The Best Birthday Gift Ever!

I never intended to write this blog, never. But the reason why I am doing it is out of compulsion from my own mind. It was my birthday last Monday and it was just as normal as any other day. No big celebrations, no treats, no parties, no cake-cutting events but still it was the most memorable day for me. I don’t buy the concept of celebrating any day that is just for the sake of remembering something. Also I am not comfortable in celebrating my birthdays, I am not sure of the reason though, maybe it is because it reminds me that I am getting older or I just have one more year less to live or maybe because I am not someone who is born with a silver spoon to have accustomed to this ceremony. But I do enjoy being in a friend’s birthday party just because it makes them happy. I haven’t displayed my birthday in the social networking sites and the likes just to avoid getting emails or messages from someone whom I have never met  or maybe seen once at a friend’s wedding wishing me just for the sake of clearing their birthday reminder updates.

I bet the social networking sites makes the best out of it than the people who are celebrating their birthdays. To my surprise, most of the wishes that I got were from my insurance agent, the shop where I bought a pair of jeans few months back and my company website application once I logged in, most of it were automated system generated mails or short messages which just meant nothing. Of course many of my close friends called up to wish me; these guys may forget their birthdays but not mine. I honestly have to accept the fact that I don’t remember anyone’s birthday except mine, My Mom’s and the birthdays of great leaders. The last one because we get a holiday and everyone who has a calendar remembers it. I don’t even remember by dad’s birthday but that doesn’t mean I don’t love my dad, don’t know if I have to regret for that. So that shows my memory power or my lack of interest in celebrating birthdays or both.

I got a call around 8 PM when I was busy at office from a friend who is abroad, he wished me for my birthday and said that he would send a gift, I gently denied any gifts and said that just his wishes would do and winded up the conversation. I got a mail in a couple of hours from a website called giveindia.org and it stated that on behalf of me my friend has donated money for an orphanage to serve three meals for the day for 40 orphans in their institute. I was spellbound seeing this mail, I had visited this site the day before when I was searching for some information on google but I was unaware that this site is so popular or my friend would know it and I was aghast by the coincidence.

If a person’s birthday can feed a few people and eliminate their hunger or give education to a poor child or help someone in some way, I definitely don’t mind celebrating birthdays and would even welcome it. My Mom and Dad used to visit a home for disabled children and provide them a meal on special occasions like birthdays and wedding anniversaries apart from that we never had any grand celebrations or parties. All this was when we were at my hometown, as we moved on to the metro life, life got faster and they grew older and they couldn’t follow it strictly.

Now after seeing that such a facility is being provided online, I now really feel proud of being an information technology professional. I never mind promoting a noble cause and thought I could do my bit by writing this post. This post is certainly not about my simplicity or my friend’s generosity or the friendship between us but it is about charity, donation and service mentality. We could start giving with what we have it could be time, money, food or anything that can help someone in some way.