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Becoming, Unbecoming, and Everything In Between

It was all one storey back then. I often find myself wondering what they must have changed. I remember there was a big tree on the way to our canteen. I wonder if it’s still standing strong, still offering shade to children who don’t yet know they’ll one day miss that very walk. I heard they built a new classroom along the way. Does it still carry the same colors it did when we were there? Sometimes nostalgia comes like a sudden wave. It doesn’t knock. It just arrives, and I have no choice but to sit down and write. Late, but happy Holi, everyone. I didn’t realize it had been over a month since my last post. Every time I feel the urge to write, when emotions spill over and beg to be heard, I get distracted by life. By the things that demand time and attention. (By cooking and eating, mostly. I am exhausted, trust me.) I saw videos of my school friends recently. Every time I watch them, I sit there thinking about how we were as children. I just can’t get past the realization that we are...
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Threads of Connections (Part 2): Birthday Stories

iIs a birthday a big deal to you?

For me, it always is. Not just mine, but anyone’s. If I love you, your birthday feels like a religious holiday to me, like a day that deserves cakes, candles, and a pause in time just to say, “I am so glad you were born.” That thought alone fills me with joy. I don’t think it’s about being “crazy” over birthdays, but about cherishing the miracle of existence.

What fascinates me is how our ways of wishing have shifted over the years. From letters to phone calls to texts and now, the Instagram story. Each one says something different, but all are rooted in love. Personally, I adore calls and messages, but when I post a story, it means something more. It’s not just a “Happy Birthday” with a picture, it’s my way of letting the world know how grateful I am that you exist. If not for this day, I would never have had the chance to meet you, laugh with you, or love you. And that’s worth sharing.

Okay, I will admit something: whenever I post, I always place a little 🧿 emoji over it first. Cringe? Maybe. Corny? Definitely. But it’s my way of protecting that love from bad energy. People say, “Then why post at all?” But how do I not? How do I stay quiet when my heart wants to shout, “IT'S THEIR BIRTHDAYYYYY”

I have had so many conversations with friends about this. Some say, “If they didn’t post me, I won’t post them.” Others post for everyone, no matter what. And honestly, I love both. It shows how each person has their own love language, how they choose to celebrate others in their own way. Isn’t that beautiful?

I love watching people express their care in little things: making an edit with a favorite song, designing a card, baking a cake, even coding an entire birthday website. I love how as kids, we used to have a packet of chocolates in our hands with that one friend with whom we went from class to class distributing chocolates. I love how you would be cheered, happy birthday in the school assembly with some stationery as gifts (sorry for the ones who are socially awkward). I sometimes wonder if there were to be a higher celestial being, they would probably find this adorable. "Aww, these humans are so cute when it comes to love". Lmao, at least that's what I would think if I were to be one of them. All of it is precious. All of it is love.

At the end of the day, if birthdays don’t feel like a big deal to you, trust me, you need a friend like Komal around. Someone who will get more excited than you ever will.




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