It’s amazing how a simple question can light up a moment and leave a lasting impression. One quiet evening, in a village tucked away in South India, I found myself surrounded by a group of curious children. Hoping to spark a conversation, I asked them: “Who, or what, do you admire the most?”
I expected answers that pointed to familiar figures—politicians, business leaders, teachers, or perhaps a family member. Before the children could respond, my colleague, an elderly education consultant from the city, cautioned me, suggesting the question might be too advanced for these young minds. Undeterred, I waited for their answers.
After a brief pause, a girl confidently raised her hand. Her response? “The sun.”
Her answer caught me off guard. Intrigued, I asked, “Why the sun?”
Her reply was simple yet profound: “Because the sun is so awesome and powerful that no human or animal can look straight at it for long.”
In that moment, I saw something extraordinary—a young mind seeing beyond the ordinary to admire a force that sustains life itself. It left me in awe, and I recounted her words to friends and colleagues in the days that followed.
Months later, at a lunch meeting with a former Maharaja, the memory resurfaced. As he handed me his card, I noticed the emblem of the sun on it. Curious, I asked him, “Why the sun?”
With pride, he explained that his royal lineage traced back to Surya, the Sun God. When I shared the story of the village girl’s admiration for the sun, his face lit up with approval.
This wasn’t the only time a child’s answer had left me speechless. On another occasion, I posed the same question to a 13-year-old girl in a school for orphans. Her answer was equally unexpected: “Potti Sriramulu.”
For those unfamiliar, Potti Sriramulu was an Indian freedom fighter whose relentless hunger strike led to the creation of Andhra Pradesh. When I asked her why she chose him, her reply was filled with emotion: “Because he died for his cause.”
The conviction in her voice, the way her body seemed to tremble as she spoke, moved me deeply. Her words made me wonder: What kind of courage and conviction must Sriramulu have had to give his life for what he believed in? And perhaps more strikingly, how did a young girl, removed from that era, connect so deeply with his sacrifice?
These moments left an indelible mark on me. They were a testament to the boundless curiosity, depth, and wisdom of young minds. Their answers were not just reflections of admiration—they were windows into how children see the world, often with a clarity and insight that we, as adults, overlook.
Sometimes, all it takes is a simple question to kindle a fire of inspiration. And sometimes, the most unexpected answers can spark a light that stays with you forever.
