AGANDAM

Hi All

During last week, I got a call from home when I was bit busy at office (believe me, it happens once a while for me too !!!!). I was summoned by the High Command at home (also referred as Better Half) to write 8 / 10 sentences about MOON just in case I had time at office for our beloved madhoo as required for her school. It was supposed to be memorized by the little one and recited in front of the teacher on the very next day.

Though I politely refused and assured that I will do it after reaching home; When I reached home, I was too tired and bit blank to construct so many sentences from my own memory and knowledge (respectively !!). Bit lazy to switch on the google, I mustered the required number of the sentences from an Encyclopedia at home (how handy and useful these big books are ... though google has every thing at store - I mean those things that we want and too many things that WE DO NOT WANT.....all together !!). Well there were few wonderful facts that kept me hooked for some time reassuring me the vastness of AGANDAM....I give below few of them...

(1) Earth has has just one moon in comparison to few other planets. Jupiter has sixty odd Natural satellites while couple of other planets have forty odd satellites.
(Have we really counted all of them.....?? well, are we only talking about "our" solar system ??)

(2) However, in comparison to the respective planet size, our "moon" is the biggest of all such satellites
(wow.....!! so, Earth has one more unique-ness apart from having life.....)

(3) Moon has a non-circular (you know, its wise to avoid difficult words for me to spell and you to pronounce!!) orbit and the closest distance from Earth is an whopping 4 1/2 lakh kilometers... (well, how do these astronomical object maintain the perfect shape of orbit religiously....??)

(4) Unlike planets, since these satellites do not rotate around themselves, the other side of moon is literally unknown to us....
(Hope Chandraayans and his other cousin projects find if there is going to be some thing more interesting than craters and vast open space)

Well, I never remember getting interested in subjects like Geography and Astronomy during my school days. Even special days like Eclipses and Satellite launches did not create so much ripple in the mind. As my daughter recited the entire 10 lines that I wrote down for her with her usual confidence and stylish (these days she has picked up a strange accent and pronunciation which both of us at home do not possess....!!), I was craving within my heart for her.....at least let her be blessed with appreciating the wonder of what she has mugged up for the school exercise before she becomes a parent.....

It will be fantastic for every one of us to identify a passion for us quite early in life so that we never we never have a chance to regret about it...!!

By the by, not that I am brooding myself for not having becoming an astronaut...!!
For that matter, I have too many such ripples of thoughts these days (including why not I had learnt Bharathanaatyam ...... and have pursued Cinema Industry - just examples), I am convinced that it perfectly suits me to have become an admirer of AGANDAM without taking a plunge deep enough into any thing that makes me think....!!

Not that rose flower smells nice and looks pretty when we hold it in our hand; the rose garden is quite breath taking from a distance, too......What do you say....??

Love // Suren