In a story that quite literally brings to reality the expression of ‘love to the moon and back’, a 33-year-old Ranchi man has gifted a plot of land on the moon to his mother as a memorable gesture of affection, making her the first ever Jharkhand resident to own a lunar property.
Meet Sumit Sinha, an entrepreneur who scripted a story of rags to riches with his wedding planning company, and is now the only Jharkhand resident to have purchased one acre of land at Mare Moscoviense or the Sea of Muscovy on the moon, where late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput also owned a plot of land.
“I wanted to do something memorable for my mother and I could not think of any better idea than gifting land to her on the moon. This will be a memory cherished throughout our lives,” said Sinha, who did not wish to disclose the amount he had to pay for the lunar property, claiming that gifts are priceless.
As per the registered claim and deed for the lunar property, The Pioneer has a copy of which in its possession, this purchase of land on the moon will help finance a variety of important programmes administered by the Luna Society, including the first non-governmental manned mission to the moon, as well as funding scholarships and educational programmes for students.
Rita Sinha, the owner of the lunar property, was on top of the world when her son gifted her a piece of land on the moon. “I used to tease my son that he never gave me anything as a gift, not even a single earring. Yesterday, he came to my room and handed over some papers to me and said that it was a gift. Initially, I did not understand what it was, but when I read the documents, I realised that Sumit has bought land on the moon for me. It was an emotional moment. I am short of words to express my feelings,” she said.
After Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput purchased land plots on the moon, several Indians were quick to follow the trend. Last year, a Rajasthan man gifted a plot on the moon to his wife on their wedding anniversary. In 2020, a man from Bodh Gaya in Bihar had also purchased a plot of land on the moon.
Owning a piece of land on the moon, however, does not provide ownership rights to the purchasers. The ownership package includes an engraved deed, a satellite photograph of the property and an information sheet detailing the geography of the moon’s Moscoviense Region. The owners of land on the moon also get complimentary lifetime membership of Luna Society International.