Wink at the moon

Yesterday It was a beautiful moon out here in Singapore & I as I showed it to my 3 year old daughter, I told her about how Niel Armstrong had gone all the way over to it. Her first question was,

"When?"

I think she was mortified that she had missed the event happening. I had to explain that was many years back.

"More than 20 years back?"

"Yes."

"More than one hundred thousand years back?"

"No. About forty years back."

She digested this for a while.

"Did he go in a Rocket?"

"Yes. It was a big beautiful rocket with big jets and painted black and white."

"Not red?"

"No not red. Would you like me to show you the pictures?"

"Yes. Did he come back?"

"Yes he did. & there was a big parade. But now he's gone away again."

"Where?"

"I hope to the moon baby. Do you want to say bye to him with me?"

And so we waved our hands & said our goodbye's.

"Can I go to the moon?"

"Ofcourse you can."

"Will you come with me?"

"I'll always be there with you babe."

"Can I watch Dora now?"

RIP Niel.

Happy independence day!

Happy Indian Independence day you all!




A glorious day here in Singapore & I hope it leads to a wonderful year ahead for all of us. It is 65 years today for India and its about the length of time that we have to decide to stop blaming problems in our country on forign influences such as the Aryan invasion of 3200 BC or any subsequent people.



I think that the biggest difference between a child and an adult is the capacity to question "Why". As the child grows up, its not that he gets smarter, but rather the fact that he relizes that it does not really matter if the reasons are not known or the situation unchanged.



Such is inevitably the case with Nations. I look at USA. A country whose history inspires me greatly. Obviously not by its length, but simply because nowhere in its history have the men & women of that nation stopped asking the question "why". Their short history is replete with people who have refused to accept questions left hanging, barriers drawn and will broken. The day when that question is stopped being asked, is the day that apathy will step in.



The problem with us in India is that we forget that we are a country only 65 years old. We carry with us a baggage of the Purans, scars of Alexanders conquest and the burden of a Mellinia.



That is not for us. As a country, we are children. Born to great potential, dancing around in glory of a carefree life. Every step of that dance graceful in its perfection because there has been no child as beautiful or perfect and there can be none. And as that child, we need to have the capacity to ask "Why".



Why should we tell our kinds to stop asking Why? Why is that boy hungry? Why are we fighting? Why is that man ruling us? and why for heavens sake are we killing our daughters?



It is a glorious day today & if you do aim for anything this year, stay healthy, dance with your children, and keep asking "why". Also don't be a dick.