Well since childhood days one of the happiest days of my life have been my b'days...and I guess same is true for most of us. But over the years I have noticed the feeling has changed. They say that - " as you grow you will know, there is price to pay for everything!! "... Yeah the price....
B'day @ class 1: You wear fancy little clothes..all colorful...your parents accompany you to school gate.... all the teacher wish you ... all your friends wish you... and wait for you to take the treasure out of your bag- a huge packet of melody chocolate!... I am quite sure I could have walked away with a murder on those days... and even God might have forgotten me!!
B'day @ class 8: You don't wear fancy colorful clothes... (or might just... a function of the principle's strictness).. .your parents still want to drop you to school gate....but you feel you are too old for such stupidity...you still carry chocolates in your bag... and your friends still wish you... however if you happen to be in a co-ed school.... you b'day might just be a little more interesting- girls coming to wish you... a card suddenly finding its way in your bag, when you are off during lunch... or better still - a bar of Cadbury's dairy milk...with a little card marked in red.... and a girl...who is ready to flee away the moment she sees her friends coming !
B'day @ class 12: No fancy clothes... no chocolates... yes definitely lot of wishes.... and you treat your frnds too in canteen- coke, patties etc... yes there might be cards... but the girl might not run away... she will rather tell you when her next coaching class is... but thats not the prime attraction, by then... you get introduced to a concept called- b'day bums! ..an extremely painful concept at that... more so because your friends are equipped with pointed leather shoes which can easily dig hole in concrete slabs! ...but then its bearable... its a new concept!
B'day @ engg college: Clock strikes 12 (night)... a war cry can be heard somewhere down the corridor..soon you hear the marching troopers coming down your corridor...moments later the door of your room will be thrown open.. and before you can even protest ... you are off the ground and rushed towards a relatively empty place which provides lot of leg room! Please note: wear only the worst pair of clothes you have.... you will soon have the entire football team lining up ...ready to practice their penalty shootout skills... this time with your ass! May God have mercy on the souls who have had b'day bums! After the fifth shot... you can easily understand what they mean by third degree! Your body will have several spasms... but until your tormentors are not satisfied... one kick will follow another....
B'day @ b-schools: Clock: 2 minutes to 12.... a yahoo buzz flies across the batch ids... " ... his b'day... come to the common room ...ASAP...wearing your best trekking shoes! " 2 minute is the average time which a typical student will take to put a halt on all his activities and rush to the crime scene! The rituals might vary from college to college.... but... it somewhat follows this order: 1. carry the poor guy on shoulder to the common room...2. create enough noise to attract newer talents. ..3.the first onslaught! ... 4. Let the bathroom water wash away the sins of the sinner !! 5. "Bring his roomie"... the God needs a sacrifice... his roomie is an apt one..!! 6. Another round of showering.... 7. Then you go ahead to cut a cake.... hoping you will get some.... only to be surprised that you get the entire one.... on the face!!!! Anyways there are couple of more details to it-- such as gifts, toasts ... etc! Of course its quite a short and efficient ritual... which makes a big impact! For the next 3 days the poor chap can't sit properly in class... walk properly... wakes up in sleep if he turns over ... but then you are a grown up now... and you know every good things in life comes with a little pain/price! ... and you wait for your turn when you get to be the war lord and lead the army into the room of ...
"Such is life and its lessons... embedded in most austere things around us...waiting to be discovered... but you realize only when ... you get that kick in the ass !!!!! "
