A Luna-tic Rivalry

The 40th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing, by the crew of Apollo 11 in July 1969, is the inspiration for this post.

Through most of the second half of the twentieth century, the Cold War and the conflicts, tensions and competition between the United States and the USSR and their allies dominated world politics. Its icy tentacles froze thought and reason, destroyed lives and economies and drove a sharp wedge between the good guys and the bad. Who you regarded as the good guys or the bad ones depended, of course, on where you lived and what your government and newspapers led you to believe. Big Brother cast his dark shadow over the lands he surveyed. The scale of this war was enormous. It strained beyond its earthly boundaries, and exploded into outer space, resulting in the Space Race of the 1960s and 1970s (and on a much smaller, far less thrilling scale, the 1980s). The lunar landings were the most daring, audacious and electrifying of all, completely mind-boggling in how (almost) perfectly they were executed with the technology of the time that today seems simple, unsophisticated and even primitive.

Apollo 17 view of earth (Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the South Pole)

At the same time, on a much more modest scale, on a far more humble stage – within the walls of our home in Madras – raged another Cold War, complete with a Space Race and Big Brother casting his shadow. It was the rivalry between my older brother and me – an overawed, terrified younger sister – and it permeated every pore of my being.

This, to me, was the Real Deal. I was too young to really care about or understand the real Cold War, to apprehend the reports in the Indian newspapers which glorified the Soviet stand and gleefully wrote about American failures in Vietnam, in stark contrast to the rosy American version of events in Time Magazine (which we received every week at home). But the conflict, tensions and competition between my brother and me were, to me, every bit as deadly as those between those two faraway superpowers. 

We were locked in mortal combat over everything. A case in point: the affections of our dog, Len.  We adored Len passionately, and wanted him to reciprocate this passion in a fair and just manner – that is, my brother wanted Len all to himself, while I was certain that he liked me more. Len, for whom food mattered above all else, showed his blatant disregard for our pitched struggles for his affections, wagging his tail impartially at whoever bore him a morsel of food.  My brother resolved the impasse by apportioning parts of Len to himself and me.  He made himself “owner” of most of Len – his beautiful head, the soulful eyes, the glossy ears, the soft body, and most of his bushy tail.  I got the last two inches of the tail. I was to touch only that part of Len that “belonged” to me, and my brother watched over me like a hawk to ensure that I did not poach into his property.

 

Our much-beloved Len

Like the other Cold War, ours also exploded into space.  We had our own Space Race.  My brother was an avid follower of the NASA space program, and wrote regularly to NASA’s Public Affairs Office in Houston, Texas. Every now and then, a large yellow packet from NASA would arrive in the mail, filled with exciting, glossy pictures of astronauts, spacecrafts and space, and mission reports. In rare moments of generosity, my brother would let me peruse these, threatening dire consequences if so much as even a hint of a fingerprint marred the pictures. And soon, I was hooked.  The sheer thrill and excitement of the space missions, the smiling faces of the astronauts and friendly reports from NASA, the impossible adventurousness of it all, had me in thralldom.  There was something else too.  For all our fierce (and mostly one-sided) sibling rivalry, I really admired my brother.  I thought (and still think) he was one of the smartest people in the world.  I was desperate to impress him, to show him that I, too, was interested in high-minded intellectual pursuits like gathering information on the space program.

 

Apollo 11 on the moon, July 20, 1969

 

Apollo 17's Lunar Rover

And so I wrote to NASA, and started receiving my own yellow packets in the mail. My brother did not like this, although he was careful to conceal his feelings.  He redoubled his efforts and letters to NASA.  I did too. The yellow packets flowed into our mailbox, thick and fast. The mail was scrutinized fiercely, and we kept close tabs on what the other received. And though my brother had had a head start, it was soon a neck to neck race. I could match him fact for fact. I knew all the minutiae about the Mercury program, the Gemini program, the Apollo flights, Skylab. There may have been the slightest hint of thawing in the real Cold War when President Nixon and Comrade Kosygin signed a space co-operation agreement in 1972 that lead to the Apollo-Soyuz Program but at home, our little Cold War continued unyieldingly, relentlessly. There was no corresponding thawing in our relations. 

 

Skylab 4 Space Station

Nighttime launch of Apollo 17

Then came Apollo 11, the first of the manned lunar landings. And my brother, who had started his collection well before I did, received a photograph of the crew, autographed by the three of them: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. It was his trump card. He reminded me every day that he had an autographed copy of the Apollo 11 crew, while I did not. All I had was an unautographed photograph of the Apollo 11 three, tossed to me one day in an insouciantly careless manner by my brother who said that he had no use for it any more, since he now had Neil Armstrong’s autograph. Oh, I had a bunch of other astronaut autographs. But none of them was the First Man on the Moon. It made me crazy with jealousy. Every time we had an argument, he ended it decisively by stating: Hah, I have Neil Armstrong’s autograph and you don’t!

Apollo 11 Crew: Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin - my unautographed copy

It was more than what anybody could bear. I was determined: I would get Neil Armstrong’s autograph. That would show him. Hah!

Fast forward a couple of years. My interest in the space program continued, while my brother’s dimmed a bit as he moved on to other interests. He was still ahead, as far as he was concerned.  He still had Neil Armstrong’s autograph.  And I did not.

One hot summer’s day, I was browsing through magazines in the air conditioned comfort of the American Center Library in Madras. My eye caught a tiny news item tucked into the corner of a page: it stated that Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, was now in Cincinnati Ohio , teaching engineering. That was all.

That was all it took.  I went home and wrote a long, soulful, embarrassingly gushy letter to Neil Armstrong. I must have been no more than 13 years old. I told him how much I admired him and that I thought he was the bravest man in the universe. I elaborated on this theme for a couple of paragraphs. Then I told him that I had a nasty brother, one who goaded me on a daily basis that he had Neil Armstrong’s autograph while I did not.  I begged him to set right this injustice. I asked him if he would send me an autographed photograph of himself. But not just that. That would merely even the playing field. I wanted to one-up my brother in a major way.  Surely Mr. Armstrong, the bravest man in the universe, and possibly the kindest too, would understand? Could he personalize the autograph, write my name, perhaps? Please?

I mailed the letter. I addressed it to:
Neil Armstrong

First Man on the Moon

Professor of Engineering

Cincinnati, Ohio

United States of America

One month later, I received this in the mail.

 Dear brother, I rest my case. I won the Space Race.

(All photographs are courtesy NASA, and are from my collection.)

Kamini Dandapani

Comments

[flowergirl]

Well done Kamini! Yesss! Here's to the all the younger sisters of the world!

[Sekar]

You must have been truly terrified of me - it has taken you 30 years and a distance between us of 10000 miles before coming out with this!

But ..... I had dinner with Farokh Engineer and you didn't. Not quite the same thing, but every little thing matters when it comes to sibling wars.

[Raji Muthukrishnan]

I love it!

Big Brother, dinner with Farokh Engineer is not on the same level as hobnobbing with Balamuralikrishna

[Sunita]

I've got to show this post to my daughter who has been at the receiving end of "I've got ...., you don't " or "I did this and you couldn't" for as long as she can remember! :)

[Sekar]

Raji,

That dinner was the night before the test match, no less. The next morning he opened against Andy Roberts. And Viswanath got 97 not out. Special enough for me, but not for demanding siblings and cousins!!

[Shyam]

YESSSS! Way to go, Kamini! :D No way your brother could have trumped that! :D Loved this post... I so totally understand sibling rivalry (although I was the nasty older sibling in my case... alas).

[Mona]

Really enjoyed this! Well done!

[Sindhu]

Oh, Kamini, wonderful...truly enjoyed the sibling war, but you do have the last word to this one!

[Nupur]

Kamini- what an exciting post! Your household space race was every bit as riveting as the real one. I had to hoot and clap when I came to the last picture. (and I suspect Len loved you more ;))

PS: I missed reading so much stuff on your blog (was on vacation, and your new posts are not updating on my feedreader). Today, I have the day off and I am giving myself a treat by sitting here with a cup of tea and reading all your posts.

[meera]

i was laughing when i reached the part,where your brother decided what part of the dog you could own/touch.
then i saw it was getting serious,hats off to you girl:)good job,now ur brother cant do anything more than that! can he?;)good job again.until now whenever i tried to open your blog,it came with the 'ejamanar' post and i was thinking thats the latest one!!missed this one somehow.

[tmac]

good

[Kamini]

Ambika: Yes, we younger sisters need to stick together! I do think we have emerged from the ordeal stronger and tougher!
Sekar: Shows you how strong a grip the reign of terror had on me. Regarding Farokh Engineer, I am going to adopt the same attitude you did when I told you that I had Armstrong's autograph: who cares??!!
Raji: Thanks for the sisterly support!
Sunita: It's funny, there seems to be a sameness to younger sister life stories!
Thanks Shyam! Can't imagine you being nasty, though!

[Kamini]

Mona: Thanks, glad you enjoyed reading this!
Sindhu: My brother might disagree with you on that, but we know who won!
Nupur: How lovely to see you here again! Great words from a fellow dog-lover!
Meera: thanks! Yes, I can't believe that I allowed myself to fall for allowing our dog to be divided like that!
TMac: Thanks. You sound like a school teacher!

[Lakshman]

So funny! Such an enjoyable read, and fantastic photos, especially the last one.

[Harini]

Excellent post! The analogy with the cold war was too good! as a younger sister, I cheered for you all the way.

[Madhu Rao]

Meandered in while flying thru the cyber space. Beautiful post. The last photo says it all. Though I would have a huge preference for anything cricket, on this one, you kinda had your brother outfoxed and stumped ! :-)

[Aditi]

great post, really enjoyed reading it on the blog (Even though i might have heard the story about the Armstrong autograph before)...it's incredible that you addressed the letter as indicated above and received the autograph..it's a true treasure!
I didn't know about the deal you had going about Len..quite intense. Keep more coming!

[Gowri]

Kamini - you are a winner!! This one is my favourite - you brought big brother to the life, and those Len days came back so clearly. I am smiling and sniffling away at the same time. Thanks for a great read.

[Kamini]

Lakshman: Thanks. That last picture is a real treasure, isn't it?
Harini: Younger sisters of the world, unite!
Madhu Rao: Glad you landed here. Sorry, I have nothing to offer you on cricket, but hope you enjoy some of the other stuff.
Aditi: Thanks! I will.
Gowri: Those were good days, weren't they? So many memories!

[Aarumugam]

However much I liked the post I'm still going to fight in Daddy's defence.
1st: LEN WAS DADDY'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D
2nd: Daddy has got John Keay's Autograph(I think).
3rd: Daddy has seen Tom Petty live at an airport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(BEAT THAT)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D
4th: (Even tmac will have 2 agree that this is good) Daddy has chatted with Wilt
Chamberlain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(Once again, BEAT THAT)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

[Checkers]

Just shows how little we know about even our best friends. My friends and I could call Sekar many things but even if we attempted to go thru every word in the dictionary, "tyrant" would probably turn up last. My sister probably feels that I tyrannised her and who knows, maybe she's right....but to discover that soft, kindly, intellectual Sekar tyrannised his little sister...you could have knocked me down with a feather!!!!! Checkers

[Kamini]

Aarumugam: Bravo! Yours is my favorite comment of all! How could I not cheer for such a fantastic defense of your Daddy! Your first point, I cannot agree with; I bow to all the others.
Checkers: Welcome, welcome, I am scratching my head trying to figure out who you might be! Nice that you are providing such staunch support for your friend, but I did choke a bit at the soft and kindly part!! I have to say: it is entirely thanks to him that I got Armstrong's autograph. So this is a very backhanded, round-about way of thanking him for that!

[Maiji]

Kamini, I really enjoyed reading about the tiff with your brother.

[YezhuKaadu]

This picture is also one of the best examples of (passing) Neil Armstrong's flag test:
http://www.geocities.com/szarelli/na/armstrong_flag_test.htm

[Raja]

I just read it thanks to my internet failure.As a father I was witness to all these .What about a word about the old man who preserved your treasure all these years when you were away and gave then back t you?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your delightful account and you have all the sympathies of the suffering sisters of he world!
Appa

[Kamini]

Maiji: Thanks! I am sure you have witnessed many a sibling tiff!!
Yezhu Kaadu: (funny name, if it is in Tamil!): Thanks for stopping by. This is very interesting - I had no idea about the Armstrong flag test. Thanks for the link.
Appa: Glad you liked this. Of course, this piece would not have happened had you not carefully saved these pictures!

[Indrani]

Wow! A million dollar shot!
Interesting to read the comments that followed too.

[niranjana]

What a heart-warming piece!
I think my favorite part is the mailing address :) I feel a bit wistful that such a story would be so different if it happened today--you'd just google the person and then send email. And where's the thrill in getting a reply in your inbox? A fat envelope with foreign stamps delivered by a curious mailman--now that's the real thing.

[flowergirl]

I agree with Niranjana. The romance has gone out of correspondence hasn't it?

[Kamini]

Indrani: You are right! I really did not expect any reply to my letter! (although I did hope wildly, of course!)
Niranjana: So true. Also, celebrities these days erect so many walls around them, what with agents, reps, managers, etc. forming a massive buffer zone between them and their public. And of course, nothing can match the thrill of waiting, and then receiving, packets in the mail. Perhaps today's generation would roll their eyes at this, having never experienced this kind of excitement.
Flowergirl: Yes, alas. I suppose this sort of lament goes from generation to generation.

[Chanakya]

For 3 years I travelled up the elevator which carried Prof Armstrong, myself and other graduate students up the 5th floor and above at the Uiniversity of Cincinnati in early 1970s. I audited a course that Prof Armstrong offered just to see and talk to him for a quarter. He was excellent in his practical class. I had to get his permission to audit his course, and that was another story!

[maddy]

That was a great one Kamini - Some months back I had recounted my memories of that day, you may be interested!!!
http://maddy06.blogspot.com/2009/04/july-20th-1969-39-years-ago.html

[Kamini]

Chanakya: Your comment raised so many questions in my mind! How lucky you were, to have taken Prof Armstrong's class! I wonder, did he chat with the students on the way up in the elevator? And I would love to hear your story about getting permission to audit his class. I do hope you will share it with us!
Maddy: Thanks, I'm glad you liked this. And thanks for pointing me to your post - I really enjoyed reading it. Your memories of that day are so vivid, and so beautifully described.

[Lekhni]

Wow! Fascinating post (and yes, I loved the part about being allowed to just touch a few inches of Len's tail). Looking at the comments, you seem to have provoked the next generation too to join in the rivalry ;)

Did you photoshop Len's photo to create that blur effect? I am very impressed; I have no idea how it's done!

[Lekhni]

Btw, it occurred to me yesterday that Len was named after Len Hutton. Am I right?

[Kamini]

Lekhni: For the blurry effect in Len's photo, I used an editing effects feature in Picasa. Super easy.
Len was actually named after Leonard Cheshire, a highly decorated RAF pilot during the second world war, who went on to do a lot of philanthropic work after that (including the Cheshire homes). Our Len displayed neither military brilliance and bravery nor any inclination towards charity, but whatever.

[Sutapa Chakrabarti]

Wow! Lucky you Kamini. I am all of 30 years old and I still envy your picture (not ashamed to admit it in public) :p That picture is a real treasure. I totally empathize with the sibling rivalry bit, since I was in your shoes till a few years ago. Sigh! The things we younger sisters have to put up with...
I love reading your posts. Thanks a lot for sharing your stories.

Shoots:)