"Birthday wishes", as they say in India.

On Friday I had just succeeded in silencing 2nd C, my final class of the day, when all of the students were called downstairs. To start with I assumed that it was for prayer, although that has only ever been in the morning but I was told to stand with Venkayamma madam rather than joining the teachers. From talking to a family who spoke very good English (they had lived in America for six years and the youngest boy, born in the U.S., described himself as an American!), I soon gauged that they were relatives of the school's founder, who was also present. It was their daughter's (and I'm assuming the founder's granddaughter) birthday, so the whole school sang happy birthday to her and then every single student shook her hand saying "birthday wishes" and took three sweets - I've never seen so many eclairs and kacha mangoes! The teachers were all given an silver air tight container full of sweets with 'presented by Hasita' on the back, which has proved useful for the Bombay mix type food I buy at the bus stand. As far as birthdays go, it was by far the most extravagant giving of sweets - or chocolates as they say in India - that I have seen. All of the children in the school give sweets, and sometimes ladoo or cake too. One day I had three pieces of cake, which helps explain my ever increasing waistline, but even the teachers were slightly bemused by the afternoon's events. Or maybe they were just disgruntled that school finished late!

As I walked out of school the founder invited me to the birthday celebration and come mealtime, Venkayamma called me down to go to the founder's house, the same house which I went to with the boys for Deepawali. The image in my head of a small family affair was quickly dispelled by the huge pile of shoes outside the door. We struggled to find seats in front of the decorated platform where two girls (the celebration was also for the birthday girl's sister, whose birthday was few days later) covered in gold jewellery and flowers, much like the two Anushas at their weddings, sat on silver throne type chairs. Similar to Balu's function, I was asked to take my turn, with Venkayamma madam, sprinkling rice on the girls' heads and pose for a photo. We watched the gift giving - clothes seem to be the gift of choice in India - and the cutting of the cake. The family then proceeded to feed each other cake whilst everyone watched and the photographer captured it all on film! The food, buffet style like every celebration that I've been to, was delicious. Giant slices of cake covered in pink icing, fish fry, prawns and curd meant that I could hardly walk home. As we left we were given a glacier cherry on a stick and some kind of sweet wrapped in a banana leaf, but that wasn't the only gift we were given. As relatives of the founder, my family was also given all of the giant cans of leftover veg curries, which we are now eating every day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don't think I'll be forgetting that celebration in a while!