BIRTHDAY BUMPS

Birthdays are supposed to be full of fun and joy. This is true, but the fun and joy are very much for the "guests" of a birthday party. Indian college birthday celebrations are very notorious. The scapegoat (birthday boy) has the unique opportunity to volunteer to get his ass whooped.

And it is pure fun. Especially for others. College/youth birthday parties in India are not without BIRTHDAY BUMPS, or the tradition of having one's back pounded as many times as his age in years. The UK tradition in high schools and colleges is to catch hold of his arms and legs by four others and toss him up in the air over and over. Variations of this version include tossing him up and pounding his back on the ground each time... while the most popular Indian tradition is to hold his arms and legs while the rest of the gang pummel his ass with their feet, usually much more than his actual quota for his age. More often that not, the scapegoat is reluctant as you can imagine.

(Rohit, after his ritual)

People wear boots and heavy shoes ESPECIALLY for a birthday function- to kick ass! Birthdays usually starts off with this ritual, and after that comes the more sober cake-cutting and singing of the birthday song. But again the atmosphere is charged up with smearing the cake very generously over his face, head and elsewhere.

Birthday bumps are fun, but sometimes it can go out of hand. I've seen one example where a college mate of mine had to be in crutches for a few days. More serious cases include damage to the spine, the effect of which can be paralysis or lifelong disabilities. However those cases are few and far in between. All the merry-making is safe as long as your feet lands on the gluteus maximus (the prominent shape-giving muscle of your bums), and not on the backbone. The unfortunate birthday boy also has to foot a large bill after treating the gang at some restaurant, before having his ass kicked and his face & body smeared with icky-sticky cake and confetti!

"Happy birthday to you,
You were born in a zoo,
With monkeys and donkeys,
and you look like one too..."