More than a century
ago, the well-known national poet from Tamil Nadu Subramania Bharathi wrote: “வானை அளப்போம்; கடல் மீனை அளப்போம்; சந்திர
மண்டலத்து இயல் கண்டு தெளிவோம்” (We
will measure the sky and harvest the seas; will find out the nature of the
lunar region). Bharat, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi, has fulfilled the dream of Bharathi on Aug. 23,2023, when Chandrayaan-3
landed on the Lunar south pole. Thus, we became the first nation in the World
to land on the hitherto unexplored south pole, besides being the fourth nation
to land on the moon.
After the successful
landing, the PM noted: “This moment is
unforgettable. This moment is unprecedented. This moment is the victory cry of
a developed India. This moment is the triumph of the new India. This moment is
about crossing the ocean of difficulties. This moment is about walking on the
path of victory. This moment holds the capability of 1.4 billion heartbeats.
This moment signifies new energy, new belief, and new consciousness in India.
This moment is the call of India’s ascending destiny,” and called it the “first
light of success in the dawn of Amrit Kaal”.
On this
historic achievement, PM said: “We took a pledge on Earth, and we fulfilled it
on the Moon…. Today, we have witnessed the new flight of New India in space.” Besides, he noted: “When we see such a history
being made before our eyes, life becomes blessed. Such historical events become
the eternal consciousness of a nation’s life.”
Thanks to the
dedication and commitment of the scientists and engineers at ISRO, the success
of Chandrayaan- 3 was remarkable in many ways. This mission was built and
launched at an estimated cost of Rs.615 crores, far less than the budgets of
films like Adipurush. Moreover, this is one of India’s most cost effective
space missions, cheaper than its predecessor Chandrayaan -2. The use of indigenous technology and
components and the higher participation of women add more value to it.
The
success has resulted in India being recognized at the global as the nation with
a high potential in space science and technology. Over the past nine years, our
Prime Minister has been taking several steps to encourage science, technology
and innovation at all levels. In the field of space, the establishment of IN-SPACe as an autonomous body under the
Department of Space in 2020 to create an eco-system of industry, academia and
start-ups and to attract higher share in the global space economy was a significant
step. Now it has become a vehicle for enhancing India’s performance in space.
Chandrayaan – 3 has so far sent us several details which have to
be analyzed by the experts. Besides giving us very valuable scientific
insights, there is going to be opportunities for home-grown start-ups and MSMEs,
leading to creation of lakhs of jobs and paving ways for new inventions. The
naming of the two historic points on the moon as Tiranga Point (foot-print
of Chandrayaan-2) and ShivShakti Point (landing spot of Chandrayaan-3)
connects our civilizational heritage with the New India emerging at the global
level.
Our civilization has
taught us look at the whole world as one family. Hence, the PM has pointed that
India’s moon-mission is based on a human-centric approach and noted that the
“success belongs to all of humanity”.
This success has
enabled us to realize the potential of our nation in the field of space and “propel
India’s journey beyond the moon’s orbit” To quote PM: “We will test the limits
of our solar system, and we must work to realize the infinite possibilities of
the universe for humans.”
The entire nation feels
proud of Chandrayaan-3 and the achievements of ISRO. Surely it heralds the
beginning of a New India in the world of space.
(The Nationalist - Editorial,
July-August, 2023 Issue, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, New
Delhi)
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