One more samosa, aunty: Inside the joyful birthday parties of 90s

India Today

3 days ago

The balloons would be half-inflated by noon, held up with tape that never quite stuck. There would be a faint smell of samosas frying in the kitchen, and a cake box tucked safely in the fridge with "Happy Birthday" written in bright red jelly. It was your big day, not just because you were turning seven or nine or eleven, but because, on one glorious evening, your house would become the loudest, happiest place on the street.advertisementIn 90s India, birthday parties weren't about scale, they were about feeling. They were as homemade as the Rasna we drank and as heartfelt as the handmade cards our friends brought. No banquet halls, no Pinterest themes, no return gift hampers curated on Amazon. Just you, your gang of friends, and a celebration that stayed in your bones long after the balloons had sagged.THE LIVING ROOM WAS THE PARTY HALL
On the day of the party, the living room would be cleared out, the centre table pushed aside, the sofa cushions stacked neatly, the walls decorated with paper streamers that were reused every year. Someone always hung the shiny "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banner slightly crooked, and no one bothered to fix it. You'd be dressed in new clothes, frilly, polyester, and just a little itchy , waiting for the doorbell to ring.The guest list was simple: school friends, cousins, neighbourhood buddies. The invitation? A phone call or a casual mention at school. No fancy e-vites or confirmation lists yet somehow, everyone turned up.WHEN CAKE, CHIPS, AND SAMOSAS WERE A FEAST
The food was the real showstopper. There were no buffets, no sushi counters. Just the delicious regulars that made every 90s party feel familiar and full. Hot samosas, wafers piled high in steel bowls, and the unmistakable sweet smell of pineapple or chocolate cake. If you were lucky, it had sugar roses on top, which led to epic fights over who got the biggest petal.After the cake-cutting and awkward singing (always off-beat, always enthusiastic), dinner would be served usually puri bhaji or chole bhature, made by hand and served with second helpings by beaming aunties who called every kid "beta."And the drinks? Always Rasna. Sometimes orange, sometimes mango always served chilled in reused glass jars.THE PURE JOY OF UNWRAPPING PENCIL BOXES AND LUDO
The gifts weren't expensive, but they were perfect. A new pencil box, a jigsaw puzzle, maybe a copy of Tinkle or a glow-in-the-dark sticker set. There was something deeply special about unwrapping them later, one by one, carefully peeling off the tape to save the wrapping paper for future use.And of course, the best gifts were the board games Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Business. Not just fun, but lasting memories that continued the party long after everyone had gone home.THE MUSIC WAS LOUD, THE GAMES WERE LOUDERadvertisementThe games were everything. Not tech-driven, not outsourced just classic fun that needed no screen. Musical chairs with cassette players. Passing the parcel with folded chits that dared you to sing or dance. Pin the tail on the donkey with blindfolds that were always a bit see-through.The music? Aqua, Vengaboys, Made in India, or the Jungle Book theme. Played on a two-in-one tape recorder. Sometimes, even stopped mid-song when the batteries died.WHAT'S CHANGED ,AND WHY WE MISS IT
Today, birthday parties are different. They're bigger, bolder, and often more about the adults than the kids. Event planners, fondant cakes, Insta reels, and themed dcor dominate. Return gifts are curated, menus are global, and costs often hit five figures sometimes more.Parents today have more disposable income, and both usually work, which often means less time but a desire to make up for it with more elaborate gestures. There's pressure too to "do more," "do better," and "make it memorable." But somewhere in the middle of all the glitter and the glamour, we lost something simple the joy of messy, noisy, heartfelt home celebrations.advertisementA CALL TO BRING BACK THE CHAOSIf you were a 90s kid, you probably remember your birthdays not because they were grand, but because they were yours. Entirely, wholeheartedly, wonderfully yours.So maybe this year, throw a party like it's 1997. Blow up some balloons, order that ?150 pineapple cake, put on a cassette (or a playlist that sounds like one), and invite over the kids next door. Play musical chairs. Serve samosas. Skip the return gift if you want.Because in the end, it's not the budget or the theme that makes birthdays memorable. It's the laughter. The cake-smudged cheeks. The Rasna moustaches. The chaos. The love.And we could all use a little more of that.Pic credit: Generative AI by Ayushi Srivastava- Ends