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F E E L A T H O M E www.azindiatimes.com PAGE - 18 Apr 2019 1-844-AZINDIA Junior Year Checklist By Kristen Moon kristen@moonprep.com Birthday Celebrations: Cutting Cakes and Blowing out Candles? Dr. Jaswant Singh Sachdev, M.D., F.A.A.N* jaswantsachdev@gmail.com Junior year is a turning point for many families because it marks the year when college planning activities begin to consume your free time. It helps to go into your senior year with a plan, so start now to ensure that you are not falling be- hind. Spring Of Your Junior Year Meet With Your Counselor. Make sure you will complete all the requisites for your diploma. Take full advantage of the classes offered by your high school and schedule a rigorous course load. Standardized Tests . Look up testing dates and locations for the SAT and/or ACT. Signing up for both can give you an advantage because you can decide which one highlights your strengths. College Visits. Begin to narrow down your college selection and schedule visits to your top choices for the summer. Make sure those colleges fit the most impor- tant qualifications to you - size, location, cost, majors, or any special programs that are of interest. Letter of Recommendations. Most schools require you to submit at least one or two Letters of Recommendations (LOR) from a teacher or guidance counselor. Begin to gather the material you will give each person to help them write the best LOR possible. SAT Subject Tests. If it is financially feasible for you to take the SAT Subject Tests, and schools on your list either require or recommend it, you can sign up and prepare for them in the spring and summer. FAFSA. Go to the university's website to find out how much it costs per year to attend. Even though you can’t fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) until October 1 of your sen- ior year, you can start to gather the nec- essary materials. The Summer After Your Junior Year Essays. Check out the Common Ap- plication to see their selection of essays and begin working on them as soon as possible. Resume and LinkedIn. Utilize a re- sume to expand on your accomplish- ments. Your LinkedIn profile should be your online portfolio that adds another dimension to your application. You want to include videos, pictures, research papers, and anything else that can help to humanize you to the admissions staff. The second semester of your junior year is an essential time for preparing for col- lege. By starting early, you can put together a stronger application that might help you get into your dream college. After all, we live in a world, where whatever we think, or do, is based upon what we see around us. We may do so, even without realizing as to how our given ac- tion has originated and whether it aligns with our values, philosophy or not. Cutting cakes and blowing out candles on birthdays is one such custom that many of us keep on practicing, no matter where we live. The mind-set for this tradition among us, might have taken place under the influence of slavery during British Raj. Even after becoming a free nation, this sugar-coated tradition given to us by our masters still remains strong. Rather, it has deeply burrowed in our psyche much like the root of a Banyan tree. We have not only maintained this tradition, rather nurtured it further, thanks to the influence of the Western culture surrounding us. We practice it more than what we did back at home and with more gusto than the indigenous people. The world at-large seems to enjoy in becoming a copycat of what Westerners do. When a 45 years old son of a friend detailed plans for his upcoming birthday to include waking up late, cutting cake, blowing out candles and then eating in plen- tiful of his favorite food, it made me think of better ways of such celebrations? Certainly, these are the happiest occasions and one would wish to do things that make one feel good. Of course, one should! Yet to learn more about this tradition and better way of celebrating it, a review the background of this prevalent custom of birthday’s celebration becomes essential. An Internet article posted in ‘Bigsmall’ on Feb 20, 2018 under the heading “The History Behind Cutting a Birthday Cake” mentions that in Roman culture, cakes made in flat circles with use of nuts and flour sweetened with honey and leavened with yeast were often served and eaten. The German bakeries created a new tra- dition in 15th century AD, by introducing one layered cakes for birthdays. This tradition with certain changes continued thereafter, becoming a common phe- nomenon. Same article discusses multiple theories about the origin and significance of light- ing and blowing out candles. Greek tradition credits placing candles on birthday cakes to ancient Greeks who honored the birth of goddess Artemis on sixth day of every lunar month. In German tradition, the birthday celebrations of German children, known as kinderfest started in 18th century. Candles were placed on the cake to fight off the evil spirits while guest offered good wishes. Further on the article explains “Blowing out same number of candles on the cake as the life of the person after making a wish, based on a superstitious belief, was initially documented in Switzerland in 1881. English speaking countries added singing of “Happy Birthday” by the gathering, while people with others languages began to sing in their own language. Writing ‘Happy Birthdays on the cakes’ was later entered into the tradition. Special holdings such as icing on the cake, flow- ers and ribbons added charm to the cake before sharing it. The birthday person makes a wish before blowing out candles in one single breath for the wish to be successful”. On Feb 22, 2018, under the heading in Quora “How birthdays used to be cel- ebrated in India prior to British Raj before we adopted the European traditions”? Opendro Thoudam responded, “Celebrating birthdays was not a norm for com- mon folks as many did not know the actual birthdays unless the documents were opened during marriage time. We only used to celebrate birthdays of gods or royal people. Schools used to fill in birthdays randomly to match the class we were in and parents used to increment our age for every New Year (which is around April). Birthday celebrations for common people started about 50 years ago through cinema and that too only in cities. Remote places still don’t make a fuss about birthdays.” On March 25, 2018 another responder, Randhir Traveler, a, Questioner, Astrolo- ger Historian stated, “we people of India didn’t believe in blowing out candles, instead, lighting is the way of showing happiness like we do on Diwali. Celebrat- ing God for his blessing was the most important part of Birthday Celebration”. I believe, if we consider the birthday to be a most important day of our lives, then why not do something befitting that leaves mark, and helps the humanity at large? Many of my countrymen often express that had it been back home, I could have helped needy people, the residents of orphanage, patients in the hospi- tals and poor residents in the Ghet- tos, etc. It is a beautiful thought. The people of our birth country deserve all the help and we owe everything in our life. Our country cradled us, provided the highest of education at the fraction of expense what our parents otherwise would have spent here in achieving same level of edu- cation. Yet the people here, some in dire need, are also the creation of same Creator who created us. All one needs to do is to look around and find ways to serve. What an enjoyable experience of a birthday would be, if one were to pack one’s family in the car along with some nutritious eatables like bananas or apples etc., instead of cash, and distribute to the unfortunate ones, standing at intersections. Spending the birthday in a nursing home and talking to lonely elderly patients and helping them out in whatever way is possible is another option. Going to homeless shelters and preparing or serving meals will be worth the efforts to spend such an auspicious day. Of course, there are several other innovative ways and means to serve the peo- ple in need on that particular day. Make birthday celebrations a unique one that might enlighten your life. Any amount of lighting and blowing out candles or eat- ing cakes will never do that.