Dadu’s Signature on the Sky

This happened around 1999. I was in Calcutta during Diwali and had gotten into origami—specifically, making paper airplanes. I’d figured out a few techniques and was happy, but I wanted to learn more.

This was before the internet was really a thing. We had dial-up, and I didn’t know of any books or places where I could learn properly. But somehow I found a book-and-CD set about paper airplanes on Amazon.com—definitely my first Amazon order… and Dadu’s too.

He bought it for me.

It was a big deal: an international order, about $40 or $50—serious money—and it required a credit card. Dadu never ever handed that card to anyone. Yet when I showed him the webpage he simply smiled and said, “Use mine.” No fuss, no lecture—just quiet confidence in whatever had my curiosity alight.

That single click became my first runway. Years later I swapped paper wings for a cockpit, logging hours toward a pilot’s license. The license isn’t finished—yet—but every time I thumb through that half-filled logbook, I feel Dadu’s gentle nudge and remember why I started. One day I’ll finish the climb; he already gave me the lift.

-Prateek

Cutting the Cake on His 75th Birthday