Happy Birthday to Me, and All That….

What me worry? Don't be silly! The hair is greyer (I am a dye-er who won't dye often enough to look like a frisky teenager!), have lost a few molars, the shoulders ache from sitting crouched before a computer, the yoga keeps arthritis away, sleep sounding for eight hours every night, sing in the bathroom, but the smile is still intact, the facetiousness falls flat sometimes – ask my friends about this.



No, like the much in demand Bollywood actress – I won't name which – I won't lie about my age. I am 53 today. I think the best phase of my life has just begun; I am an eternal optimist like Amitabh, Elton John, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the Internet), all of who are in the sixties or thereabouts, and still passionate about what they do.



So? The novel didn't happen, so I am writing another. Finalizing plans for four books this year – the novel, the travelogue, a collection of poems, and a collection of short stories. In blogging I am right behind Amit Varma's authority of 421 and I, at 132, am rising in the ranks steadily. You could say I am in the top ten bloggers in the country – even some who run multi-crore, corporate supported blogs.



Amen, praise the lord for all that. Here's a card I got from Indian rock singer and my teenage idol Nandu Bhende. Thanks Nandu and Usha.