Man Gifts A Piece Of Land On Moon To 2-Year-Old Son On Birthday

Pre-adolescence birthdays are often marked with simple gifts like toys, but a 2-year-old boy in India has received a gift for a lifetime from his dad — a piece of land on the moon.

The man, identified as Abhilash Mishra, a resident of Bharhut Nagar in Satna town in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, gave his son, Avyaan Mishra, the unconventional gift on his second birthday, which fell on Dec. 15, according to Free Press Journal.

Abilash told the outlet he was planning to do something special for his son's birthday when the idea struck him. Eventually, he had to shell out around $100,000 to purchase a one-acre piece of land.

"The money to purchase land on the moon is not important. One has to requisite formalities and documents. It took one month for me to complete the process," Abhilash said.

The man was able to make the purchase after getting in touch with the International Lunar Lands Registry (ILLR) in New York. He then submitted all the required documents and paid the fees. Afterward, he received a certificate from the company validating the sale.

The ILLR says it is "tasked with administering and allocating real property located on Luna, Earth’s Moon, and registering ownership claims to properties on the Moon on behalf of individuals, organizations and business entities around the world."

Abhilash was reportedly shown 12 sites on the moon that were available for purchase, reported News NCR. The land which he purchased in the name of his son is in Lunar Alps.

Abhilash purchasing the land meant his son also got citizenship on the moon, according to the outlet.

This gesture is no longer new. In March, a businessman in Surat in the Indian state of Gujarat also went out of his way to buy a plot of land on the moon to show his love for his son. The man, identified as Vijaybhai Kathiriya, also contacted the ILLR, provided the necessary documents and paid the fees to make the purchase. The family then received a certificate authenticating the $750 transaction.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, more Indians are buying plots of land on the moon. This trend is reportedly driven by a number of human motivations, including insecurity, hope, pride and love. But for Dr. Sonal Anand, a psychiatrist, it goes deeper.

"Ideas of occupying space on the moon are a reflection of our quest to see what lies beyond, which is itself a reflection of our quest for deeper meaning within ourselves," the doctor said as per the outlet.

"By forming a tangible connection with a different future, this kind of purchase is satisfying a need for some sense of some degree of preparedness for a different future," Anand added.