What plans for the big day?

It is past midnight. At this time, one may find a dork pouring over an assignment that had to be completed yesterday, or a group of biking revellers vrooming their machines through the Marine Drive, or a middle aged couple deep asleep, with the home maker dreaming all that has to go into the soup for her husband for breakfast!
I, for one, just received best wishes for the day marking the passage of an entire year in my life. It is funny because one feels like a birthday wish is like a boot camp colonel’s rap on the brain hoarsely saying, ‘Another year up!’ making it feel like it has been in a coma for nearly a year!

A common question that is asked of the person about to slip into oblivion before the clock strikes 12 is “What are your plans for tomorrow?” Wow, how concerned and considerate of the prying eyes and loitering mind! Now, I am not one of those eccentric cynics who are too woven in untying the DNA structure to remember their own birthday. But somehow, it seems like an unfair question to ask this to a person who does not fall under the category of everybody-knows-and-celebrates-my-b’day. Such people somehow are often reminded, many times bombardingly so, that their birthday is up and they are required to make a wishlist so that some rich daddy, just out of rehab or prison or both, can dole out a bunch of goodies and make a donation to the charity organisation. Oh and it is celebration alright! From the overpainted clowns to the puppets, and from the ballerinas to rock star gigs, they bring the studio ceiling down.

Another of the species is the ever-important political hero who has done something big in his life that has made his/ her name significant enough to be given to a street or a memorial or at least and alley. Now most of these leaders may be long gone, but somehow it is tad difficult for those living to let their memories be fresh in the minds. The super powerful mike holder considers it a sacrosanct duty to talk for god-knows-how-long about the posthumous leader’s life, good deeds and bad deeds but somehow it all sums up to convey that it was all for the progress. Touché. Now, one advantage these late leaders have is that they are not obliged to share their birthday plans with every other person on the block. However, the same cannot be held true for the mike holders and flag hoisters!

I could go on, but I think the point is clear. A Simple Sam or a Watercooler Wendy does not walk up to you and ask your birthday plans for recording in a logbook or documenting as vital Human Resource information. In fact, all these askers should take a leaf out of the chat applications – they should send a prior request to ask the question, which can be sent only when the birthday boy or girl has adequate plans to flaunt.

Till then I hope I don’t hear the words ‘what plans for the big day?’

Divya Rao
January 10, 2009
Mumbai