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‘A symbol and spirit of new India’: PM Modi hails Chandrayaan-3
On August 23, India scripted history as Isro’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar surface.
New Delhi: The Chandrayaan-3 mission, the country’s third lunar project that was successfully launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) recently, has become a “symbol and spirit of a New India”, which wants to emerge victorious under any circumstances, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
Modi also said that the mission is a “classic illustration of women power” as several women scientists and engineers were directly linked to it, and that India’s daughters are not only shattering glass ceilings but also challenging Space, which is considered “infinite”.
The Prime Minister was addressing the 104th edition of his monthly radio broadcast, Mann ki Baat, when he made the remarks.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
On August 23, India scripted history as Isro’s ambitious third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module (LM) touched down on the lunar surface, making it only the fourth country to accomplish the feat, and first to reach the uncharted south pole of Earth’s only natural satellite.
Modi said the 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 failure isn’t the end of the world,” he said, referring to the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s unsuccessful bid to soft land on the Moon.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister interacted with the women scientists of Isro, who are involved in the project, commending the key role they played in the successful culmination of the moon landing mission.
Speaking on the role of the women scientists, Modi said: “India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission 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.”
Referring to his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the Prime Minister said: “I told in Red Fort that women-led development should be established as a characteristic of the nation and Chandrayaan (mission) too is a prime example of that.”
India’s daughters are even challenging the limitless Space, Modi said. “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?” he said.
The Prime Minister also lauded the contribution of other sectors in the lunar project. “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,” he said.
Modi urged citizens to come together and make the upcoming G20 Summit a success and enhance the pride of the nation. India has invited all the G20 leaders and heads of nine guest countries to the summit which is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10.
“India is fully prepared for the G20 summit next month and this will see the maximum participation ever in the summit’s history. Since last year in Bali, when India got the presidency for G20, a lot has happened. We have moved away from the tradition of hosting big events in Delhi and took it to 60 cities across the country,” he said.
The Prime Minister also said that the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign had turned into a ‘Har Mann Tiranga’ drive.
Speaking on the new ‘Meri Matti Mera Desh’ campaign, the culminating event of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, he said: “A campaign to instill the spirit of patriotism is in full swing and sacred soil of the country will be collected in thousands of ‘Amrit Kalash’. At the end of October, thousands of citizens will reach Delhi with the ‘Amrit Kalash Yatra’. An ‘Amrit Vatika’ will be built in Delhi with this soil.”
(With agency inputs)
