It was a friend’s birthday yesterday and I made her a hand drawn card. I'm almost expected to, since my friends consider me an "artist". I can draw well enough, and I love the activity. However, drawing cards for birthdays is almost like a tradition for me since childhood. Whenever we would go after exams to our Dadi-ghar it was a regular thing before any birthday. A day before the D day, kids were gathered around the Brobdingnagian dining table. Then bua or chachi would open a precious vaulted kit with unbroken crayons, sharpened pencils and clean erasers. It was handed out carefully to 4 rambunctious kids. We were then told to fold white printer paper and make our cards. Any kids struggling were given prompts and shown a live demonstration on potential drawings by bua (the artist). We made imperfect line cakes, coloured outside the box, and yelled at each other for colouring outside the box. Bua and Chachi had to redirect us towards the task at hand, and hushed us to keep the element of surprise for the birthday person. Which led to 4 angry kids whispering to each other about no one touching each other’s stationary. Amid the pandemonium we made pretty ok birthday cards. They were the opposite of neat and beautiful and were always received with 5 full minutes of wonderful adult appreciation. I thought of those times as I got ready to make a card for my friend, one that would be neat, clean with colours boringly within the lines. Thank God for crazy memories. I opened Pinterest copied some pieces I knew she would love and had fun with it. If I can keep up this motivation, I hope to keep doing it and pass on the tradition. It’s a fun one that deserves to live on. Since I don't have kids and don't plan to, the burden will fall on my friend's children.
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