Hriday's 3rd Birthday

- Kanav was the last man standing. The score was 123/8; Kanav nudged his first ball, and Rudra bowled him, sending the stump flying.

I t was a pleasant morning. The Joshi family was still asleep. Suddenly, Rudra, Hriday's older brother, woke to the sight of their grandmother quietly praying in the prayer room. Yawning, Rudra pulled his book from the shelf and began reading "Geronimo Stilton: Back In Time." Then, the doorbell rang. Rudra got up to answer it, and to his amazement, found a parcel waiting on the doorstep. He wondered, "It's only 6:50 am-who could be sending a parcel this early? 

Even Mom hadn't ordered anything."

Rudra searched for a cutter among the crockery to open the box. Inside, a book gleamed: "The Boy Who Came From Space." Nestled beside it was another box, already open-inside was a remote-control car.

Questions swirled in Rudra's mind until he spotted the name "Vishal" on a tag-his maternal cousin.

When the Joshi family finally woke up, Rudra told his parents the whole story. Hriday was thrilled: it was his birthday, and he woke to double surprises! The first was the remote-control jeep. The second was a quirky device: you insert a card into a slot, and the machine speaks what's written on it.

After that, the Joshi family settled around the table for breakfast. Around 10:00 am, Rudra was exhausted from practice for the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO), so he headed outside to play cricket with his friends. Just the day before, they'd used a wooden ball for a test match, with scores as follows:

| Rudra Joshi (individual) 1st Innings | 24/10 |

| Dhairya Team (three players) 1st Innings | 30/10 (lead by 7 runs) |

| Rudra Joshi 2nd Innings | 56/0 (lead by 50 runs) |

Rudra was hammering the Dhairya team single-handedly, while the other side had three-Dhairya, Kanav, and Ayu.

Finally, Rudra declared at 134/0, with a lead of 128. Now, the Dhairya Team needed to chase 129 runs in the 38 remaining overs.

Dhairya and Kanav came out to bat. Rudra started brilliantly from the North End, swinging the ball sharply-it flew past Dhairya, clipping the middle stump clean off. Ayu came in and began smashing Rudra's bowling, just as he had in the first innings. Rudra switched to leg-spin, and on the very first ball, Ayu was out. Kanav was the last man standing. The score was 123/8; Kanav nudged his first ball, and Rudra bowled him, sending the stump flying. Rudra won. Although planned for five days, the match ended in two. The boys shook hands, and Rudra was thrilled-he'd won by 6 runs.

In the afternoon, Rudra and Hriday's uncle, aunt, and two sisters arrived to celebrate. By evening, their father (Pushpak) and uncle left to collect Hriday's birthday cake, shaped like a car adorned with stars. The women worked on the decorations, while Rudra and Hriday gleefully set off firecrackers at the gate without adult supervision (which, in Rudra's words, was perfectly fine).

When their father and uncle returned with the cake, Rudra and Hriday rushed upstairs, marveling at the decorations. Their sisters gifted Hriday a book, while the Joshi family handed him (once more, as in the earlier paragraph) the device.

They savored cake and snacks, their spirits bright. At night, they all went out to burst firecrackers. To Rudra and Hriday's disappointment, there were no Pop-Pops left. But their father, to their surprise, produced another box of Pop-Pops. This, they agreed, was the very best birthday ever.