They say age is just a number,
And that it must not come in between you and what you can do,
Whether that’s that extra mile you can run,
Or pick a hobby or a job completely new.
But there are so many numbers other than age that matter or have mattered,
That age just dissolves and pales in comparison,
These numbers are far too many to go through,
So let me tell you about some that matter, just a few.
To this birthday, they’ve been split exactly in half,
25 in the Bay Area, 25 in the globe’s other parts.
Starting on that almost rainy morning, also on a Sunday, when I knocked on this world’s door
I arrived in the city of Allahabad at 5 am, child number four.
Now each one of us has 2 of our own,
The oldest nephew is almost 33!
Guess what, he is about to become a father himself, you see,
And I will become a granduncle at the innocent age of 50!
Then in 1983, we (India) won our first World Cup,
And never looked back,
In 2003, I wept when we lost in SA,2007 did not even watch
In 2011, my father wanted to name Ayansh after Virat.
34 grand slams between 2 players I adore and in awe,
10 more than the one I don’t like,
7 championships for the Ws and hopefully counting
And one was in 1975, just saying.
4 years in the most beautiful valley, ensconced in the Himalayas,
The years that shaped me to a great measure,
Record of 20 days without a shower, a utopian world of music, trekking, and sports,
Without emails, phones, we were and are there for each other, the awesome cohort.
Then, with the clichéd two suitcases, I arrived here in the States,
Now we travel with 4 suitcases, with 2 just having achaars, sweets, and snacks,
Made so many new friends from all over India and the world,
Married a girl from Bhopal, a small town south of my world, and life unfurled
First job was at Cisco, which was in 2000 at a all-time high of 72,
Now, after 25 years it is trying to get back to that,
Smartphones are the new computers as we are on them all the time,
And kids now learn about GPUs before nursery rhymes
And through the dot com bust, many recessions,
The biggest question was what's the weekend plan without concessions,
Mid-week celebration was concocted, coffee, beer, and movies were guzzled,
Nothing could have stopped us from our downfall, but in it we reveled.
Then the wives came, and the groups expanded,
WhatsApp groups galore, hotels disappeared, and along came resorts and Airbnb
Now have to rent places for get together and for your awesome company
While telling kids to have real friends and not Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT
Now the year is measured by semesters and breaks
Trips to India are still the norm as we try to catch and fly with time,
Life's a stage, so while we are on it, let's enjoy and shine.
So I thank you again from the bottom of my heart,
Because that's the most I can do for all you've done for me,
Made this life thus far a little interesting with full of love and joy,
Let's not think about anything else and enjoy each other like a baby its toy.
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