India, Oct. 10 -- Imaginative power and rational observation have always been at loggerheads. Often, what the imagination creates is demolished by scientific scrutiny. Romantic poet John Keats refers to it as 'philosophy' in his poem Lamia. "Do not all charms fly At the mere touch of cold philosophy? Philosophy will unweave a rainbow. Scientific research has shattered several romantic myths, including those about the rainbow and the moon. Long back when I heard an old song,'Anokha ladla, khelan ko mange chand,' the innocent, naive expression of human desire bemused me. Little did I know that one day, this desire would spark competition among countries vying with each other to reach the moon and prove their supremacy! In childhood, we opened our eyes to established myths about the moon, and being innocent at heart, we believed them all, whether it was the old woman spinning her wheel or the rabbit sitting cozily in the crescent moon. We even went to the extent of accepting it as our Mama (maternal uncle), with the sing-song, Chanda Mama door ke. We were in awe of the luminous ball hanging over our heads, inviting us to weave our own web of stories about it as we slept on the rooftop in summer. During youth, all boys and girls, hit by Cupid's arrow, found themselves on cloud nine, with the moon in their mind and stars in their eyes. Bollywood films and songs constantly fired their imagination. The moon occupied a prominent place in the lyrics, used literally and metaphorically to denote different meanings. It stood for the beauty of the beloved, Chaudvin ka chand ho; Chand sa mukhra kyun sharmaya; Chand si Mehbooba ho meri, and many more; it also served as a destination for romantic rendezvous, Chalo dildar chalo chand ke paar chalo; and sometimes the dejected lover identified himself /herself with the moon, Chanda o chanda, kis ne churaiyi teri-meri nindiya. Its imagery extended beyond lovers, and captured every endearing relationship, like mother-child, Chanda hai tu, mera suraj hai tu, or brother-sister, Mere bhaiyya, mere chanda, mere Anmol rattan. The lyricists tossed the moon around, wherever they could fit it in, and the list is endless. So 'moonstruck' they had been! Everything was going well; the romantics found great solace in the moon, but then scientific research proved to be a spoilsport. When Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon, it opened the floodgates for every country to join the space race. Today, we can observe the moon in all its glory, with its highlands, lowlands, and craters clearly visible. How much will the poet's perception of the moon change? Will he/she be able to compare the beauty of his beloved to that of the moon? How will she react, knowing that the moon is full of craters and lava? (Khabardar jo mujhe chand kaha!) Or will the poets take a more pragmatic route, like the poet Dinesh Thakur, realising it is futile to play with the imagination of people? Har haseen manzar se yaaro faasle qayyam rakho, Chand gar dharti pe utra, dekh kar darr jaaoge....