This post is about a letter that was written in July 1969… When man first landed on the moon… (What an event that was! A moment that captured the imagination of the whole of humanity… Exactly fifty years ago)…
The letter that I am sharing is from a father to his son… From my father, to my eldest brother…. Both are no more with us… My father, who was then in his forties, was on a tour of America. And the letter was from him to my brother Natarajan (fondly called as Nat). Nat was sixteen and had just joined the university in Delhi. This letter, among others, has survived the recycle bin of time, and has snuggled from one locker to another over all the various home shifts and and other struggles that our family, like any other, has undergone. All thanks to my sister Anu, who has preserved this among other such treasures.. Its a lovely letter… Written more like a friend, than like a father. However, the father is there in plain sight, for wise eyes to see… Gentle words of wisdom… From a first generation achiever to his Woodstock generation son who is stepping into the idealistic environs of a new college, a new life….
My father’s handwriting was as good as a medical doctor’s. He seems to have made a special concession when writing to us… Even then, a word or two retained its mystic sense, and so defied decoding…. Then again, I may have got a word or two wrong as well. So, with E&OE, here goes…. A letter from the times of Apollo 11. My father, signs off with his initials G.S…
ஸ்ரீ ராம ஜயம் 2 Pittsburg, 17.7.69
My Dear Nataraj,
How is it that I have had no letters from you? Well, I’m in Pittsburgh – the Steel Town of USA – and it is quite an interesting place with a character of its own. I am living near the Varsity Campus as the course I am attending is in the summer school of the University of Pittsburgh. The colleges are housed in ancient tall buildings, which by themselves inspire respect for learning and tradition. The boys (and girls) are the usual types – some serious, some light hearted, some well-dressed, some shabbily dressed, some avoiding the opposite sex and some openly fondling each other. There is no insistence on proper dress so that many boys appear in rags and open torsos. The current fashion is to have the hair down as a hippy. There is an open revolt against authority which the elders fear will deprive the students of their opportunity to learn and this ultimately will lead to the decay of the nation. All the current achievements in Science and Technology are the products of the labour of the older scientists who finished their college a decade and earlier and the present generation has no such technical ability or discipline to conduct research and carry on the work. Added to this, a new movement known as Students Democratic Society (S.D.S) is spreading fast among the students and it is communist inspired. All this is causing anxiety to parents and authorities. However, the still younger generation in *** High Schools, is serious minded and does not partake in these activities. The hopes of USA are now on pinned on them.
Apollo 11 was launched yesterday (16. 7. 1969) and I saw it in the Television. There was much excitement all over the country. The touchdown on the Moon is scheduled for Sunday.
How is the new college? Do your studies systematically, neither overdoing nor neglecting. What is your collar size? I sent a parcel to you. Did it reach you? Would you like to have a tennis racquet or camera?
Yours affly
GS
athato 