Happy Birthday KI!

Happy birthday baby!
You are one-year-old today, and I am excited.
Let’s party!

As promised I will adhere to all the suggestions made about the birthday post. Right from
Manasi’s which said that I should write about her and how my life has changed after meeting her, to D who wants me to acknowledge the person who made me shift from yahoo 360 and come to Blogger, to Minerva who asked me to list my favorite posts, to Komal who wants me to tell the world about my most favorite and least favorite posts, to Dan who wants me to write about my supercool friends (meaning him and only him) to Chitrangada who wants me to talk about my favorite blogging partner, to Shweta who wants me to dedicate a few lines to my readers. Those that I am working towards finding a resolution for are ideas by Burf (that I should provide return gifts to every visitor), Richa (that I should change the template) and Rohit (that I should throw a rum and beer party for all the readers). The request that is impossible to keep is Subhadip’s. He wants me to sing a song, record it, and then host it here. (No KirrinIsland, baby, I can’t do that to you. I write with a passion, yes, but I cannot force my singing on your tender one-year-old shoulders, and then expect visitors to sit through that torture. Noh! Not at all. Let’s forgive Subhadip, shall we? Just because he sings like dream, doesn’t mean the rest of us who croak can be expected to karaoke along!)

So here goes, all the manageable requests, one after the other:

Manasi’s request
About Manasi: She is the same age as me, with very definite ideas of what she likes and does not like, makes excellent shrimps, studies fish reproduction for her PhD, her students love her, and I am the one she has entrusted with the task of taking photographs when she and Shardul get married.

How My Life Has Changed After Meeting Manasi: Swearing is ok at home; “bitch” can be a form of address; apparently I am never ever to use words such as timid and shy when describing myself; the awareness that if, as and when I have children they would need a fairly disciplined Dad because I am incapable of teaching anything but mischief, reading habits, fairly neat handwriting, and a sense of humor (and none of these things really count!); that we cannot and shall not talk about the people she does not like in our house…so much for democracy!

D’s request
So who made me shift to Blogger?
Deepak did. He made me shift from Yahoo 360 to Blogger. And I must say that it was a smart move. The number of readers grew exponentially, I met some of my most loyal readers here, who eventually became friends, and it’s been a wonderful ride. Thank you D.

Minerva’s request
My Favorite Posts (Month-wise)
February 2006
Chandigarhhh: Travelogue cum reminisces about my life there, and my friends.
When Love and Hate Collide: About my bro.

March 2006
What If: If you haven’t played this game yet, either online on my blog, or in real life with a friend, you need to take a serious look at yourself.

April 2006
Why Cows Don’t Kiss: Explanatory enough
Kasauling and Simlaing: Travelogue
Never Say Never: On Orkut

May 2006
10e’s 10: The things that my mind was obsessed with in May. And how some of those points can still make me smile.
The Jalebi Lover’s Story: About my dad.
Real Gold: The story of my grandparents’ romance.

June 2006
Now Lucknow: Travelogue

July 2006
48 Hours of Fun: About some of my closest friends in Delhi.
OG: About one of the bestest bosses ever.

August 2006
Fifty Observations: My first observations about America

September 2006
We: About us, the students of the University of Idaho

October 2006
Ramlal: My dearest shelled friend in America

November 2006
With An Apology to Every American I Love: With 40 comments in all, this was the blogpost that was read the most.
Love Letter: Written to my mother.

December 2006
Scribbles: Points on cross country America travel.

Komal’s request
My Most Favorite Post is Love Letter. In my letter to my mother, I gave the most of myself.
The One I Wish I Hadn’t Written:None

Dan’s request
My Supercool Friends: Dan only wants his reference here. So…all those of you in India, please get him a girlfriend. He is particularly keen to have an Indian girlfriend at this point of time. And Moscow has very limited opportunities in that respect. The man’s selling points are his amazing sense of humor, his height (he can touch the ceiling), and his wonderful rendition of the Piggy Piggy song (that’s what he thought the Bheegi Bheegi song from Gangster was all about!).

Chitrangada’s request
My favorite blogging partner is my cousin Butterfly, although she is a baby in our world. She is my favorite because I see the real power of a blog in her work, in her love for it, in the way she waits breathlessly through the whole week, just so she can blog on Friday. That kind of one minded devotion and discipline towards anything is exemplary. I admire the spirit with which she blogs, and earnestly pray that this will stay with her for ever.

Shweta’s request
Lines To My Readers (I hope this part doesn’t come out sounding hypocritical, or arrogant or presumptuous)
I value every reader here. I know there are quite a few who read every post but never leave any comments. Some do so because they couldn’t care less, others because they were feeling lazy, and yet others because they feel shy about commenting openly and therefore write me emails instead. What do I want from my readers? Opinions for one. Or at least a record of the fact that you visited. I am not writing with the idea of getting comments for sure, but I am not just writing to tell my story. I am writing because to me my blog is a platform of exchange. A place where we meet and talk.
Monologues are for dictators, conversations are for the rest of us.