33rd Birthday

My 33rd Birthday was special. Much of it is due to my posting as Assistant Collector, Kinwat. Ofcourse the love of near and dear ones, ie my wife and family like any other birthday is always there and special always. Whether thousand people turn up or none on your birthday, family is always there.
The day started with garlanding the photo frame of Shri Bhagwan Birsa Munda as it happened to be World Tribal Day and then we went to the town to garland the statutes of famous personalities – Dr BR Ambedkar, Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule – Savitribai Phule, Anna bhau Sate.

Then the day was marked by a flow of visitors wishing and blessing me in the first half. Then in the afternoon, Aarna, Soumya and I left for one village Vasantvadi , some 20KMs away from Kinwat. It was such a village, which doesn’t have a road – kaccha road, forget metal road or CC road. The village Patil was waiting at one Ghote cross to pick us up. We took the Bolero, keeping in mind the treacherous road ahead. The village patil said that they have made road 1st class for my visit. I wondered how first class it would be. Part of the road was through a hillock, laid with big rocks, boulders etc. Bolero managed to scrape through that road. We reached the village and welcomed by traditional demsa dance. The villagers had already gathered at the event place – a Zilla Parishad school, anaganwadi complex; We cut the cake, they gifted me, Soumya and suppi dress; then we got few people vaccinated also; Lunch was arranged for whole village; it was simple lunch – Chapati, Curry, Dal and boondi sweet. After lunch we left for Kinwat.

Returning to town, I cut the cake in Tahsil office, then SDO office, then at my home; in late evening PO staff had organised an event for cake cutting and dinner at GAS Kinwat. There were many people gathered – School HMs, PO staff, students of NEET; It was very nicely organised. I got gifts mainly photo frames of the Mission NEET inauguration event, symbolic of the efforts I put for the students of our tribal schools. After sumptuous dinner, we returned home.

It was said, the love affection I received on my birthday is reflection of the work I did so far in Kinwat. As much as I would love to believe that, I would give the benefit of doubt to the people of Kinwat for their large heartedness and in my place, any other officer would receive same love and affection.

I thought to myself that I’ve been blessed with this opportunity to work for the downtrodden and the underprivileged. At the end of the day I was feeling grateful for all the love and affection I go that day.