Small step for man

There is still some speculation as to what was said by Mr. Armstrong when he landed on the moon. Whether or not he said the actual phrase is immaterial, in retrospect. What is important is things were never the same again for space travel.

39 years after man set foot on the moon, something equally momentous and paradigm-shifting is about to happen tomorrow morning. Radio City, Hyderabad will announce the Phase Forward ACE 2008 during its morning & evening shows. Also, our promos will be aired between 9.15 am to 9.40 am. One can only hope that things will get bigger from here on. Of course, we need to be mindful on keeping our roots firmly on the ground while we reach for the sky.

One can choose to be cynical and say that we are not talking about the Super Bowl, or that such announcements come dime-a-d0zen. Thats not the point. Credibility for the event is only one side of the story. What's important is that this milestone has been achieved by a group of volunteers & companies who have only 1 thing in common. Which is, the belief that every child is entitled to basic education, food & shelter. That every child irrespective of their background or caste or religion has the right to dream to be a doctor, engineer, pilot or cricketer.*

And it is really heartening to see that as we extend our hands and look for partnerships, corporate India is extending theirs too. We are seeing ample evidence of companies willing to contribute freely towards what they believe is a genuinely good cause. In some cases people are coming on their own and adding to the effort. Then it becomes academic whether you call it Corporate Social Responsibility or simply Do Good.

* I once spoke to a little girl who is living in a residential school for poor children in Bidar, Karnataka. I asked her what she would like to become after growing up. Her answer was simple and straightforward. She wanted to run a school similar to the one she herself was living in. :)