Grade 9 student forgoes birthday celebrations for Pulwama martyrs in Karnataka

MANGALURU: A grade nine student studying at a private CBSE school in Puttur, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, on Tuesday refused to celebrate her birthday in memory of the brave CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack that claimed 40 CRPF personnel and injured several others.
Student Thanvi V, 14, whose birthday falls on February 14, said that it’s a day of mourning and she has decided not to celebrate it in the coming years too.
It’s a tradition at the Ambika Vidyalaya (CBSE), Puttur, where Thanvi is a student, that the birthday of every student is celebrated in a traditional way. However, on Tuesday, much to the surprise of the management and students, Thanvi turned down the invitation to celebrate when the usual arrangements were made to greet her on her birthday.
"The Pulwama attack took place in 2019 on my birthday. I’ve been saddened by the entire incident ever since. While I celebrate my birthday with friends and family, there are 40 families who mourn the deaths of their loved ones each year. Therefore I decided to not celebrate my birthday hereafter but rather join those families who lost the country’s brave soldiers," Thanvi told TOI.
She added that her parents were happy about her decision.
"When I informed them of my decision, they told me it was up to me to celebrate or not. They are happy with my decision," she shared. Her mother Laveena KB is lecturer at the department of biosciences, Mangalore University, while father, Venkatesh Nayak, is an agriculturist.
"My parents used to hold a normal celebration by cutting cake and cooking food on my birthday. With no celebration this year, they have planned to donate sports accessories to a government school from the money saved," she added.
Subrahmanya Nattoja, founder of the institution, said the school has about 750 students. Every student’s birthday is celebrated in a traditional manner, and students who are celebrating their birthdays are excused from wearing uniforms. They can wear a colour dress on that day. Students are made to sit on a bench on their birthday, and every student chants a Sanskrit shloka that speaks about birthdays. An arathi is offered, as well as a tilak on the forehead. The institution also gives a book to the student. “We respect Thanvi’s decision, and she has turned out to be a role model for many on this day. The institution is proud of her decision,” shared Nattoja.