It was yet another breezy morning in Bangalore when I opened the door of the house I lived in with my friends…After my usual chores, I started my ten minuets walk to work…

On the way, as I was seeing the huge buildings that stood on the 100 feet road of a very busy Koramangala, the two kids left playing in the sand on the road side caught my eyes…

They are the same innocent kids as the other kid whom I saw being dropped into his play school in his dad’s car…What did these kids do, that they are deprived of so much in life???

My mobile vibrated, waking me up from my thoughts….It was my dad, and he wanted me to go to my home town to celebrate my birthday with them…he thought by my next birthday,

I would be married, and celebrate it as some one’s wife, than his daughter! My birth day fell on a weekend, and I was more than happy to be at home on any day of the year…

but I only wished all the kids in this world were blessed with all the joys…like I did.

I reached home on my birthday, and could not laze around as it was the “birthday”, and I had to immediately take a shower and wear my new dress…

I did so, and cut the cake my mom had made for me….then with my parents and sisters, I left to the temple…

After the temple visit, as we were driving back home, I realized my dad was taking some other route…and asked him where we were going…

He did not answer much…he just said we have some work to be done before going back home…

As I watched the beautiful Ooty hills on the way, I saw we were at the entrance of a government run school…

We followed dad inside, I saw there were many kids in all ages playing around…with no fears and only smiles on their faces…as if they had all the happiness in this world.

Dad spoke to some people there, whom I saw cooking in big vessels…

Then we were directed to a big hall….where I saw all the kids sitting on the floor, and food laid in front of them…

As I stood there, not knowing what a blessing I was going to get in next few minutes…

The kids stood up in their places, and sang a prayer song, with their eyes closed…

As we all stood listening to those hundreds of voices echoing to God to take care of every one in this world…I heard the kids sing…”Happy Birthday to you”…I was speechless…I looked at my dad…he nodded his head…Then I understood that he has arranged for food for all the kids who lived there, they were all kids who had lost their parents and caretakers.

As I stood there with tears in my eyes, the kids finished the birthday wish song…and sat down to have food…Me, mom and my sisters served them…and the tears in my eyes did not stop as I thought, the kids who have lost so much in their lives, still sing for the well being of everyone in this world…and I felt as if God Himself sang to wish me this birthday!

Those few hours in my life were the most meaningful ones…and that birthday was the most special day in my life…It not only gave me joy, but brought in me a lot of guilt for not really giving anything to the needy…

Many of us have everything we need in life…parents, money, education, and everything…but we fail to share what God has given us to the needy.

I have stopped cursing the traffic jams, and learnt to understand that when I am in the car waiting for few minutes, there are kids walking on the same road without slippers.

I am not sure how I am going to fill the void the kids created in me on that birthday…but I am trying to by facing life with a new gratitude and perspective…

the perspective of meaning something to some one who really needs a hug, a pat, a smile, and a handshake to make him feel like one among us.

May God bless every one!