one soul stronger: Happy Birthday!

Another year of life has come and gone and while I may be physically far from best friends in India, I feel the presence of those who share my special day with me from around the globe. This is far from the first birthday I’ve passed in another country. The fact that somehow, someway, I always find friends with whom to celebrate reminds me of the commonalities we all share, no matter our background. This year lucky birthday 28 was spent in Pondicherry, India with a group of international acquaintances. Birthday number 26 was spent in Rome, under the stars with Brandy drinking limoncello in Piazza Navona. Birthdays 24 & 25 were celebrated in Mexico with shots of tequila, tres leches cake, Las Mananitas, a midnight rodeo and salsa dancing with Pepe and Andrea. While I may not be around close friends and family, the experience of birthdays abroad truly gives me the feeling of maximizing my limited years on this planet. We only have a certain time allotted to us and I fully intend on leaving behind more than a tombstone when I depart...

Here in India they are keen on the other realm. Astrology and palm readings are a large part of belief systems, so what better way to acclimatize then to check my birthday horoscope…which was extraordinarily accurate.

You want to improve because you know it will help you to make a better contribution to the world. Personal glory isn't what you are going for, though you should accept the well-deserved accolades that come your way in the next ten weeks. May is stellar for your love life. June brings a change of scenery. A Capricon adores you...

Back to birthday weekend…the event took place in Pondicherry, India - A small beach town about three hours from Chennai, affectionately termed Pondi. This haphazard get together began in Nashville, when a friend mentioned his boss was from India and would conveniently be in Chennai the same time as me. Great! Through emails and phone calls, I met the friend’s boss (Srinu) and brother (Raju) in Chennai. They were overflowing with Indian hospitality from the first hello and offered to take me to Pondicherry sight-seeing for the whole weekend. I whole-heartedly agreed and we were off in style…a hired car with a/c!

We zoomed down to the beach, stopping periodically along the way to fuel up on chai tea and to check out the salt fields. The salt fields I learned were the novel idea of Mahatma Gandhi. He preached that India needed to be swaraj (self-sufficient) before they could overrule the British who occupied their lands. Ooppu or salt is a key ingredient in the Indian diet, therefore the British imposed a salt tax upon the people of India - making it illegal to freely collect salt from the coasts. This created a complete British monopoly that affected all of India, forcing the people to buy salt they could not afford. Hence, the salt fields came to fruition after the Salt March of Dandi. Gandhi and followers showed their peaceful rebellion by walking 240 miles in 23 days arriving in Dandi on March 12, 1930 - where they defiantly picked up a piece of salt.

The salt fields are naturally gorgeous and the fact I stumbled upon them late afternoon only added to their inherent beauty. We pulled off the side of the road and I hopped out of the car with camera in hand…a unique opportunity I would not have had if I were travelling in a public bus. I walked the fields, greeted the salt farmers and even personally taste-tested a piece of Gandhi-inspired sea salt.

Later in the evening we arrived safely in Pondi, rambled the beach and enjoyed good seafood and great beers on a breezy balcony overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Alcoholic beverages are such a commodity in a society of secret drinkers. While not illegal, there are few outlets to buy alcohol in Chennai. These frowned upon places are known as Wine Shoppes – although oddly don’t sell wine. They do however specialize in selling cheap, home-made alcohol to shady characters. These stores cater to people chiefly with addictive drinking habits, thus it is completely unacceptable (and unsafe) for a woman to purchase a bottle of booze. I’m not one to crave cocktails, but sandy beaches and starry nights just don’t feel right without a cold beer every now and again. Lucky for me, laid-back touristy towns are just the spot to feed the need. Western influence isn’t always so bad….

After a belly full of food and a nice beer I slept well in my seaside resort room. The next morning I was energetic at sunrise strolling the beach, observing the fishermen prepare their nets to sail out to sea for the catch of the day. Fishermen are a rough breed in India. HIV/ AIDS is rampant and their lifestyle is…well, let’s just say I saw syringes on the beach and more than one squatting over a hole in the sand staring at the sea…not pondering life, but performing number two. I saw more ass than I bargained for that morning, but the pictures turned out nice and the sea is relaxing….so moving on.

Back to my 28th birthday celebration….my newfound friends Srinu and Raju took the personal responsibility to host a birthday party in my honor Sunday evening. They drove me all around town preparing for the birthday extravaganza; we stopped to pick up a birthda

y cake, typical party snacks, white flowers for my hair, bindis and bangles, renting tables and chairs and of course a fancy, beautiful, birthday shawal kameez. The guests arrived around 8:00 pm and we suppressed our appetites with regional dried snacks and Kingfisher (local beer). Indian music in the background created the perfect party ambience and soon they surprised me with my birthday cake. It was beautifully decorated and 10 candles (2+8) were strategically placed atop as not to interfere with the ribbons and flowers adorning the mountains of white frosting. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to me (in English) and with wish i

n mind I managed to blow out all 10 candles. As the evening and appetites progressed, we ordered tasty Indian take-out from a local beach café where I snacked on naan (bread) and a typical sauce made of paneer (cheese) and ghee (butter). After dinner…and more Kingfishers…the Indian music led to some Indian dancing. Oh yes, Raju performed a special Indian dance for me on my big day. Ha! It was a night to remember and unlike any other birthday I’ve celebrated the past 28 years of life. A special thanks to Raju and Srinu, Padmini, Santhi, Neely and all the other special guests who attended and shared my day with me. It was a 28th birthday to remember…to say the least!