And mother Nirupa Ganguly cannot be happier. "It feels great that Sourav is back with the Indian team and is playing in England. I hope he performs well there and we wish him all the best for future," she says.
So this must be a special birthday? "Actually we don't have any specific plans. As he is away from home, nothing was possible. In fact, Dona is also travelling right now and is in the USA for her dance performances. She will be joining Sourav later when she will go to England," Nirupa adds.
Revealing her plans for the day, she adds, "I would be doing a puja in the morning and later in the afternoon for Sourav's wellbeing and would prepare some of his favourite dishes at home for the family."
Nirupa goes on to say that Sourav is not the 'celebration' kinds and likes to keep these things personal. "The last time we had a big birthday bash at home was when Sourav was five. We had a grand celebration and had invited a lot of guests. Next, we celebrated his birthday when he was 10 and 15 year old. But ever since Sourav has started playing the game, he has stayed away from home a lot and, therefore, big celebrations have not been possible."
So what is Sourav's kind of celebration? "A get together of close friends and family with lots to eat," laughs his mother, "That's what he did a few years ago. There were just his close friends and family members. We had prepared some of his favourite dishes like mutton biryani, fish curry and some of his favourite sweet dishes. Frankly, Sourav is not at all fussy about eating food and just loves to eat."
However, one person Sourav is missing the most today is daughter Sana. "Sana has just turned five and has started going to school. In fact Sourav is very excited about this. However, he is missing her a lot in England and is looking forward to catching up with her when he comes back. For him, Sana is his favourite birthday gift," Nirupa adds.
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