It was yesterday, I guess, I was sitting with my newspaper in the morning and enjoying my coffee. Noticed my fingernails needed trimming and so, finishing the coffee I hunted out the nail-cutter and commenced "Operation Nail Removal"... multi-tasker that I am (yeah, me?) I was reading the paper too.
(I digress here, for a while - permit me. A sudden memory of myself aged 4 or so, my nails being cut by my Dad. Rough hands, stubby, hairy fingers gripping my tiny fingers one by one... my eyes shut tight in anticipation of that dreaded slip when the razor blade would draw blood. It never happened, not once - Dad was deft, my nails would come off cleanly. I still remember, the razor blades used to be "Wilkinson". Long before nail-cutters became common...)
There was this photograph in the paper, showing the newly appointed Chairman of ISRO, K Radhakrishnan, at Guruvayoor Temple, Kerala. The accompanying article spoke at length of his accomplishments so far, his association with Chandrayaan I and the forthcoming missions Chandrayaan II and manned moon mission. His credentials and accomplishments are impressive, I must say - what struck me, too, was a life beyond work. In addition to being a renowned and busy scientist he is also a trained Kathakali dancer and vocalist - way to go!!!
As I was pondering, with pride, about India's success in space my mind (or is it brain?) did one of those sudden leaps back and forth - competing thoughts/ideas made me recall my Dad using that blade to cut my nails, another parallel thought brought memories of the first time we had a nail-cutter at home. I remember, they used to be "Made in Korea", every single one of them... this, I'm talking of back in the late 1970's....... I looked at the nail-cutter I was using yesterday.
Yep, you guessed it - they're still "Made in Korea" :) - we've sent satellites to the moon and beyond, but "cutting edge technology" for my nails? Still comes in from Kim or Park?
Sats
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