Do not cry on the moon, there are other worlds to conquer

Come on, everyone … Chandrayaan-2 is a huge feat! HUGE! I can not understand all the tension and ruckus at the last minute, which saw a billion Indian hearts stop momentarily as Vikram moved away somewhat from the momentum. and the Pragyaan six-wheeled vehicle could not walk on the surface of the moon. as expected. So what? We have been successful so far, right? It was only the last 400 meter dash that we could not quite conquer. All in all, winning is everything for most people. Agree, no one will remember that we were so close to creating the story last Saturday at 1:40 am, until something went wrong. It happens. This is not the end of the world.

The moon is still there, brilliant … inviting. And hey, a lunar mission is really not a race, even if it's stupidly described in these terms. What race? Who finally gets on the podium? Which nation? When? And what is the ultimate goal of the global obsession with the moon? Maybe our scientists know it. But the average citizen does not fully understand the importance of these missions, apart from the feeling of a vague national pride that India was one of only five countries in the world to have landed on our planet. beloved Chanda Mama.

We were always going to be fifth in this crazy race, right? We could land on the moon sooner than later … and still in fifth position. How does this make us superior or inferior to others? Would the quality of our lives have changed in the least if Vikram and Prayaan had not played poker on September 7th? Think about it … would we suddenly have discovered that we had more food to feed our hunger? More hospitals to treat the sick? More schools and colleges to educate our kids? No? So why this monumental fuss?

I was thousands of miles away in Tallinn (Estonia) that dramatic night and I felt a bit out of the way. All WhatsApp messages from friends and family at home concerned Chandrayaan-2. I knew people who had taken all sorts of real hars and who had promised to break their fast as soon as Vikram reported from top to bottom and thumbed up. The moon that I could see from the Tallinn city square was a pale yellow butter. I looked around to see if other people were so tense and excited by the possibility of another lunar landing. The night was young and the weather was mild, as locals and tourists enjoyed themselves in the candlelit cafes around the magnificent cathedral. Finns danced, drank and ate in their favorite places. Koreans chatted loudly in the cobbled streets of this beautiful city. Nobody knew or was worried about the fact that India was about to join at this very moment a very exclusive club of explorers of the moon. I even asked a few strangers when they were aware of this memorable occasion. They shrugged indifferently and continued on their way.

See? There are priorities and priorities. Of course, our scientists are the best in the world. But defects are faults. And life goes on. It was not necessary for the Prime Minister to "console" all these extraordinary scientists in such a dramatic way. Scientists did not need to cry. There was no need for this unjustified public demonstration of disappointment. It was a photo-op that does not need to be so mediatized. Our scientists are not kids who missed a crucial exam. They form a community of bright men and women. We are very proud of their immense contribution. Let's treat them as responsible adults and show respect! What does all this embrace and sniff? And then, the silly post-mortem on who is lucky and who is not. Or all this bunkum issued by astrologers looking for an alibi, claiming that we should never have landed on the South Pole of the Moon because it is not conducive! Hi! We had takers for this absurd theory too! Imagine the contradictions we accept! Our scientists send spacecraft to Mars, the Moon and beyond … but here at home, we attribute a little technical hiccup to "bad luck". We passionately believe in superstition. Then, someone will blame the color of the Prime Minister's jacket or the shade of the pants of ISRO chief, K Sivan, in the fact that Vikram has gone astray.

There is always hope … NASA is helping ISRO establish communication with the fleeing Vikram. We still have a few days to complete this feat. Until then, I will sing: "Take me to the moon … and let me play among the stars. Cheers!