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Reaching for the stars, and getting there | Part 3

They tell us that society nurtures our dreams and aspirations and the country we live in, has a lot to do in contributing to giving life to those dreams. I’ve heard a lot of people say it is difficult to do this and that because we were born in this region.

The truth is, if you are truly intent on following your dreams, nothing can hold you back - not even yourself.

The things we are subjected to in our early lives are responsible for how we live out the rest of our lives - it could be with respect to our behaviour, our likes and dislikes, our attitude or even our choice of career.

Some of us follow the career our parents did, we follow the family business; some of us chart our own path and some of us decide to do a whole lot of things and like the vibrancy of not sticking to just one field.

For some however, something enchants them so much that they choose to dedicate their entire lives to learning it, improving it or basking in the joy of it. The something becomes more than just a career; it becomes a passion.

As a child, I found my passion in rocket science, rockets to be precise. Every diwali when I would light up crackers with my siblings , I always found rockets the most enthralling. It fascinated me how something so tiny could fly so high and make such a huge impact  in the sky.

It was this fascination that made me want to build beautiful life - size versions and explore into the vast , and immensely gripping world of aeronautics and rocket science.

More than half a decade later, I still feel there is so much more to be explored when it comes to space science. I’ve helped build many space rockets, missiles and defence systems since then and my passion still lives in me.

In my previous blog, I mentioned that one of my reasons as a child to want to join engineering was after seeing a family friend have his own car at a time when so few could afford it, monetary luxury wasn’t my goal then and neither is it now. It was the ability to be a part of a select few.

My first intense desire to become a scientist was when I watched a video at school. I still remember that they used to show us Yuri Gagarin’s spacewalk, and this thrilled me to no end. I always wanted to be able to do that.

Today, as I look back I realize that while I haven’t done a spacewalk myself, I’ve definitely helped create devices and machines that have helped us reach there, and that for me is extremely satisfying.

My father had told me that you can do whatever you want to do, but be the best at it.

Whether I was the best at what I did I really wouldn’t be able to say; because I’m still in the process of fulfilling my passion and devoting my life to my dream.

The dream doesn’t end as long as I live my dream, and I make a little effort every day to get me closer to where I want to be.


May be as space scientists, we always aim for something that’s beyond our reach. Then again, as scientists, that’s what takes us the extra mile.

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