The Isro space mission inspired a whole nation

There is a small probability that the Vikram lander is lying on the lunar surface on its side after the hard-landing; if only communication can be established then all will be well.

If I look back, there was so much happiness and jubilation when 104 satellites were launched by one single rocket on February 15, 2017. In total, 239 satellites from 28 countries have been successfully launched till date, now that’s a great record, and has generated a lot of revenue too.

The failure rate of the latest attempt, similar to Chandrayan-2 is close to 50 per cent and hence Isro should learn and continue to pursue its goals with more forceful perseverance. Success is to stand up after we fall, and work hard till the goal is reached.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being present for this historic event also brought solace to Isro chief K. Sivam and his team.

Team Isro must remain focused and continue working hard on future space programs. This is a deterrent but learning from it will take us forward. I’m reminded of what late Indian President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam had said to the project director when we had failed in a space mission in the past. He said: “When failure occurred, the leader of the organisation owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.”

The south pole of the moon where the landing was planned, had some unusual characteristics and believed to be not conducive due to its space limitations. It is a place that nobody has explored; hence the communication may have been lost.

After revolving around the Earth’s orbit, the spacecraft began its journey in July 2019, to the moon and all manoeuvres were carried out to perfection, until the final descent. The important thing is that Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter is expected to circle the moon for another year, using eight scientific instruments to learn more about the lunar surface. It has laid the foundation for many more ambitious space missions. Yet, history has been created and our scientists deserve to be praised.

- The reader is a Dubai resident.

Indian Financial Crisis - A man made blunder?

By Irfan Yusuf Khatri

Things are changing at a fast pace in India, and despite all efforts of the ruling government, they have failed to address certain issues plaguing the economic system. Demonetisation, banking crisis caused by large-scale frauds, collapse of big Institutions and more, have given us enough indications that all is not well within the Indian economic system.

Certain corrective measures need to be taken, immediately, to save public money and to keep the faith of masses in the banking and financial system. Further, immature comments from the finance and railway ministers has further raised the gravity on their credentials and competence to handle this crisis.

Despite the conundrum, little has changed at ground level. Any question to the ruling government is an open invitation to a never-ending problem of patriotism and loyalty to the nation. Ninety per cent of the media houses are silent, due to their affiliation and vested interests, they are misguiding the masses from the core problems and instead focusing on issues not relevant to the common man. In a country where well-being of people and economic growth are determined through questionable data, and where it is difficult to get the numbers from ground reality, the masses have remained in the dark for a long enough period and they visualise a crisis only when it reaches their threshhold.

The blindfolded masses need to wake up now. Currently, no one is bothered to address a crisis despite knowing the damage it is causing to the people of India. Governments are aware of the change that is needed, but there is inaction. Their current attitude seems like they don’t wish to learn anything from the past. And, there is no plan of action to check that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated in the future. What will happen?

- A chartered accountant based in Dubai.Indian Financial Crisis - A man made blunder?

P.V Sindhu’s success is why India should look beyond cricket

By Qashish Dhiraj Mehta

I strongly believe what people share on WhatsApp groups is a reflection of their personalities and priorities. I am a member of three different WhatsApp groups. When Indian badminton player Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, known as P.V. Sindhu, created history by winning the coveted gold for India, becoming the first Indian to do so at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships, I was euphoric. I decided to share this piece of news with everyone I knew.

So, I used the communication medium to inform a large number of people of this extraordinary achievement. To my dismay, the reaction I received was that of indifference. While only a few people responded to the news in one group, others did not bother replying. When we talk of cricket, Indians are known to be big believers of the sport. It is no surprise that cricket is treated as sacred.

Winning a match brings joy and celebrations, and people express themselves in abundance through social media. Not just victory, but even defeat is no less ignored. It is discussed in the form of jokes and nowadays memes. But the sport and the cricket stars are never left alone.

I was disheartened by the lack of enthusiasm in the case of our badminton champ. It’s important to bring her achievement to light and celebrate her success.

Sindhu is the only Indian to bring back a gold medal for India and she is only 24 years old. She also ranks 13 on the Forbes’ 2019 list of highest-paid female athletes in the world.

Sindhu’s story is that of grit and perseverance. She has proved to be an exemplary of what women can achieve with hard work and sheer determination. If rumours are to be believed, a film is being made on the badminton star’s life. And at a time like this, where movies like Shahid Kapoor’s Kabir Singh are applauded, such a movie is much needed.

A success story like hers should be discussed and written about incessantly as a reminder to all that anything is possible if it’s backed with the passion to achieve and excel.

- The reader is a writer based in Dubai.