Pluto Demoted !!!

I am not a very crazy fan of space and astronomy. Particularly because I grew up in large cities, mostly indoors, playing video games, reading books and watching movies. I was a geek to a considerable extent, but Star Wars was never on my favs list. I rather enjoyed woody allen and sienfeld, even relishing a good episode of Friends or an article by Dave Barry every now and then.

Nonetheless, I always regarded Pluto as a plannet. I grew up with the dark plannet firmly established as one of the elite (the nine big ones) despite being a small one. It was an underdog (and hence secretly my favourite) mysterious, dark, never to be seen by naked eyes, and far far away... much like the mysterious heros of old hollywood movies who would silently do good deeds, not show off much, get the job done and move away from the scene (after getting the girl and living happily ever after)... yes, at some point in life, i pretty much wanted to base my life around pluto, or atleast its philosophy of being, as I knew it.

Pluto was always in trouble off course. The big 9 were really big, except for him off course. In their annual general meetings, I figured, the big men like jupiter and saturn would look at the tiny weedy pluto, and smile with disgust. "why cant he stay at home for these meetings" Saturn would whisper to Jupiter. "Wait for appropriate time" Jupiter, the biggest one, will console his buddy, "and i will bring it up to the others.

And they seemd to be all waiting for the right moment. Pluto was unique, and that was his advantage. "There's no one like me" he would always tell others. "I am far far away, I am small, but... bring on if you may, anyone else like me!!!" he would challange them in bollywood style.

Then entered Xena. Not the warrior princess, but equally worse. A new plannetery object even further away from Pluto.... ("there goes his far far away theory" Jupiter smiled)... and lo and behold, Xena was not only just like pluto, it was slightly bigger. So... the question now was, why pluto is a plannet, and not Xena... further, slightly bigger, orbitting the sun. what else do you want.

Then entered, although it was already there, but highlighted more furiously now, pluto's own moon. It was big enough on its own, and orbitted, as it seemed, not pluto, but a center of gravity in between pluto and itself. Wow... that might as well make its moon a plannet on its own. Suddenly pluto was facing all sorts of allegations. "Well I have a couple of more moons" it would tell other, "which orbit me and me alone..." it would say with teary eyes. "what about Kuiper belt, weedy" Mars would yell at it, safer in the knowledge that its closeness to the sun is in no danger. "Dont you know that after Xena, there are dozens more just like you, all orbitting the sun. what about them". "goodness gracious me" Venus would yell. "Are we now going to have 50 or so plannets?". "Order Order" earth finally shouted from its chamber. "We are not going to have 50 plannets. Its an elite club. The big 9...." "9 you say", Neptune shouted back "can someone bring some logic into it. why then Xena is not a plannet when its bigger than pluto, and from where I stand, i can see a few more much like her"

Oh and by the way, pluto did not even orbit the sun the same way the other 8 did. The case was getting stronger by day. When the big 8 joined hands, it was pretty much written on the wall for pluto. Xena was never to be a plannet anyways, but she got pluto off the wagon with her. The decision came as expected. 'Pluto demoted from plannetary status'. No more in the elite club. It was labled "dwarf". It was sent back to the dark areas where it belonged. "you are not one of us anymore" it was told. "we have realized our mistake".... no not even a mistake. "We gave you a chance to prove your self. But you remained what you were. small dwarf. you are the weakest link Pluto. You have been voted off. good bye"

The small, icy world of pluto, which we may not know much of in near future, has once again gone into oblivion. The next generation will grow up, knowing that there are 8 plannets in our solar system. and a few dwarfs. who cares about dwarfs anyway. They may not know that among those dwarfs, there is one dark loner, which once lived alongwith the elite, mingled as if it was one of them and was recognized by every child of this world, as the ninth plannet. Until its big brothers realized their mistake, and threw it out of the elite club, alongwith rest of the dwarfs, where it may now be doomed to stay, till eternity.