Now that's serious: Rahul Gandhi turns 45, celebrates birthday in India

[caption id=“attachment_2303014” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rahul Gandhi. Reuters.[/caption] We finally have an answer to why the heavens have opened up and sent Mumbaikars rafting on the roads. We have a good reason to believe that this is khushi ke ansoon (tears of happiness). Rahul Gandhi, after ages, has decided to celebrate his birthday in his country. And the heavens above Mumbai - the land of Bollywood - have suitably sensitive lachrymal glands which have given in. Let another Rahul show you how:    Every year Congress supporters, turn up before the Gandhi residence to celebrate the birthday of their own Shah Rukh Khan. In 2009, it was reported, Congress supporters turned up with cakes, crackers and stuff for a havan in Delhi, only to find the birthday boy missing in action. Gandhi, like a true Indian non-aam aadmi, had taken off for an overseas trip to bring in his birthday. The same pattern followed in the following years. We can imagine though why he must have ran away to celebrate his birthday abroad in the last couple of years. Imagine if PM Modi, then BJP candidate Modi, managed to lay his hands on Gandhi’s birthday party pics. You know, one with a multicoloured Afro maybe, or one with beer mug shaped specs or one with cake smeared on his face. From Rangeela Babu to Chocolate Boy, you can only imagine how Modiji’s imagination would have run wild and a hundred hashtags would have bloomed. It would have made “escape velocity” seem like a cakewalk. However, the tables have turned this time. Gandhi has been vigorously trying to shake off his _shehzada-_ness and project himself as a desi Robin Hood instead. He is trying to be the kurta-pyajama clad hero who battles the suit-boot nexus. After all A man who claims that he will fight for the rights of the farmers and accuses the government of being pro-rich, cannot be very convincing if he flies off abroad to ring in his birthday, right? In fact, note how he is consciously being the anti-Modi here. One of the primary grouses against our PM is that he spends more time flying than running the country. His overseas trips in the last year have been fodder for innumerable memes. And Gandhi probably hopes his little sacrifice will help make an impression. In 2012, when Rahul Gandhi had taken off for his annual overseas birthday ritual, Firstpost’s Lakshmi Chaudhry had written , “The impression he conveys is of a child itching to finish his homework so he can run free. Or of a reluctant bada beta dutifully putting in the required hours at the family bijness to make Papa (in this case, Mama) happy. That’s alright except the family bijness happens to be the world’s biggest democracy – which deserves better than a sulky schoolboy at its helm.” But this time around, we can wipe a happy tear and say, ‘beta bada ho gaya hai’ (the boy’s grown up). And Congress will leave no stone unturned to celebrate this, slightly delayed, coming of age. NDTV reports: “Party supporters will cut a birthday cake weighing 45-kg outside his residence 12, Tughlaq Lane. A procession will be taken out to his residence from Malcha Marg with flower decorated ‘rath’ and a cavalcade of cars adorned with party flags, banners and cut outs of the Congress Vice President.” If you are cracking up at the idea of the rath, think again. Or better still, go read up Ramayana on Cliff’s Notes again. Remember what Ram flew back to Ayodhya in, to claim his kingdom back? Yes people, the Pushpak Rath! Now translate that into English. What do you get? ‘Flower rath’. See how the Congress also plans to score a Hindu mythology brownie point? His party, which had been unhappy with Gandhi’s on-again off-again attitude for a while now, seems to be finally convinced that their leader has successfully graduated to adulthood. No wonder then some leaders have now announced gleefully that Gandhi has to become the party’s president and a process to make that happen is already on.  Even now many questions had been raised how long his new-found enthusiasm and drive for politics after his long hiatus would last. Clearly nothing says “I am a serious safed kurta superhero” as having your birthday and eating your cake too. At home. Whether Rahul is happy to be home for his birthday or not, his party is certainly thrilled. Let’s see if he comes up with a birthday speech that makes sense.