I SAW THROUGH MY TELESCOPE MY COMMERCE BOOKS…

I was in class 6 when Kalpana Chawla’s shuttle crumbled. Every news channel showed how the shuttle blasted minutes before landing. There… I was inspired. The passion of astronomy was in me. I wanted to become like Kalpana Chawla. I wanted to go to space… explore the unseen, set my foot on the Moon, on Mars! The thought of what lay in the dark fascinated me.

I started planning- to take up science in class 11 and then pursue Aeronautical Engineering. I maintained a scrap book, filled with all the newspapers clips, articles and photos of astronomy. I even wrote my first poem then-

“My aim is to become an astronaut,

Astronomy is my aim!

I want to go to space,

With NASA’s rocket race...”

I know it sounds silly!! OK… very silly, but hey, I was in class 6.

Few of my teachers came to know about my scrap book, and one fine day, my principal called out my name in the morning assembly (class 8 then) and told the entire school about my scrap book. Every teacher saw my scrap book. They knew for sure that I would certainly become an astronaut. When my father got a transfer to Bangalore, my principal presented me a book; in it she had written “A gift for your fabulous collections on astronomical wonders.”

I had my first encounter with space in Bangalore-my visit to ISRO. It was for a seminar for school students. One memorable experience, that made me love space more and more. My second encounter was when my father bought a telescope for me!! A small and portable one. My joy knew no limits. 

It all ended….  

My score in class 10 was not upto the school’s cut-off. My father thought of getting my admission done in PU colleges. The fee was indeed more. I did not want him to spend so much when the fault was mine. I joined commerce in my school only and that day I cried for 7 hours straight!! I took up commerce with computers. I now took that as a chance to fulfill my father’s wishes and dreams, the ones he could not fulfill.

I did update my scrap book for about a month after that, but could not anymore! The gift from my principal is still with me, will always be!

Now, I give my full efforts and get the best of marks.

When some kid asks me something about space, I explain. When he/she asks me “How come YOU know so much?” I smile. When I came in contact with my former school friends after 6 years, they had only one question for me, “You’re in Commerce??? What happened” I smile. When I saw my father proud and happy when I got the highest mark, I smiled. Also, when I see my friends literally suffer in engineering, I smile..!

I guess my best friend was right all along! I am in commerce for other, better things to happen, of which I got absolutely no clue!! That also makes me smile…