New Delhi [India]: Mission ‘Chandrayaan-3’ has emerged as the symbol of the spirit of a ‘New India’, which wants to emerge victorious under any circumstances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the latest edition of his monthly radio broadcast — ‘Mann Ki Baat’ — on Sunday.
India entered record books as the first country to successfully place a lander on the moon’s uncharted South Police on Wednesday, last week.
The successful conduct of what was the maiden lunar landing mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also put India in an elite club of nations featuring the US, Russia and China.
“On August 23, our Chandrayaan-3 mission proved to the world that the dawn of revolution and resolve can also light up the dark side of the moon. Mission Chandrayaan has become a symbol and the spirit of a new India. This is an India, which wants to emerge victorious at all costs. It wants to break new grounds regardless of the circumstances,” PM Modi said.
He further said a discussion on India’s maiden lunar landing mission would struggle to do justice to the enormity of its success.
“The success of Chandrayaan-3 has seen the entire country immerse itself in unbridled celebrations. It has been more than three days since our lunar lander, ‘Vikram’, touched down on the moon’s surface. Such is the enormity of the mission’s success that any discussion on it seems futile,” PM Modi said.
On the key role played by ISRO’s women scientists in the successful conduct of the daunting lunar landing mission, PM Modi said the mission is a “classic illustration of women power”, adding that India’s daughters are not only shattering glass ceilings but also challenging Space, which is considered ‘infinite.’
“India’s Mission Chandrayaan is a classic illustration of our women power. Many women scientists and engineers were directly involved with this mission. They handled vital responsibilities such as those of a project director and project manager,” he said.
“Our daughters are even challenging the limitless Space. When the daughters of a country chase such big dreams, is there any force that can stop them or the country from making forward strides?” PM Modi added.
Also lauding the contribution of other sectors to the success of the Chandrayaan-3, PM Modi said, “Today, our dreams are big and so are the efforts to realise them. Along with our scientists, other sectors also contributed to the success of Chandrayaan-3.
Many of my fellow countrymen contributed to the mission by meeting the technical requirements. It took everyone’s efforts and contributions to make this mission a success. This is the biggest success of mission Chandrayaan-3.”
Earlier, on Saturday, PM Modi announced that August 23 will, henceforth, be celebrated as ‘National Space Day’ to mark the success of India’s maiden lunar landing mission.
He also announced that the spot on the lunar South Pole where the Vikram lander touched down would be called the ‘Shiv Shakti Point’ while the spot on the moon’s surface where the Chandrayaan-2 left its mark would be known as the ‘Tiranga Point’.
“This mission will be a source of inspiration for every effort that goes into taking this country forward in the coming days. It will remind us that a failure isn’t the end of the world,” PM Modi said.
On Saturday, PM Modi interacted with the women scientists of the ISRO, who were involved in the ‘Chandrayaan-3’ project, commending the key role they played in the successful culmination of India’s maiden lunar landing mission.
