Varanasi: Ballia’s Bargaon village had a rather unusual birthday bash on Tuesday night — one with cakes, balloons, bananas and a four-legged birthday girl. Rajesh Verma alias Gorakh threw a grand fourth birthday party for his pet buffalo, Basanti, drawing neighbours, children and relatives to the celebrations. As Basanti basked in the attention, Rajesh’s affectionate gesture soon found an audience beyond the village, with the celebrations winning admiration on social media.Verma said Basanti has been treated as a member of the household since her birth, making her birthday a family affair. The entire family, he said, decided to celebrate her fourth birthday in grand style.The birthday girl’s big day came with all the trimmings. Verma’s house and courtyard were decked up with colourful balloons and other paraphernalia, while Basanti got her own birthday makeover — a flower garland and a tiny cap proclaiming “Happy Birthday”. With two cakes waiting on the table, neighbours, children and relatives gathered around, ready with smiles, claps and plenty of birthday cheer.As the cake was cut, villagers joined in with cheerful calls of “Happy Birthday, Basanti”. Verma gently fed Basanti pieces of cake and bananas, while guests too offered her treats. Sweets were later distributed among the villagers, turning the unusual celebration into a shared moment of joy.After witnessing the unique event, villagers described it as a memorable occasion, saying they were accustomed to attending birthday parties of children, family members and political figures, but had rarely seen such celebrations for an animal.
