04/01/2025
Growing up I used to get super excited about my birthday. It was the one day I looked forward to all year. A new dress, cake cutting, and gifts were the highlights. I would start planning a month in advance.
But on January 4, 2013, an abusive incident changed everything. That day, the joy I felt for my birthday disappeared. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. Since then, birthdays brought anxiety, though I still celebrated them, just more subtly.
In 2021, I faced a bigger loss, Iost five family members in ten days to COVID. Many of you might not know, but I was extremely close to my mother-in-law, and losing her to COVID broke me. Since then, birthdays, festivals, or any celebrations became incredibly hard. Thatâs why I donât post anything for festivals. 2022 was the toughest year. I forced myself out of the house to watch the movie 83. In 2023, I hid in the mountains, avoiding any phone signal. In 2024, I cried through the entire day.
By December, the anxiety started creeping in again. But as New Year approached, I began to calm down. My only wish was not to cry on my birthday. Over the past three days, I focused on healing from my birthday trauma. I decided to face my fear head-on, and guess what? The old Vidya showed up.
After a decade, I finally had a good birthday. My sister surprised me at 5 am coming all the way from Chennaj. I started the day in my happy place, my office room, with a client call. I spent quality time chatting with my sister, enjoyed good food, did some shopping, visited my parents, cut a cake with them and my sister, had dinner, and later returned home to see my husband after three long days. How could I miss his face? We cut another cake, just me, him, and my brother from another mother.
So many of you called, sent messages, cakes, and gifts. For the first time in a long while, I felt genuinely happy on my birthday. Thank you to everyone who celebrated me. This year, Iâve decided to celebrate my 40th throughout the year. I need to catch up on all those lost years. This year, Iâm finally ready to reclaim my birthdays and make new, happy memories.