We are the beiges…

A friend recently celebrated her b’day and she told me how her pals totally pampered her on the big day. She got so many gifts that she could barely carry them back home! A completely no-holds barred party, drinks, pictures, presents, the works. Somehow it got me thinking about the entire b’day concept and what it means for different people. I celebrated my b’day, rather, my parents did the *bud-day party* bit probably once in my entire life. I still have those pictures of a large-eyed me surrounded by coloured lights, neighbours and relatives with an utterly misplaced expression on my face. I was probably 3 years old back then. Since then, b’days have been totally inconsequential days. My Dad has a principle of not wishing anyone on their b’day. “What IS so special about the day that you’re born that it deserves to be celebrated?” Fair enough, I guess. In school, b’days were silent affairs once the *chocolate-distribution* phase ended. There was another girl, lets’ call her S, in a parallel class who shared her b’day with me. She was very popular and had a coterie of really effusive and affectionate pals. One school year, I thought of getting together a few pals of mine and having a small *party* in the school canteen. On the particular day, one of my pals very regretfully told me that she had to go for S’ party. That was a punch-in-the-tummy feeling for me since I am DEFINITELY not the birthday-party-thrower and it took a lot of resolution before I even decided to go ahead with the party idea…

Of course, there is my Mom who ALWAYS wishes me the first thing in the morning. Friends or no friends, I can count on my 80-year old grandmother to make an offering in my name at the local temple on my b’day and maybe even have paayasam at home. Same goes for my aunt in another tiny town in Kerala who never fails to remember my b’day and offer a special prayer at the temple.

In junior college, lalunadiosa and some other dear pals of mine smuggled a lovely chocolate cake into our college during the preliminary exams, hid it under a desk through the 3-hour English paper, took me on a long trip around the college which finally ended in a tiny garden at the back of the college building and that constituted my b’day surprise. It was wonderful.

Another time, in Cairo, my project manager’s wife, one of the sweetest people I know, did up my room with streamers and balloons and when I came home from work in the evening, she gave me this elaborate trail of clues which finally led me to my b’day presents.

Pinch once cooked lunch for me on my b’day… Of course, that was many years back!

It somehow makes me feel that parties, presents and surprises gravitate towards the *oranges* and *reds*. I have not ever been comfortable with *my-day* attention and never will be. Which probably makes me a beige person and hell, it’s the beige which makes the orange stand out.