The mysteries beyond

| Writer – Sanvi Arora |

A thousand fantasies, a million theories, each more bizarre than the last and yet the universe surprises us more and more every day. There’s something alluring in the very fabric that makes space, it calls to me in a melody no one else seems to hear. The feeling of insignificance threatens to swallow most humans whole but not me, never me. Knowing that there are millions of undiscovered wonders out there fascinates and thrills me.

When I look at the night sky I don’t just see the glittering jewels you call stars. I see an escape, a doorway to another world which beckons to me, winking ever so often. I often give into the temptation and join the moon and the stars for a chat late at night. We talk about every theory ever made, and even those left unsaid. Their company is an addiction, one which I don’t intend to give up. 

I remember the day astronomy became dear to me as vividly as if it was just yesterday. I had asked my mother what was beyond the blue blanket that surrounds us. I had expected her to say ‘space’ like everyone always did. But my mother had simply said that earth was just a start, the whole universe of marvels lay ahead. I had been utterly baffled and since answers were just a swipe away, I had decided to research it myself. What I found got my mind hooked. I was too young to understand most of it but I think that only encouraged me then.

I believe that day was a turning point in my life, the day I found my passion which ran deeper than the ocean. I took a turn into a tunnel so luminous with knowledge, that I should’ve covered my eyes. Only that I was ready to bear the damage if I could get my hands on the gleaming gold mine that lay ahead. There was no looking back from that point on as I lost myself to the shimmering enlightenment.

Astronomy is not just studying heavenly bodies, it is letting your mind run faster than the wind and fluidly like the river. The deeper you start prodding into the mysteries of the cosmos, the more bewitching it gets. It seems to be trying to talk to us, to teach us such intricate lessons, not just scientific ones but moral ones too. The rings of Saturn come together to form moons and then dissolve again into rings. They seem to be saying that it’s okay to break sometimes, to fall down just as long as you gather your pieces again and resume your enchanting form. 

If death knocked at my door today, and gave me a chance to choose my fashion of death, I know it in my heart that I would select falling into a seemingly endless void: a black hole. It is believed by several great minds that a black hole might just be a portal into a parallel universe, possibly a place where time runs backwards. I can say for certain that death would be fuming in his hooded black cloak if he knew he gave me the gift of space exploration, rather than collecting my soul in a vial as he had planned.  

We’ve lived in this universe for so long, unaware of how it actually functions. It is like a curtain has been placed in front of our eyes, forcing us to only focus on ourselves. We were so self-centered that Galilei was imprisoned for believing that the earth wasn’t the center of the universe. I’m proud to say that humanity has crossed several milestones since then, but the journey has just begun. From the laws of motion and the theory of relativity to the first ever image of a black hole, we have unveiled one masterpiece after the other, just like a host does at an auction. But this isn’t a bidding, it is curious minds travelling the length of the cosmos in their imagination. 

I know for a fact that the universe will never stop surprising me and in turn I would never let the ink black, star flecked hand go. I’m a dancer and the cosmos is my stage, the more spins I take, the more applause I get. The galaxies and the planets don’t wear a glittering mask to hide their true faces like humans do. In them I find true companions who aren’t afraid to shine like shards of broken glass in the sunlight. They tell me stories far more interesting than humans can, of the big bang and the end of the universe. The flame of curiosity still burns within me, and it longs to explore more and more each day. Every sorrow, every fear is forgotten when I’m snuggled in the blanket of the cosmos. And maybe one day I’ll repay the universe for all it has done for me by taking humanity forward to understand this enigma.

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