Twinkle Wrinkle Brittle Star

I love stars! I see stars- both celestial and terrestrial. I meet them at airports, in city lounges, in corporate do's and in the field of sports. i meet them on earth and in the heavens. You know, the strange thing is that stars are ordinary people like YOU AND I. They take birth, flicker for a while and fade away like all of us do. The only difference is that stars shine a little longer in our minds and shine a little more brightly than most of us.

I met this space scientist who told me that many stars that twinkle in the sky today, no longer exist in reality. Like our old planet Pluto they have been dwarfed today. But, the light that come from them travels and remains long after they have gone. The stars have twinkled, wrinkled and have vanished, even as we see them . We continue to see them because their light still travels and flickers in our eyes. This is also out terrestrial star story. they are born, they blow their horn and then, they are gone! Some of us hang their pictures and some share fireside stories about their secret sex lives!

Next time you meet a star, do not feel small. remember, the star shines in the retina of our eyes and the star lives in your heart. The star measures his success by the attention you give him. WITHOUT YOUR ATTENTION THE STAR HAS NO VALUE. If you haven't got me already, just know this to BE TRUE: YOU MAY NOT YET BE A STAR, BUT YOU CERTAINLY ARE THE LIGHT THAT SHINES THROUGH EVERY STAR!

-Dr. Debashis Chatterjee
IIM L