Birthday wish during Covid-19: Donate to bring back smiles

Cutting cakes, making group calls and celebrating together virtually is a thing of the past. Now birthday celebrations, amid coronavirus pandemic, are about helping those who need you the most.

Kabir Seksaria, a 12-year-old, had planned to buy a Lego set for his birthday. But then the Mumbaikar saw his family helping the needy in lockdown, and changed his mind. “I received cash as a gift this year, and initially I thought I will buy a Lego set for myself; but then I realised how my family has been helping the distressed in these times and I decided to do the same. I donated to The Shakkar Para project — for feeding the hungry during the pandemic, and running the relief project in areas affected by cyclone Amphan — and felt so happy.”

Food parcels being distributed to migrants at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, in Gurugram. These volunteers are from one of the organisations where people are donating on their birthdays. (Photo: Yogendra Kumar/HT)

Poonam, Kabir’s mother, feels proud of her young one’s decision. “We have to inculcate these habits, of donating, in kids at a very young age... this birthday of Kabir will always be special,” adds Poonam. But her little one is not the only one who is celebrating his birthday while serving a cause. Many, who have had their birthdays since the lockdown began, have taken to donating for some or the other cause; and collect blessing as they bring a smile on someone’s face.

Delhi-based Devesh Gadodia, who has donated some basics to the migrant labourers on his birthday, says, “I used to celebrate all my birthdays with friends and family. We usually went out and ate together. This year is different! I did celebrate, but with a different perspective. I donated to the Hemkunt Foundation that is helping the migrants by giving them sleepers, food and other basic essentials. They even go live on Facebook while conducting some donation drives, to ensure transparency; so I thought of celebrating my birthday by helping them in their endeavour.”

“Donating money is one thing, and going out and helping the migrants who are walking back home is another.... it made me realise how lucky I am.”
— Pratham Sharma, a Gurugrammer

“Donating money is one thing, and going out and helping migrants who are walking back home is another.... it made me realise how lucky I am,” says Pratham Sharma, a Gurugrammer, who turned 21 on May 17. He adds, “Rather than making virtual plans with family and friends, I went to the NGO where one of my friends is working and joined in the donation drive on the road. There were migrants waking in this scorching heat, and here I was driving my AC car. That experience has changed the way I look at life; I’m only grateful that I got an opportunity do donate, and the fact that it was my birthday makes it all the more special.”

Some are even raising funds virtually, by running campaigns on their Facebook accounts. Mumbai-based Mukta Deshpande recently ran one such online campaign, for the cause of spreading literacy, on her birthday. All her friends, who wished her on social media, were directed to this cause, and many helped in complete the target for donation. “I had no idea that this can be done on Facebook. I thought of helping an NGO and started an online campaign to raise some money, to make my birthday special not for only me but others as well.”

Author tweets @ruchikagarg271

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