A Bitter Cake

1st Jan 2023: The smell of cooking chicken greeted us (wifey already started retching, while I fondly recalled my before leaving non-veg days). We then entered the home of Ashtami (name changed), our domestic help. I had absolutely no idea that I was stepping into the best party of my life.  

30th Dec 2022: We got a call at 9pm in the night, "Ashtami" calling"- at 9pm today. Irritated, we both looked at phone, sure that she will be calling for a leave for tomorrow. My wife gave me the phone (my HR background is used very opportunistically in such cases)- to talk to her and give her a telling off and she has taken 6 leave already this month. "Uncle, I am Ashtami’s daughter. Will you come to my b ’day on 1st January?" said a sweet voice on the other side. My tonality suddenly changed from forced anger to forced sweetness, "Sure beta, we will come." Then began a half hour discussion, with we moving from not going, to maybe, to going for 5 mins and then finally to going. 

Back to 1st Jan: We went hunting for a gift for the kid, finally settling for a teddy bear (apparently, they are called "plush" now, courtesy my wife and not "bhalu") and lots of chocolates. Ashtami had told us to call after reaching a certain spot, as her home was walking distance from the parking spot. Well, we reached the spot, called her and were guided to the party. The road gradually started getting narrower, me having to slouch to avoid bumping my head on the low hanging wires and our mobile phone flashlight guiding us through the dark pathway. Finally, after about 100 meters, we were greeted by 5 kids, all holding balloons, a wok full of chicken cooking, and a rusty ply door, embellished by coloured flag and paper banners. I had to slouch again to get inside, and then entered their home.

Let me describe their home to you- a 4 feet by 5 feet bed took over 75% of the room. Rest was taken up by one gas stove, 1 table, 1 blue-tooth speaker bar (details later) and a 3*4 almirah for clothes. The home was 8 feet by 5 feet. Ashtami and her husband have 4 kids. A standard bathroom in Gurugram is usually 8 feet by 5 feet. Once we entered, we realized we should take our shoes off, a floor mat indicating someone slept on the floor. 

The party started, with me and wifey outdoing the kids in feeling awkward. The first few minutes, we sat in silence, the kids casting us cursory glances, whispering to each other and smiling. I then started asking my usual question, which class, which subject, songs etc. I bumped my head twice on the almirah, while wifey as her usual stoic self (as she is usually in most of the parties). Ashtami was running around outside, arranging for sweets, cold drink for us. I started talking to her husband, who was proudly telling me about his company now giving him provident fund, his plans for savings for the kids, all the while shivering in his half t-shirt. A kid then requested me to play songs on the blue-tooth speaker bar- with her husband telling me that he had himself salvaged and repaired the speaker last month, all by himself. The kid then proceeded to cut the cake, me asked to click pictures all the while singing birthday songs. After around half hour, we left, with the entire party coming to drop us to our car. Ashtami thanked us, for coming. 

We came back to our home, completely quiet. My thoughts of course went to our lives, our privileged, thankless lives. The privileged us, have progressed to things like emotional balance, mental wellbeing, discussions on following passion, without a worry about tomorrow. We are worried about the next apartment we will purchase, the next car we will purchase, the revised CTC we will have. Finding happiness, is now a well talked about, written about, videoed about topic. We have multiple reasons to be sad, depressed about. 

I saw genuine happiness in that 8 by 5 home (if you noticed, have deliberately kept it in bold underline throughout this post). We live in 2/3/4 BHK houses, they lived in a home. We have full 7/8 course meals on our birthdays, they had one.   

We have enough reasons to be sad, they had one, to be happy. 

 

 Next time you are cursing your life, remember this birthday. I always will.