Big Five – FeedNormally, this would be a simple note extending warm wishes to those observing Passover and Easter. But this moment, I believe, calls for something more.
Today holds special significance in the Hindu calendar, it is Hanuman Jayanti, the birth of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman represents a rare and powerful balance: immense strength paired with absolute humility. He embodies Bhakti (devotion), Shakti (strength and courage), and Buddhi (wisdom), a reminder that true power is most meaningful when guided by purpose and restraint.
It is no coincidence that Hanuman Jayanti aligns with a full moon. According to the Ramayana, Anjana, Lord Hanuman’s celestial mother, gave birth under a full moon, his essence carried by the wind and infused with the power of the gods. His story resonates far beyond India and can be seen retold in places as distant as the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, reminding us that shared stories transcend borders, cultures, and time.
Why do I share this today? Yesterday, I watched four astronauts lift off, not on television, but live, from just two hours north of me at Cape Canaveral, as they embarked on Artemis II, humanity’s return to the moon for the first time since Apollo. It was ingenuity, intelligence, and courage at their very best, applied for the right reasons. They journey toward a celestial body claimed by no sovereign nation. No wars are waged over the moon, yet its gravitational pull shapes our tides, its reflected light guides our nights, and its eclipses inspire awe everywhere, reaching all people, regardless of place or circumstance.
The last time I watched a historic launch defined by a first moment was very different. I was seven years old and had just moved to the United States from Kenya. I didn’t even know what a space program was. Sitting on a classroom floor with my teacher and classmates, I watched the Challenger tragedy unfold, not fully understanding what had happened. Years later, I learned about the Apollo missions and Neil Armstrong’s words. In college, a roommate who interned at NASA on the Mars Pathfinder mission deepened my appreciation for what exploration truly represents.
And now, I got to watch us return to the moon, on the day of Lord Hanuman, under a full moon, just before Easter weekend.
For a moment, it felt like the human race putting its best foot forward, humble in ambition, bold in execution, and unified by possibility.
“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
— John F. Kennedy, Rice University, 1962
Godspeed, Artemis II.
