Happy birthday to the embodiment of mother hen and brawny alpha male. Thanks for having my back, for trying to constantly save me from combusting and for being ever so amused by my theatrics. To be honest your niceness, does make SB, look at you rather suspiciously, sometimes. But since she’s a teeny, tiny bit scared of you, she doesn’t spell ‘murder’, so easily. Just kidding ( or maybe not) patient human beings are the most dangerous creatures on the planet. Never know when you’ll explode! But then SC, reassures her, you’re just a fixer- who tends to hurt animals and damaged humans. We all pay for our complexes, you might have to pay heavily for your rescuing ways, too!

Thanks for being my friend. For checking on me everyday, since mum has gone….For keeping your promise to her. For listening to me weep…For scolding me, more than any other person would waste their time, doing. For making fun of me, about everything especially boys. Each time I tell you, I find someone hot, you start tripping on my easily annoyed ways. ‘ Go out with him a few times, then we’ll talk!’, your predictions are always on point. Thanks for your generosity and your kindness, for your words of encouragement and most of all your silliness, that matches mine! You may not be the boy in my heart nor the one on my skin, you may not be the devil in my brain who whispers my name but you’re definitely a very dependable man and having you around feels safe, secure and comforting! That’s why you’re one of SC’s favourite people in the world. No one else scolds her when her hair is disheveled, asks her dress up, tells her she’s like a two year old and prays for her when she’s getting all hysterical. I can get into any kind of trouble, I know you’re the one person, who’ll try to get me out of it!

By the way, there are things that you should have learnt how to do before turning 40- like driving a freaking car! Next time, you’re here, you better get your ass behind the wheel. Maybe, I shouldn’t be a hypocrite and complain. In forty years, you haven’t learnt how to drive and I haven’t learnt to navigate through society…same, same, I guess!

Anyhow, sorry I didn’t show up for you, like you always show up for me. It would have been nice…we could have gone dancing. Most days, scandals entertain me but sometimes I get tired. Four days, would have become a decade of bullshit, that would get spun around and broadcasted to anyone who would listen. One is slowly resigning to the fact, that one is going to remain under the microscope, for as long as there’s no man to parade around and when there is one, he’ll be made to dance on strings, to control the defiant woman. In any case, since one has already given you all her wealth (which doesn’t exist) and is making you a director in the company ( if you you were the kind..they really think, I would be speaking to you but logic is blinded by misogyny) there’s nothing left for you to do, I guess, so off you go! Since, you’re the only person I know, whose never asked me for anything, I really didn’t want more shade flung your way.

Have a fabulous day and a blessed year. Come soon, so we can go dancing in the clubs and streets of Delhi…go hogging in Chandni Chowk and I’ll even show you some cool, quiet places, I’ve found. See you later, alligator!