birthday. But you were not denied anything on the Georgian birthday too. So there were two birthday celebrations. The star birthday, of course being the one celebrated mostly in house, a mandatory visit to the temple and blessings from all the elders being a big part of the ritual.

The birthday bash was still a small affair back then. The themed parties of today, the lavish spreads, the return gifts and all the tamasha, was as alien as the pizza was then. It was a standard menu which consisted of the ever dependable samosa from the neighborhood halwai, a ladoo or a gulab jamun and a bottle of squash added with adequate water to cater to everyone who joined. Even the cokes were a rarity. And the party’s ever-present Rasna was still to be invented. The cakes too made their way later on and none of it was smeared on the face. Certainly not, why waste a good cake?

The advantages of staying in a huge housing colony, and gated community was not a term even, was that pretty much one would have at least one party, if not two every month. And then there were no compulsions of gifting either. And if you did want to gift, books were on top of the gifting ideas. And one could never go wrong with it. Choose the one you want to read, knowing for certain that you could  always borrow it. 

The decorations, except for a kid’s birthday, were almost non-existent. What with friends going to each other’s house with regularity, one was not bothered about any makeover, nor did it matter. The hot samosas, mixture and the cool drinks was all one concentrated on. 

The real dilemma was when one had to choose between two or more birthday fetes if it happened on the same day. With not much difference in menus it was a difficult choice, for it then established an unrequired pecking order amongst friends. A simple solution worked out was first-informed-first-visited.

And it was one such invitation that had us friends earmarked Srikanth’s birthday. We pooled in our meager resources, which was substantial enough to buy  some comics as a gift. The gift this time we felt was necessary because Srikanth had invited us for dinner, instead of the usual high tea.

And as we landed at his house he casually draped in half pajamas opened the door and went in. Dress codes were not big then so it did not surprise us and we made ourselves comfortable. And as we wished him he kept a poker face and said “it is not my birthday.” We were still digesting the fact when, with a mischievous smile, he pointed to a date on the calendar and said “April fool.”

Livid, we all walked out and did get back at him eventually, but as I recall the incident every passing year, I can not but marvel enough at the great prank he pulled off.