Deja-vu

It's different when you are so far away from kith and kin and feel like celebrating birthdays. The mandatory NRI custom includes calling up parents and siblings, etc (add "in-laws" for married folk) and then everyone wishes you, etc. The tedious part is you have to cook everything and then call your friends over. I am not complaining, but that's life away from parents and relatives. BTW I have invited friends over for dinner sadya: rice, sambar, pappaddam, father-six(achar) and semiya payasam. Someone please send me a fruit cake !!! When I was a kid (till 8th..no kidding) my star birthday would be celebrated in India because of the summer vacations (July & August) in Dubai. Eventually I was sad that I never had a chance to take chocolates to school, not to mention that I never had birthday parties due to the vacations and in the process saving my parents the trouble of setting up elaborate parties, getting chocolate boxes, etc. After shifting to Pune (8th-till I came to USA), I can only remember a birthday party in my ninth standard with a small fruit cake (no icing..mind it) and with a couple of friends over, watched TV, etc. College birthday parties involved a small lunch/snack party at the local college canteen--commonly known as "birthday treat". I celebrated my birthday once in Kerala (just before I left for USA) with a mandatory visit to a nearby temple followed by a sumptous feast and two payasams. In USA the scenario was different, friends came from all over and bombarded me with the choicest ingredients that included ketchup, eggs, beer, carpet shampoo (ugh--I have a snap to prove it). Thankfully all birthdays after that have been very peaceful involving simple cakes and better gifts, (thanks to the missus for last year's 30GB iPoD plus this year's advance b'day gift 8GB iPhone). But I feel this sense of deja-vu: I used to look forward to celebrate my birthday in India, when I was a kid, and it's no different even when I am all grown up (kid at heart-missus will agree) and in the USA. I miss simple things-going to the temple, mummy's sadya and yummy payasam...hmmm.. Ok as usual missus has sweetly reminded me that I haven't attended her birthday yet...Deja vu again.