Cakes 'n Calories

Hello God Bhai, I am back again.

You again! Why don’t you celebrate New Year like what most people do… go for a party, drink and dance as if no one is watching you.

Nahin Bhai. My party happens a day earlier.

Like Choti Diwali, one day before the main celebrations?

No Big Brother. How can you forget, it was my birthday a day before. I have enough fun in twenty-four hours before the rest of the world celebrates in their fashion.

Tell me what happened?

So the night before, I was enjoying a series on Netflix in my nightwear ,when the doorbell rang at 10.30pm. I was expecting the chemist to send some medicines, but when I opened the door was pleasantly surprised to see my daughter and her hubby, wearing conical caps on their heads and carrying balloons and carry bags, standing with grins bigger than anything you would have seen ever. The party had just begun.

The sleepy home lit up. I quickly changed into semi formals and then the first of the four cakes was cut with the usual singing of the birthday song. It was a small cake but overflowing with love from all sides.

You cut four cakes on your birthday?

Yes. That’s the usual number. Next morning reached office very early to find some people working in my cabin. These were three new kids in the department who were finishing the decoration of the room with balloons, twinkling lights, flowers and a nicely wrapped gift on the table. In some time, when the office was warming with people, in the middle of the hall, a made to order cake was brought. It was a replica of a football field with players. Later, I came to know that some of the team members were up till 1am to get the super cake ready. Was touched by their thoughtfulness and efforts of making a cake that depicted my passion for the beautiful game, and, I thought, it was also a silent prayer for the Emperor of Dreams, Pele who , that night, must have come to your gates. It was quite an embarrassing yet joyous sight to see almost everyone present joining the chorus and the cake party that followed.

After a sumptuous lunch with one team, returned back to office to cut the third cake… a petite red velvet cake accompanied by a huge bouquet of flowers. And then came the classy cheese cake baked by the missus apart from the table full of my choicest food laid for dinner. Can there be a better and bigger party than this?

Wishes rang in from all quarters… family, friends and colleagues, old and new, in forms of calls, simple messages to GIFs and more. One colleague sent a song he recorded with a beautiful picture of my family that he had saved from my DP. The one below are few lines written by a dear friend who makes all my weekly posts worth the trouble and effort.

Many many happy returns of the day
Our man of letters
A beautiful story teller
So sensitive and humourous too
Strikes a cord in me and you!
God bless you with health and happiness
Joy and togetherness
Many more stories to tell
For you tell them well!
As you get wiser and reach wider
May you consider
Compiling them all into a wonderful book
Into which we will often take a look
Escape from todays into yesteryears happy days
There is so much joy in that recount
May all those joys add to your account!

No..no chance. I am envious of you. Four cakes…mmm... must tell my people to let me cut at least two next Christmas. Anyway, what brings you here then?

Boss, have done full thirty-four years of service and now need some help for the last 365 days.

What can I do? It is your work and your world. What can I help you with? Just hurry up and tell me. I have a party at Heaven’s Gates to attend at tonight. Need to change into my psychedelic robe as well.You are allowed to make one wish only for almost everyone on your planet is making resolutions and most of them pretty miraculous ones where my intervention may also not help but I still have to listen to all. Soon the call lines to my station will get choked. So spell out quick and short.

God Bhai, need the strength of Kipchoge.

Who’s he?

What Sir, you have not heard of Eliud Kipchoge? He’s the greatest long-distance runner of all times. He won the Olympics in 2016 and 2020 and has won four of the six fastest marathons ever. He has even done a sub-two-hour marathon.

So now you wish to run marathons at the ripe young age of fifty-nine and also win the same. And you want me to give you the boon to make it happen! I always knew you were crazy but not as loony as you now are what you are now appearing with a wish like this.

Arrey Bhai, I do not wish to run marathons and win. Don’t get me wrong. What I was trying to say was that in the marathon of life at work, I have run for the last thirty-four years. Its been a gruelling but satisfying run. As I start the last lap of 365 steps, I want you to give me the strength of Kipchoge who reserves his best for the last few kilometres. My race is not about winning but being able to run the full course well. Often in the long-distance races, the athletes get exhausted and de-hydrated and fall off. At times the feeling that they will miss the podium may dishearten them and they quit. As for me, I have run hard all these years and have no hard feelings for all those who went ahead and got the glory they deserved for they were definitely better then me. Now it is all about being able to run hard and fast as if the race has just begun. Want to work hard and complete some unfinished work. Not glory that I shall seek but be able to walk into sunset with head held high.

I seek not an easy path in this last leg. Let the work get even more difficult and the goals look impossible to achieve, just give me the strength to continue with the same vigour, passion, honesty and integrity and all those principles that have held me in good stead all these years. Pain and failure is not what I fear, to be able to complete the course well is all I seek. Am reminded of a beautiful poem by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore from which I share below a couple of lines. As you know, translations do no justice to the true essence but I am still sharing as this song echoes  in my heart and soul as I take step one today.

Aaro bedona aaro bedona
Grind me with more pain,

Probhu, daao morey aaro chetona

Oh Lord, Bestow on me more awareness. 

Dwaar chhutaye baadha tuttaye
Opening all doors, breaking all barriers 

Morey koro traan morey koro traan
I seek my deliverance, liberate me.

Bhakt, I have taken note of your request. Your application number is 5 trillionth but shall try and expedite it for due consideration. Hope you have done your KYC. If not, please do it or else the application will get rejected. Heard you earthlings already have to do these verifications for everything from banking to insurance to buying cakes and flowers. We had to get updated so asked Jobs to do the job for us. Our App will include births and deaths apart from requests and complaints.

Dear God, thank you for 22, 34 and 59.

What are these numbers?

The year 2022, 34 long years since I started my career in March of 1988 and, of course, 59 years of living, loving and running.

Wishing all our readers a Happy ‘23.

SS