It was the most breath-taking sight that Neil, a thirty nine year old man had ever seen in his life. Neil, who found it impossible to contain his excitement blurted out, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Well, Neil Armstrong had all the reason to be excited as he was saying this from the surface of THE MOON. Buzz Aldrin and Michel Collins, who were also present with Neil on this defining moment in the history of humanity, must have felt the same.

They achieved this remarkable feat on 20th July, 1969.The history of the Moon Day can be traced back to the year 1971, when the then U.S President Richard Nixon proclaimed July 20th as the National Moon Landing Day to honour man’s first landing on the Moon. Ever since, 20th July has been observed as the National Moon Day to gratefully remember everyone who made ‘the journey to the moon’ a reality. This feat planted in the minds of millions of young people the relentlessness to pursue excellence. And it continues to inspire young people including me by telling us, “Even the sky’s not the limit”.

In addition to this, the Moon Day is an occasion to remember and cherish our own earth’s little neighbour the moon. The moon is inextricably linked to our lives. For instance, some of the most beautiful idioms and phrases in the English language such as ‘love someone to the moon and back’ and ‘to be over the moon’ are so incomplete without ‘the moon’ in them. Some of the most creatively crafted poems and songs and stories and movies revolve around ‘the moon’. Moreover, who does not like to sit alone and gaze at the moon, getting soaked in the moonlight?