Birthdays are “your special days” as propagated by my
primary school teacher and you can do good things or mistakes and get away with
sweet words likewise. That's only if you're still in primary school.
"Teenagers...Bah !! Getting up late and going to bed late. Where from they learn these??"- will be the thought of most, if not every parent. However on 5th July,2013 which was my 19th birthday, I did wake up early to the tunes of the Suprabhatham and Sahasranamam. My Parents were overjoyed at this sudden change. My dad softly told my mother- "Make semiya payasam." And still wearing the quite familiar diplomatic look he turned to me and said- "Bathe quickly, we need to go to the temple."
Being the good boy I am(I really am), I did my morning chores and was waiting for my mother to place the kungumam on my new Louis Philippe two piece suit. My parents were especially happy for exceeding their expectations on my birthday. And as custom has it, they shelled out a few currency notes(the favorite custom of every Tambrahm kid).
Donning my new apparel and walking with a self-infused style, I felt great, thinking to myself-"It can't get better than this". I was wrong.
Moving on, the most integral part of not just birthdays, but human life are friends! From my school till Chartered Accountancy, I've made a lot of friends. Heck, I've made friends in the exam hall, but umm...not for those reasons "why you make friends in the exam hall". I've had a healthy relationship with all I've met, and for my increasing social circle, it's a boon and a relief.
So I had to undergo this course called "Orientation" in my institute which was compulsory and lasted 5 days, and on my birthday was the last day of the course. Its not often one gets to memorize 58 different names of people within 5 days. I got acquainted with each one of them and suddenly became inseparably close with a lot of them. We got along like old friends with a sense of deja vu and bonded like never before. They celebrate like pirates with joy and happiness for the smallest things possible. It was my birthday and you needn't ask...I was mobbed and given the infamous "birthday bumps" which usually included you being lifted on all fours and receiving forceful blows on your buttocks from uncountable legs, some of them twice/thrice.
This orientation course mostly taught us soft-skills like personality development, corporate behavior, and communication tips and involved more activities and practical sessions than the cliched boring theory classes. It seemed like this was what we all wanted, everyone participated and what followed was fantastic. The laughing, playing, singing, dancing, shouting, clapping, cheering, jeering, acting, teasing, complimenting, sharing, caring, debating, embracing, jumping, posing, and pure rejoicing will be something etched in our hearts forever.
As if it didn't seem enough, the chaotic enjoyment continued in the Lunch-breaks. Hardly anyone ate their own lunch completely. Everyone would eat some of each other's food, like a buffet. I haven't seen sharing be this simple...even the staple rice wasn't spared! This was something I marveled at. Everyone had nimble fingers snatching one another's lunch, and their mouths were no less swift! Being a fast eater myself I had a huge competition in front of me.
In those 5 days we discovered talent like beat-boxing, tap-dancing, mimicry,etc.; learned stuff like woman empowerment and other youth-based topics, and went to the Marina beach and a nearby McDonalds, where we took innumerable photos and videos. That's how close we were. We still talk and chat a lot through the internet but I'd rather be with them. They are paradise !!
As my birthday neared its end, our course had breathed its last. Teary-eyed and hopeful of meeting each other again, we bade each other farewell and went to our respective homes. I had a surprise waiting for me planned by my brother who was leaving to Dehradun to pursue his dream of becoming an Army Officer. Needless to say I had chocolate cake over my face and I witnessed another round of photography in my house. This was how my day got better. I think this birthday will remain one close to me....the very thought of it makes me nostalgic!
P.S: If you're wondering how I survived the birthday bumps, the professor(person with the tie) intervened like a guardian angel and freed me and saw to it that it didn't repeat the rest of the day. Thank you Anantharaman sir !! _/\_
P.P.S: Semiya payasam literally vermicelli kheer is a South Indian sweet-dish that I had two cups of and it tasted heavenly.
Donning my new apparel and walking with a self-infused style, I felt great, thinking to myself-"It can't get better than this". I was wrong.
Moving on, the most integral part of not just birthdays, but human life are friends! From my school till Chartered Accountancy, I've made a lot of friends. Heck, I've made friends in the exam hall, but umm...not for those reasons "why you make friends in the exam hall". I've had a healthy relationship with all I've met, and for my increasing social circle, it's a boon and a relief.
So I had to undergo this course called "Orientation" in my institute which was compulsory and lasted 5 days, and on my birthday was the last day of the course. Its not often one gets to memorize 58 different names of people within 5 days. I got acquainted with each one of them and suddenly became inseparably close with a lot of them. We got along like old friends with a sense of deja vu and bonded like never before. They celebrate like pirates with joy and happiness for the smallest things possible. It was my birthday and you needn't ask...I was mobbed and given the infamous "birthday bumps" which usually included you being lifted on all fours and receiving forceful blows on your buttocks from uncountable legs, some of them twice/thrice.
This orientation course mostly taught us soft-skills like personality development, corporate behavior, and communication tips and involved more activities and practical sessions than the cliched boring theory classes. It seemed like this was what we all wanted, everyone participated and what followed was fantastic. The laughing, playing, singing, dancing, shouting, clapping, cheering, jeering, acting, teasing, complimenting, sharing, caring, debating, embracing, jumping, posing, and pure rejoicing will be something etched in our hearts forever.
As if it didn't seem enough, the chaotic enjoyment continued in the Lunch-breaks. Hardly anyone ate their own lunch completely. Everyone would eat some of each other's food, like a buffet. I haven't seen sharing be this simple...even the staple rice wasn't spared! This was something I marveled at. Everyone had nimble fingers snatching one another's lunch, and their mouths were no less swift! Being a fast eater myself I had a huge competition in front of me.
In those 5 days we discovered talent like beat-boxing, tap-dancing, mimicry,etc.; learned stuff like woman empowerment and other youth-based topics, and went to the Marina beach and a nearby McDonalds, where we took innumerable photos and videos. That's how close we were. We still talk and chat a lot through the internet but I'd rather be with them. They are paradise !!
As my birthday neared its end, our course had breathed its last. Teary-eyed and hopeful of meeting each other again, we bade each other farewell and went to our respective homes. I had a surprise waiting for me planned by my brother who was leaving to Dehradun to pursue his dream of becoming an Army Officer. Needless to say I had chocolate cake over my face and I witnessed another round of photography in my house. This was how my day got better. I think this birthday will remain one close to me....the very thought of it makes me nostalgic!
P.S: If you're wondering how I survived the birthday bumps, the professor(person with the tie) intervened like a guardian angel and freed me and saw to it that it didn't repeat the rest of the day. Thank you Anantharaman sir !! _/\_
P.P.S: Semiya payasam literally vermicelli kheer is a South Indian sweet-dish that I had two cups of and it tasted heavenly.
