I folded the paper to make two equal parts, vertically oriented. Each side was folded to make a half triangle on each side, combining to make a proper equilateral triangle. One more fold was made along the middle line on each side. The paper was then folded inwards of the middle line and three folds later, I had my device. A vintage 1936 (just making up the year) classic rocket with advanced aerodynamic capabilities.
This was no ordinary rocket. It was made out of a thin glossy paper, six inches by eight inches, intended for the poster of a college festival, but this was war and in war, all college festivals were suspended and hence all college festival posters were public property.
A dozen other students were participating and I was the manufacturing chief of those 1936 vintage rockets. We were trying to achieve the impossible. From our sixth floor department, we were making an attempt at being the first college students to fly solo across the busy main road of Gulmohar Road into enemy territory popularly known as Beyond Gulmohar Road. No such feat had been attempted before. Many had tried and most had failed miserably.
One of the earliest recorded instances of someone even imagining to come out of their shell and attempting this feat was eight years ago in 2007. The boy had a weak aeronautical background, a poor rendition of the much inferior 1932 model rocket and was badly ostracized when his rocket crash landed on the fifth floor itself. Because of violent winds, the rocket turned back on its head and crashed into the fifth floor department building. The boy was widely ostracized and he made no further attempt at proving them wrong.
Legend suggests that a solo flight had been made as far as the divider of the mighty Gulmohar Road two years later in 2009 when a guy, favoured by the winds, made it as far as anyone would expect. The sad thing was that he had no eye witnesses.
Over the years, the treacherous air space between the college and the territory Beyond Gulmohar Road achieved legendary and cult status. The winds were often violent because of the nearby sea and they often turned back rockets much before they could even stabilize their flights. The streets of Gulmohar Road were no less treacherous as they eagerly devoured any rockets that fell into their paths as a hungry shark would. Rockets were hence irrecoverable and this added to the cost of manufacturing. The unofficial commission for the Beyond Gulmohar Road Project decided that there would be a hiatus in this mission.
Years went by and as folklore spreads, it reached the ears of the very aeronautic-ally interested batch of 2012. The first few flights were tested by yours truly and a need for better design was cited. Over the year, the material was improved from light papers of our notebooks to thick posters. The posters provided perfect weight balance as they were neither too light to be blown off by the wind, nor too heavy to pummel through the heights into the gorge that was the Gulmohar Road.
And that brings us to the legendary day, when after collecting all resources, twelve very advanced rockets were to be flown in succession, hoping that one of them would reach Beyond Gulmohar Road. It was do or die. We had collected for over a year and there would be no further flights for another two years. The commission for the Beyond Gulmohar Road project thought it would be more useful to spend it on other useful stuff like marathons (internal college joke).
The winds were good. Calm and steady. We lined up, each in silent concentration. The weight of our ancestors rested on our shoulders. We all made a silent prayer to the ostracized first pilot, who we presumed must now be working for TCS.
And it began. The first flight took off, and nose dived too early on its flight and crashed down onto the parapet. Not a good start. The second followed a similar result even though it nose dived a little further away from the college. Two more followed with no better results. We were one third of our strength down and none of them had even made it to the deadly Gulmohar Road. The fifth plane nose dived too and just when we gave up hope, it steadied and changed direction to face us. Swiftly against the air, it changed its course in a smooth arc and pushed on towards Beyond Gulmohar Road. The swift movements had taken their toll, and it succumbed just before the middle of Gulmohar Road. There was hope afterall! Buoyed by this relative success, we launched another two rockets, both unsuccessfully. Seven down, five to go. The eight one was launched, and it turned 360 degrees on its body so that its wings were on the bottom. It steadied to a level that was unheard of. The rocket seemed to glide in the air as if it were part of the winds that made up the air. In that perfect moment, the air and the rocket were one. If you've ever seen the flight of a kite, it was perfectly symbolic of that. The rocket was pushing on beyond the middle of Gulmohar Road, each sway and jerk felt by the battalion of pilots watching in silent anticipation. It veered lower and lower, often in danger of a sudden gust of wind messing up its path. But the gods were good and there was no gust of wind. Ecstasy and loud shouts filled the corridor as the 1936 Vintage ALTF rocket crossed the threshold that had eluded man since times immemorial.
There is something about the phenomenon of flight which leaves us exhilarated. Maybe it's because of gravity. Humans want the most what they can't have and that's why we covet flying so much. Whatever be the reasons, the small rocket is our way of experiencing the thrill that we cannot enjoy. The feeling of truly being free. Afterall, flying is freedom personified. Flying signifies endless possibilities. Flying requires us to be in accordance with Nature's laws. Flying is being One with Nature.
P.S- We do fly rockets in our college, but not with such fervour. At least not all of them. All these incidents are made up and fictional, especially if our college HOD happens to read this :)
This was no ordinary rocket. It was made out of a thin glossy paper, six inches by eight inches, intended for the poster of a college festival, but this was war and in war, all college festivals were suspended and hence all college festival posters were public property.
A dozen other students were participating and I was the manufacturing chief of those 1936 vintage rockets. We were trying to achieve the impossible. From our sixth floor department, we were making an attempt at being the first college students to fly solo across the busy main road of Gulmohar Road into enemy territory popularly known as Beyond Gulmohar Road. No such feat had been attempted before. Many had tried and most had failed miserably.
One of the earliest recorded instances of someone even imagining to come out of their shell and attempting this feat was eight years ago in 2007. The boy had a weak aeronautical background, a poor rendition of the much inferior 1932 model rocket and was badly ostracized when his rocket crash landed on the fifth floor itself. Because of violent winds, the rocket turned back on its head and crashed into the fifth floor department building. The boy was widely ostracized and he made no further attempt at proving them wrong.
Legend suggests that a solo flight had been made as far as the divider of the mighty Gulmohar Road two years later in 2009 when a guy, favoured by the winds, made it as far as anyone would expect. The sad thing was that he had no eye witnesses.
Over the years, the treacherous air space between the college and the territory Beyond Gulmohar Road achieved legendary and cult status. The winds were often violent because of the nearby sea and they often turned back rockets much before they could even stabilize their flights. The streets of Gulmohar Road were no less treacherous as they eagerly devoured any rockets that fell into their paths as a hungry shark would. Rockets were hence irrecoverable and this added to the cost of manufacturing. The unofficial commission for the Beyond Gulmohar Road Project decided that there would be a hiatus in this mission.
Years went by and as folklore spreads, it reached the ears of the very aeronautic-ally interested batch of 2012. The first few flights were tested by yours truly and a need for better design was cited. Over the year, the material was improved from light papers of our notebooks to thick posters. The posters provided perfect weight balance as they were neither too light to be blown off by the wind, nor too heavy to pummel through the heights into the gorge that was the Gulmohar Road.
And that brings us to the legendary day, when after collecting all resources, twelve very advanced rockets were to be flown in succession, hoping that one of them would reach Beyond Gulmohar Road. It was do or die. We had collected for over a year and there would be no further flights for another two years. The commission for the Beyond Gulmohar Road project thought it would be more useful to spend it on other useful stuff like marathons (internal college joke).
The winds were good. Calm and steady. We lined up, each in silent concentration. The weight of our ancestors rested on our shoulders. We all made a silent prayer to the ostracized first pilot, who we presumed must now be working for TCS.
And it began. The first flight took off, and nose dived too early on its flight and crashed down onto the parapet. Not a good start. The second followed a similar result even though it nose dived a little further away from the college. Two more followed with no better results. We were one third of our strength down and none of them had even made it to the deadly Gulmohar Road. The fifth plane nose dived too and just when we gave up hope, it steadied and changed direction to face us. Swiftly against the air, it changed its course in a smooth arc and pushed on towards Beyond Gulmohar Road. The swift movements had taken their toll, and it succumbed just before the middle of Gulmohar Road. There was hope afterall! Buoyed by this relative success, we launched another two rockets, both unsuccessfully. Seven down, five to go. The eight one was launched, and it turned 360 degrees on its body so that its wings were on the bottom. It steadied to a level that was unheard of. The rocket seemed to glide in the air as if it were part of the winds that made up the air. In that perfect moment, the air and the rocket were one. If you've ever seen the flight of a kite, it was perfectly symbolic of that. The rocket was pushing on beyond the middle of Gulmohar Road, each sway and jerk felt by the battalion of pilots watching in silent anticipation. It veered lower and lower, often in danger of a sudden gust of wind messing up its path. But the gods were good and there was no gust of wind. Ecstasy and loud shouts filled the corridor as the 1936 Vintage ALTF rocket crossed the threshold that had eluded man since times immemorial.
There is something about the phenomenon of flight which leaves us exhilarated. Maybe it's because of gravity. Humans want the most what they can't have and that's why we covet flying so much. Whatever be the reasons, the small rocket is our way of experiencing the thrill that we cannot enjoy. The feeling of truly being free. Afterall, flying is freedom personified. Flying signifies endless possibilities. Flying requires us to be in accordance with Nature's laws. Flying is being One with Nature.
P.S- We do fly rockets in our college, but not with such fervour. At least not all of them. All these incidents are made up and fictional, especially if our college HOD happens to read this :)
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