Celebrating Birthdays

Surely birthdays are milestones that we cross. We pass them happily. Friends and family wish us for our well-being. It is a good occasion to forget other things and feel light, but get heavy in numbers - numbers of age! It is a normal process, is it not? It is all about feeling young. This is what takes us along smoothly. Cake-cutting has come of age, but not in our home as there is no 'birthday atmosphere'. It just passes along peacefully and my DW is reminded of the occasion when my out-station friends call me early in the morning - LOL. Usually, some home-made sweet dish is prepared, and the temple visited. This time, it was different - we were moving in the train early in the morning that day, 29th dawn. We had got up early and caught a train to attend my DD's college seat selection process 3 hours away to the capital city. Suddenly she remembered and shook my hand! I was surprised when some bell rang in her mind when my DD told the date - 29th Jan is also hers. So 29 flickered before her!!

After my DD chose the Engineering College seat in the Civil branch, we had to move over to a wedding-eve function of an old classmate's daughter. After some shopping we went there and it was a great occasion. Because, 7 of us kindergarten mates would be meeting there! I had seen all 6 but 3-4 of them were seeing each other after 35 years! It was great fun! They tried to put names to faces from memory. My DD and DW watched the fun from close range! It was a great evening. But the word in the group had spread about my birthday because a couple of them did not know. For some years now, we were just wishing each other over phone on our birthdays, but today we had met! One of them gifted me a shirt just before we left as a surprise and it had been labeled "to dearest Dinu". I had taken my Fuji with me. Not the Panasonic. After the dinner hosted by the bride's family, we bade goodbye and left. It was a great day, a day worth remembering. The birthday, the meet and my DD's choice of college.

First, here is a picture of the gift shop we visited:

Here is a pic my DD took of the seven of us - the one sitting third from right is the bride's mother. There were about 70 in our class and here are 7. But one of my greatest satisfying excercises that has been done through me is to hunt and gather as many as 47 of them, many of us now meet or call for occasions. I began this in the year 2000 -- it has another long story [posted in a blog] and I have met all 46 at least once and have made a list much to the pleasure of most of them. Remember it was after 30 years since we left for different schools. [We use the word 'college' from class 11 here, but in other cities, they call it after the 12th] They hold me responsible for bringing many old friendships together and I am quite happy about it. If people make use of this it is my greatest satisfaction. Of course, another classmate also has contributed a bit to this excercise. One man seen here is a surgeon and the other is in a good job holding a high admn. position. One lady is a scientist, the others are HWs. They did jobs for some years but left to take care of their kids.

Here we go! A pic by my DD.

Dinu, that is so great. Glad you had a memorable birthday this year. And meeting with 6 of your kindergarten mates after so many years is wonderful.

You are true blessed,

Connie

Thanks Connie. I had met them all after I began my excercise.

Interesting reading your post, Dinu. You've done a lot of work finding so many of your classmates. Do I understand it right that these are your classmates in the upper grades? 11 or 12? Here Kindergarten is only one grade before Grade One (1st Grade is commonly used in the US - First Grade is Canadian/British). Usually children have to be 5 years old before they can attend Kindergarten. What age would Kindergarteners be in India?

For lower kindergarten [we call it LKG] admission, the child has to be 3 years 10 months old. The child's schooling begins here. Then there is the Upper KG. Then Grade one. We call this as Class one or First Standard. It is Primary school up to 4th. 5-7 is middle school. 8-10 is high school. 11 and 12 is pre-university [from 11th we call as college, but in other states, there is no pre-university but continues to be called as 11 and 12 or they call as "+1 and +2".

During our time, the KGs used to be called as 'nursery'. KG came in many years later. When we were to join class one, we had to be a minimum of five years old. Later, the govt. drew lines. To write the exam for 10th [we call as Secondary School Leaving Certificate - SSLC] one has to be 15+ in age. After Pre-University, we do any degree course in the University. Or, after SSLC itself, one can go in for any Diploma course.

All of us here are together since class one. Got scattered after our 7th to different schools. Never to meet for the next 30+ years!! That's the beauty of the group.

Dinu

Thanks for the explanation.... wow, that is a long time- something like highschool class reunions here.

Yes indeed.

Dinu, that is great. by the way, which one are you in the second photograph?
and by the way, congrats to your daughter on her selection, you must be so proud of her.

Thank you pebble. Vote for the 'youngest looking person' and you will know. All of us there are the same age - just a few months here and there!

My d's college begins tomorrow.

Dinu,
I looked at the 2nd picture.... Are you the one smiling in the back row, on the left??? :)

Since I'm active and restless, I'm not still --- the camera cannot catch me !!! Look at this clue!!

Good clue but I knew it was you b/c of other pics you've posted over the years. ha ha!

LOL! You couldn't stay still for one minute huh?? :) I bet you couldn't stay still when you were a little boy; am I right?

How wonderful for you to be able to keep in touch with your classmates! I keep in regular contact with a few of my kindergarten thru high school classmates and being able to do so means the world to me.

....Dinu, it's nice for me to be able to put a face with the name and posts. ;)

GM,
It's such a wonderful feeling, one of its own kind! Wonder if you have visited my DG homepage.

Yes, I have seen your Member Page! You have been a DG member much longer than I have. :)

http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/qstarch/qstmay01.htm
I found an interesting site that tells us about the significance of birthdays.