I was 5 when I had my first crush and if I dare say, also my last ( alright, alright I was lying, I have had a few others). It was love at first sight and it happened at school on that sultry monsoon afternoon. I had watched in daze as it moved swiftly in a streak of red and blue , no it didn't move, it flew, faster than a speeding bullet! I followed it, my heart in raptures, my pulse in fits of frenzy, and then it happened- a miracle!The train was heading towards certain disaster, the driver had suffered a stroke and to make matters worse had pushed the accelarator with his body. A crash seemed imminent, the passengers more in desperation than hope were crying for help. And then, like a messiah, it appeared from nowhere, the same captivating figure. Dressed in red and blue, draped in a cloak, moving like a gazelle, it jumped straight into the path of the raging locomotive and with bare hands brought the several thousand screaming screeching tonnes of iron to peace. A disaster was averted, a legend was born and an innocent heart somewhere skipped a beat.
I was struck, love struck to be precise, and after my lovelorn senses recovered, it was time to find more about this enigma. Who was it? What was the name? Where had it come from? On that first meeting, the stranger had seemed out of the world, someone who had been there among the stars, as it turned out, it was true, LITERALLY!
Well, my first crush was not the beautiful girl next door or for that matter the princess from a kingdome far away but an alien who had arrived on this planet from a distant galaxy. It belonged to the planet Krypton, looked like a human but could leap tall buildings in a single bound, was faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a moving locomotive. It wore the symbol of its race on its chest, its real name was Kal-EL but in this world where it had become a symbol of truth, justice and hope, they called him- SUPERMAN.
Yes, on that fateful afternoon I fell in love with Superman, an affair that's lasted nearly two decades and is still going strong. People often question my faith in a character that is bred in fiction, that is a figment of someone's imagination, but they neither understand my faith nor the character. Sure I am intrigued, enchanted even fascinated by Superman's extraordinary abilities. I mean, he can fly, can hear a whisper on the other side of the world, can see through solid objects, he's a virtual GOD. But, my love for Superman transcends these extraordinary powers, in fact, it is based on values that are as much a part of me as they are of you and of every human being on this planet.
Superman, for all his imaginary, fictional physical prowess is much more than a brawny boy scout.He is indeed a metaphor for all the real world values and virtues that us human beings aspire for. He symbolises truth, compassion, fairness, integrity, courage, selflessness, resilience and above all respect for the human life. All of them values, much celebrated, but unfortunately missing from the society we live in today. Of course, human beings are not gods, we can never be as powerful or impregnable as the last son of krypton but if only we could inherit his values, virtues and philosophy, the world would be a peaceful, loving and just place to live . We won't need the police to protect us, criminals would not move around with impunity, the system will not become the victim of a spineless society as the Jessica Lall case manifested and perhaps most importantly innocent lives would never be sacrificed in the name of noble causes, in the name of religion, in the name of peace.
Alas, it is not to be, we have failed, the most intelligent race in the universe has failed to retain its virtues and now darkness looms and threatens its existance. But, all this could change, only, it needs will, determination and above all commitment to what is right. We all must rise above petty differences and inflated egos to assist each other in creating a world of our dreams, a world free of hatred, devoid of treachery and bereft of suffering. We all can together change the world, sure it's a long walk, but we have to start somewhere.
How about starting with - SUPERMAN?
They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be.
They only lack the light to show the way.
For this reason, above all, their capacity for good,
I have sent them you, my only son.
