My mis-recorded birthday.

For every individual no matter how rich/poor he/she is?  What his/her ethnic race is? What color his/her skin is? Birth dates were and is the most essential conformity that forms the core identity of individual and so should it remain as his/hers apart from the identity of his/her nationality, gender and ethnic race. So called birth dates once recorded either correctly (must) or mistakenly shall serve as a fundamental facts of individuals life. Be it his/her age, service tenure, career, set eligibility gauge, scholarship opportunity, etc. It serves as bases for all and never should we accept negligence in its recordings.

My birth day as per the verbal information from my mother it falls on 25^th day of the 8^th lunar month of fire Hare year which with reference to Chinese calendar falls on 17^th October  contrary to my present recorded date 2^nd February. My present zodiac sign is Aquarius when it is supposed to be Libra. Now 2^nd February has become my official birth date and every year I receive calls, text messages and Facebook messages from my friends and well-wishers though I hardly celebrate it with cakes and drinks knowing it’s not my real.

How it so happened? And how it got recorded all wrong is still a mystery to me and my mother. Although there could be many possibilities in getting it wrong, only answer I can visualize is; mistake in conversion from Bhutanese calendar date to Western. It might have happened so without proper authenticate health card reference in those days.

Now going with the present birth date I get older by eight months ahead of my actual age and if I happen to be in government job after studies have to resign eight months early, thus depriving me of eight month’s salary (lol) and other opportunities etc. if the post happens to be opportune one and will be relieved of those hardships and stress if the post happens to be burdening one. Both head and tail side of the coin.

Mistakes in birth date are not an exception with others as well. Many of my peers and mates share the same moan of having recorded the wrong birth date. Such mistakes were seldom seen in those lots whose parents happens to be literate or office goer, but that does not mean our illiterate parents got it recorded all wrong. Only difference is that literate lot had it recorded as per Western calendar and our parents in Lunar Bhutanese calendar and theirs suited the best.

But child born these days need not have to worry and be confused later. These days health offices issues child health book which take cares from the day one’s mother conceives and till the delivery. Where every recording are maintained by officials themselves. Thank you for the service and had it been so long time back, world will be less of one such confused human.