Turning One over the Hill of 30

Here is an account the beginning of a not so loud, but well-spent birthday


"Dont think that you are thirty year old. Think that your 18 year old with 12 years experience".. was among the most memorable b'day wishes i received from a dear sister this birthday.

Much to the relief of my imaginative world, the child in me refuses to grow even above 15. And much to the horror of my "real" and "practical" world, I wonder, when will i mature. Net of both, i like to stay in my own imaginative world, many times irked and adjusting to the whims of the real one.

How the day began:
1. It was Gokulashtami, and the frequency of the bus i take to office was halved, in spite of almost all offices working in Mumbai. I was glad to see my violet chinese chariot, read: one of the latest AC buses in BEST fleet, come towards me..I waved at it, requesting it to stop..... It gave me a royal guard-of-honor salute, and whizzed past me.

"There was ample space within, why did the B****d not stop!".. The parade of mental abuses began. It roped in the BEST corporation, the guys who declared Gokulashtami as a partial holiday, few more individuals and corporations, and finally Lord Krishna himself for being born on a partial government holiday, that too on my birthday!

Luckily the next bus came just around, and did stop for me despite being totally packed. I entered the bus, grumbling at how my birthday began, ignored a couple of calls that meant to wish me. Squeezed my way into the bus, through a group of grumbling Page3 dressed thane women, to whom i grumbled back with a stare that could kill. I finally managed to take the call of my Mother-in-law (could i ever miss that one?!!) and my disgust leaked verbally.

After i was done with the phone call, a man in his fifties, seated just beside who had been noticing me closely, offered to hold my bag. In a couple of stops he asked me to sit, saying that he would be getting down in a few stops, which turned out to be quite a distance. This is when i felt, my day was actually getting special.

I apologized to Lord Krishna, and accepted that since he was the creator of the universe, he was free to be born on a semi-bank-holiday. I thanked him for the b-day gift of a comfortable seat, that did arrive after a small squeeze.

And yes! I did feel privileged to share this year's birtday with Him!