Birthday!!!

From the day a baby is conceived in a mother's womb, umpteen number of expectations and hopes hover around the unborn fetus . As the baby starts kicking and makes its presence felt , there dawns on the mother an innate joy of holding and experiencing divinity within . When the bundle of joy finally marks his\her presence with the first expression of sound the proud parents are once again elevated to the heights of untainted joy and unconditional love ! Each phase in the infants life now is appreciated and applauded like a miracle of existence .Like the bud which slowly blooms and blossoms into a flower showcasing its unique beauty accepting energy from the Sun and life source from water , the innocent baby too slowly treads into the cycle called life , accepting love , and care from the parents .

Too much of Sun's rays can wither and too much of water can decay the plant . Similarly too much of expectations showered in the name of love can retard the other wise abundant growth of your child's talents . All these thoughts meandered through my mind when I was just watching my kids play in our back yard . Today was surely a very special day for me , as my younger son turned two . I watched with wonder the two kids running about and falling on top of each other , listened with joy the sudden bubbles of laughter emanating from their tiny shrill voices , and felt with totality the joyous moments of motherhood .

Yes, today was my son's birthday . When I think of birthday celebrations, my thoughts snake back to a birthday I once attended a few months back . It was hosted in a five star hotel , and it was a first birthday . The AC banquet hall was decorated with giant sized stuffed toys, and the hall echoed with thunderous songs ! I was intently looking out for the birthday boy , but could only spot many cranky one year olds yelling at the top of their voices , appealing in their own baby language to escape from the scary looks from the giant toys ! With much difficulty I spotted the star of the day who was dressed up in his newly tailored blazer , the weight of which was quite heavy on him . He looked like a lost warrior who had given up fighting . What he needed was a warm cuddle and a kiss .....but what followed was a cake cutting ceremony and loud applause which confused the baby whose shouts faded into the surrounding excitement . Then followed a photo session , where the parents posed for snaps with their little angel forcing the well frosted cake into the well shut mouth. Murmurs and rolled eyes from parents was not going to work magic here . Next followed games ....and dance to rocking rhythms , where the parents tried to convince themselves and all around the heights of enjoyment by swaying to the music with their beloved bundle of joy clinging to them . What followed next ? A grand sumptuous dinner which covered both North Indian and South Indian dishes , with a choice of various desserts . The guests were happy but the birth day boy preferred to sleep after this dramatic event .

Which would be the best way the child would have wanted to celebrate his birthday? First of all a one year old is yet to know the concept of a birthday. Then why succumb to this birth day drama ? May be it has become a trend in todays society to have one accepted? Won't it be better to just spend a day with your precious little darling ? I asked my five year old, as to how he would like his birthday to be celebrated... He thought for a while.....then said he would want a hug , a special kiss , he would prefer his birth day on a weekend as the whole family could play Frisbee and ball in the back yard... I was amazed and relieved .” Don't forget to buy me a gift “, he added .

We did exactly that today . We tried to spend more time with our little one... played their favorite games... cooked some delicacies which we shared with a few friends . Instead of blowing out two candles we preferred to light two aromatic candles . It was nice to see my birth day boy admiring and bowing down before the lighted candle pronouncing “ Devabu” meaning God in our mother tongue .....