Tuesday, April 6, 2010

twenty-five

Well, what do I write here. Those 'I turn this number and here's what I have to say' articles are so abundant aren't they? A fellow blogger observed when he turns that extra number, that he no longer belongs to that 19-25 age category, you know the one that you have to tick mark in those forms? Different people, different observations, different epiphanies..hmmm


When I was growing up, birthdays weren't ever an occasion to cut a cake, blow candles or party . Strange as it might or might not sound, this 'un'merry like attitude to anyone's birthday in the family sort of made me a bit mellow perhaps, but brought in a strange form of humility towards life early on. The family gathered around, there was the 'pranam' to the elders, lots of hugs and kisses and then of course the customary visit to the temple. Later in the evening, we did have a great family dinner, friends and relatives would join in and well that was our way of having a good time. I remember feeling strange at how the neighbourhood kids celebrated their birthdays. Everyone sat around a big table or hall in a symmetrical circle, ate potato chips, plastic coloured pastries and went back home happy with a 'return' gift. So, I guess with my family's method of celebration, me and my sibling had matured a little too much beyond our years to NOT expect all this hulabuloo, fancy gift and money being splashed around .

Today, my 12 year old cousin who's way too 'hip' for my comprehension (and we tell our parents about the generation gap!) asked me over the phone what I had done or was planning to do so far and what do I get in reply? "God that's so boring didi!' (Kids today I tell you !!) Of course my family didn't organise a treasure hunt that landed in all the goodies coming to me (I love these kind of birthday parties btw , it's a brilliant game to play as well if you've got a good writer in the fray coming up with fantastic clues) or drink away to high heavens while the younger brood of the family swayed to music but I had a great day. And here's why. Because it was REALLY about everyone in the family doing their very bit to acknowledge this important day of my life and well, make me smile about it! A cousin of mine woke me up with chocolate and a hug, next my uncle walked in with flowers, my eldest uncle gifted me a papita from his own garden (and anyone who knows me knows that I'm a 'fruit-a-holic! and fruits from the garden, ahhh bliss!! I love gardening as well btw), baba and I had some quality time at the temple, Ma toiled away all morning to make me what the Bengalis simply can't resist, the 'mishti aamer chaatni' (sweet mango chutney), my sister doing the every best that she always does, helped me smoothen up a 400 word SOP that was simply not working out and in the evening, well what do you know?!!! My youngest uncle and aunt surprised me with a birthday cake and well I did do the routine that I haven't done in quite a while!!! We all sat around in the porch overlooking the garden after that and gup-shupped for a solid 2 hours (in Bhubaneswar's heavenly evening breeze) with our black lab bounding around gleefully amidst us! Now how many people have this fortune?

And time for the cliche:

I turned 25, twenty-five, 20+5. and I have no epiphanies this year. Not a single one! Strangely I'm overcome by some calm , perhaps it's the mellowness that comes with 'it's just another year of my life towards a larger figure or maybe I suspect this time, some inkling of the fact that's growing stronger within me: that, what I've done or not done so far doesn't matter, it's really this second, the day and the month followed by the year that will. Oh wait! That is an epiphany! So I'm turning off the lights, logging out of my blog and hitting the sack with this recurrent thought. 25shouldn't be so bad, should it be now? Just a little too perfectly placed in the middle of your 20's. Gaining balance and drawing margins is will really be the motto this year :)