"BIRTHDAY"

The birthdays are important for some special reasons and greeting someone on his/her birthday is very significant especially in the spiritual sense. When a child is born in a family, the mother is happy for graduating from a maiden to motherhood through her marriage. The father is happy to have created a progeny proving his manhood. The family is happy that the newborn is expanding the branch of the genealogical tree. As the child grows up and becomes aware of himself/herself he/she is expected to make progress in life by learning various lessons of life and among them the most important is knowing the purpose of his/her life. Once he understands that God has given him/her the opportunity to be born as a human in order to use his intelligence and to evolve spiritually so as to attain liberation from the birth and death cycle to be eternally happy in the abode of God Himself. This message of reminding one the purpose of one's life is the true aim of greeting one on his/her birthday! But this truth has long since been forgotten by all of us as the value system of today has changed but more of 'Ahamkara' अहंकार and 'Mamakara' ममकार compulsions have come into vogue on both the sides of receiver and the sender of birthday greetings! Hence the expectations, disappointments and chagrins in one's mind!

Remembering things, events and experiences defines the continuity of past, present and future. Given the choice one must remember to learn the lessons for the improved conduct in the future instead of getting chance to recall the bad feelings to re-live the same.

The external gestures of goodwill, greetings, exchange of gifts etc must be suitably matched with inner feelings about the same. Just a smile costs nothing. A genuine concern even once is better than fake rituals on every appointed day!

Now a day birthday wishes from best friend’s means a lot, but expectations kills if they are not fulfilled. A friend who fails to wish to you on birthday is still your true friend but it hurts a lot.

“You forgot to wish me on my birthday,” complained a friend recently, terribly hurt at my forgetfulness. Neither reasoning nor excuses could heal the hurt I’d caused. Remembering loved ones creates joy and forgetting them—especially on memorable days—causes hurt. Don’t we all wish to be remembered?

In the 1950's, (very very old times), my mother used to dress me in ordinary new dhoti-shirt and take me to visit my elders, prostrate before them and seek their blessings. She would make & distribute sweets to close relatives, friends and children in the neighbourhood and later, in the evening, visit the family Temple. The child in me was thrilled with all this attention and I retired early to bed before 9 pm.

How times have changed! Children are disappointed that their friends and adults don’t their own remember to greet them!