जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएँ. Happy Birthday!

Every time I hear of someone turning a year older, I can’t help, but recall this evergreen melody. Although the mood of the song is light and cheerful, it also laments the dreary nature of adulthood.

” हम भी अगर बच्चे होते नाम हमारा होता गबलू बबलू, खाने को मिलते लड्ड़ू,
और दुनिया कहती ‘Happy Birthday to You! “

Hum bhi agar, bacche hote, naam hamara hota Gablu Bablu, khaane ko milte laddoo …
… aur duniya kehti, ‘Happy Birthday to You!'”

This literally means: If we were children, too, our names would be Gablu or Bablu, and we would get to eat laddoos while the world sang to us … “Happy Birthday to You!”

A friend turned 40 this week and a surprise party is in the works for her this weekend. Indians celebrate birthdays with gusto and enthusiasm. Although birthday parties for children are now following Western trends of “theme parties” at various outlets, traditional celebrations are simple. Hindus celebrate and observe birthdays as they fall in the Hindu calendar, in addition to the “English” birthday that is the registered date of birth according to the Gregorian calendar.

Hindu families mark the day by performing a small arti in front of the birthday person, and sweetening his day with some mithaai. New clothes are usually worn.

Conversation

Let’s listen to this conversation between two people, where one is wishing the other on the occasion of her birthday.

अरे, आज तुम्हारा जन्मदिन है?
(Arre aaj tumhara janam din hai?)
Is it your birthday today?

हाँ, मेरा बर्थडे है आज।
(Haan, mera birthday hai aaj.)
Yes, it’s my birthday today.

जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएँ।
(Janam din ki shubhkaamnaaen.)
Birthday wishes!

शुक्रिया।
(Shukriya.)

आज के दिन कोई ख़ास कार्यक्रम?
(Aaj ke din koi khaas karyakram?)
Any special plans today?

नहीं, कुछ ख़ास नहीं। सुबह माँ ने आरती उतारके मिठाई खिलाई। तुम चलो मेरे घर मिठाई खाने। 

(Nahin, koi khaas plan nahin. Subah maa ne aarti utaarke mithai khilayi. Tum chalo mere ghar mithaai khaane.)
No, no special plans. In the morning mother blessed me with an aarti and gave me sweets. Come over to my house to eat some sweets.

हाँ ज़रूर। पहले यह तो बताओ के आज तुम कितने साल की हो गयी?
(Haan zaroor. Pehle yeh to bataao, ke aaj tum kitne saal ki ho gayi?)
Sure, but first tell me, how old did you turn today?

आज मैं पूरे २५ साल की हो गयी। मेरी उम्र बढ़ती जा रही है !
Aaj main poore 25 saal ki ho gayi. Meri umr badhti jaa rahi hai!
Today I’m all of 25 years old. I’m growing old!

हम सब की उम्र बढ़ती जा रही है।
Hum sab ki umr badhti jaa rahi hai 🙂
Aren’t we all? 🙂

Conversation Vocabulary

जन्मदिन	janmdin	birthday (janm = birth; din = day)
तुम्हारा	tumhara	your
ख़ास	khaas	special
कार्यक्रम	karyakram	plan/program
कुछ ख़ास नहीं	kuch khaas nahin	nothing special
सुबह	subah	morning
आरती उतारके	aarti utaarke/utaarna	a Hindu ritual
खिलाई	khilayi	fed; khilaana = to feed
पूरे	poore	all/total
कितने	kitne	how many
उम्र	umr (Urdu)	age
२५	pach-chees	25