On 24 August 2023, an Indian English-language daily reported a national miracle with the words “Chandrayaan 3 makes a perfect touchdown, uplifts spirits of a billion, heralds arrival of a new lunar power”.
With this, India made history, while the world looked on with awe & envy. Hamletians, young and old, weren’t far behind.
Juhi Chaturvedi (11084) got reminded of the opening narration of the iconic sci-fi TV series, Star Trek, “To boldly go where no man has gone before”. That summarises the scale of achievement by India’s space scientists.
For Juhi’s mother, Lata auntie, 1984 memories returned when Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, Indian military pilot & cosmonaut, flew onboard Soyuz T-11, with two Soviet cosmonauts, to space. “His conversation with then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi replayed in my mind as I watched the Chandrayaan 3 land.”
“How does India look from outer space?” “Saare Jahan se achcha!” With India’s ‘footprint’ firmly on the Moon, our country does indeed look the best in the world.
It was heartening to see how excited the children became. Two young residents of T11, Saisha Malhotra (nine years) & Sanaya Khurana (eight years)’s excitement knew no bounds. As soon as Vikram Lander touched the surface of the Moon, the little girls brought out the tricolour and waved it with pride!
Amaira Singh (eight years, T14) and her friends watched the landing at school. She was keenly glued to the screen and erupted with joy when the Lander made contact. She said to her mother Simpi, “Mumma, I am curious to find out what new things Chandrayaan 3 will share. We may get oxygen and water. Maybe someday we can go to the moon to holiday!”
Our hearts are full! And now, with ISRO successfully launching Aditya L1, India’s maiden solar mission, Team Samvada keeps its fingers crossed. With this ‘Surya Namaskar’, India will achieve the glory it rightly deserves!
