Pulling out all the stops

We live in a society where money implies status. Whether we like it or not, this trend has unfortunately percolated even into the happiest day of the year for a person — his or her birthday.

Youngsters today are shelling out lots of money only to celebrate those  24 hours in the most lavish way possible, be it with their own earnings or their parents’.

Twenty-four-year-old Yuvraj Sehgal confesses that he has started spending a lot more on his birthday than before. “Nearly half of my salary is spent on this but I have no regrets. It’s my first job and I have a big circle of friends and I gel well with my office guys as well. So, I make sure that they are all a part of my party,” says Yuvraj, who spent close to Rs 10,000 on his last birthday.

When asked where that money was spent, he answers, “On my birthday, I took just my roommates to ‘Pebbles’ and Rohit Barker and Nikhil Chinapa were playing. It was one heck of a party and we danced and drank a lot. After which, I treated everybody to a
midnight buffet at Pinxxx in Ista.”

There are others who spend around the same amount but spread it out among different groups of friends. “For me, a good birthday is just about spending quality time with friends and family. Giving treats and receiving gifts are only for the sake of tradition and courtesy,” shares Abhiroop Anja, a student.

“I have different sets of friends like those from school, college and my family friends. Whether I want to or not, I’m expected to treat them all. On my last birthday, I took some friends for a nice meal at Radisson while I took the others to ‘20 Feet Above’ on Church Street,” he adds.

For the young girls of the City, a birthday can mean anything – from a party where everybody does alcohol shots to spending time at a beauty salon.

“I like throwing house parties on my birthday and in my last one, I ordered large pizzas and bought alcohol for everyone. It’s convenient and affordable and I get all my friends to mingle together and have a good time,” notes Raveena C, a young professional.

At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice if someone wants to blow up money on party or keep it as a simple celebration with the family. There’ll always be those few people for whom a birthday’s just no fun without giving everyone crazy unforgettable time.