A Perspective: On Birthdays

Every one of us has our own special day, every year. A day in our timelines to be remembered and celebrated. The day on which we receive love from all directions.

Besides 12 o’clock wishes, New Outfits, Parties, Cake Cutting, and Birthday Bumps, from a different perspective — there is something more about birthdays. In this post, let us explore that perspective about Birthdays.

From the Vedic perspective…

From the Vedic perspective, One’s birthday is considered to be a very important day in connection with one’s longevity; not entertainment or enjoyment.

In a modern perspective, one may think — “What’s so great about longevity? It is our oldage that is increasing.”

But longevity is a great factor for one to be legendary. I’ll discuss about it in my future posts.

There are several rituals coming down the cultural lines which are recommended to be performed on one’s birthday. Herein I’m mentioning three of those rituals —

• Seek blessings from elders and well-wishers — Nowadays, it has by large become a routine that we receive wishes and blessings from our relatives. But it is better if you can call up to grandparents and get their blessings — even if they forget your birthday.
• Visit a temple nearby — or any other place of worship. Temples are reservoirs of tremendous positive vibes.
• Give something in charity at one’s own capacity. If you think you are running low on reserves, even feeding a handful of grass to a cow will work. It is more about the intention to serve than the quantity of service.

The rituals I have suggested above have strong and deep reasons, explaining which would make this an essay on “Science and Spirituality” — Thus I am refraining from doing so.

Besides these recommendations, here are some more which can be readily applied -

Wishing

Depending on the closeness of the person, we wish people at various levels. Until very recently, if I do anything more than a “ Happy B’day bro!” on one’s timeline, a very common phrase I used to use was “Party Hard!” — many of us might be using it. But lately, I’ve realized that there are better phrases that can be used to wish on one’s b-day — wishing someone longevity, purpose and other tangible things in life.

Fun Fact:

What does “Many more happy returns of the day” mean?

It means the person who wishes you wishes that the day would come again and again with happiness” Something very near to “Baar baar din ye aaye”

Besides Wishing, greeting and gifting are other things we do for people.

For Gifting, I believe in gifting long-lasting and impactful things — Self-Help Books, Journals, Pens etc. Teddies and Photo-frames are also good choices depending on the receiving person.

For Greeting, if you also think like me that it has become too mainstream to make a photo collage or a video and want to do something different, try writing a letter — Yes, Bring the “Letter to a friend” from our schooling into reality.

Why “On Birthdays” today?

Today is the birthday of

• Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple — a person who left his mark on the world.
• Beloved “Amma” of Tamilians — J. Jayalalithaa, ex-CM of Tamil Nadu state.
• And our constant companion Whatsapp was also born(founded) 10 years ago, on this day.
• Besides them, all those listed here were also born on this day.

And above all, it is the Golden Jubilee Birthday of my beloved Dad. “Happy 50th Birthday Daddy”. Seeking all your good wishes on his b-day : )

Thanks for reading hope you found something worth reading.

A little more on Birthdays here — A Perspective: On Birthdays — contd.