The successful launch of Chandrayaan-I not merely displayed India's technological might, but also fulfilled "the ancient dream to meet Chanda mama", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday.
Referring to the hero of several bed-time stories Indians have grown up listening to, Singh said in October last, "we have made contact with a distant pravasi that you have all grown up hearing about -- Chanda mama!"
Inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas here, the Prime Minister said when Chandrayaan-I soared into the skies, "it was not just a display of India's technological achievements. It was the fulfillment of an ancient dream, to meet Chanda mama."
He assured the gathering that "one day an Indian, desi or pravasi, will complete that journey and we will be able to land a man on the moon from India."