Chintu Ka Birthday -

His mother laughed and kissed his forehead. “Okay, Chintu. But first, let’s clean this jungle up.”

The real chaos began when his school friends arrived. Sunny, Rohan, and little Meera came running in. Within ten minutes, the remote-control car was stuck in the ceiling fan (don’t ask how), the balloons were popping like Diwali crackers, and someone had spilled Frooti all over the new carpet. Chintu Ka Birthday

Chintu had been waiting for this day for exactly 365 days. Ever since his last birthday, when he had blown the candles off a small vanilla cake, he had been planning the next one. His mother laughed and kissed his forehead

That night, as Chintu fell asleep hugging the blue remote-control car, he smiled. Birthdays weren't about the cake or the gifts, really. They were about the noise, the mess, and the people who loved you anyway. Sunny, Rohan, and little Meera came running in

Chintu closed his eyes. He thought really hard. What should I wish for? A video game? A bicycle? A pet dog?

He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and blew. Poof. All five candles went out in one go.