After the friends left, Chintu sat on the floor, exhausted but happy. He looked at his gifts: the car, a new cricket bat, a coloring book, and a shiny red bicycle from Dadi.
He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and blew. Poof. All five candles went out in one go. Chintu Ka Birthday
“Mummy, this time I want a Jungle Book theme,” he announced six months ago. “Papa, I want a remote-control car, the blue one,” he reminded his father every single morning. After the friends left, Chintu sat on the
But the best moment was the cake. It was a large, three-tiered chocolate cake with a plastic Hathi (elephant) on top. When his mother lit the five candles (Chintu was turning five, going on fifteen), the room went dark. “Papa, I want a remote-control car, the blue