“There will be a new dawn and a better tomorrow,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday after he gave a tight hug to Indian Space Research Organization chief K Sivan who was in tears following the unsuccessful bid to land its first unmanned mission on the moon. No sooner than the Prime Minister concluded his address to ISRO scientists in Bengaluru, Sivan accompanied Modi to see him off.
At this juncture, the Prime Minister, who was about to get into his car, gave him a tight hug, lending his shoulder to teary-eyed Sivan. The Prime Minister embraced Sivan as he made no secret of his deep disappointment as India’s most ambitious space mission did not pan out as intended. Modi also said in his address that the country's determination to land on the moon has become even stronger after today’s unsuccessful landing of the lander Vikram.
Earlier, Sivan, who his colleagues say is a hard task-master but a simple and genial individual, announced -- his voice choking -- that the lander had lost communication with the ground stations. The soft landing of lander Vikram did not go according to ISRO's plan as it lost contact with ISRO ground stations.
Even as the Chandrayan 2 Mission lost its communication with the Control Centre at the ISRO headquarters, Modi who was witnessing the descent of the Chandrayan 2 along with the ISRO Scientists at Bengaluru said “India is proud of our scientists! They’ve given their best and have always made India proud. These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be!”
In a personalized effort to boost the morale of the scientists, Prime Minister said “The country is with you, I am with you. The effort was worth it and so was the journey “ “You are those people who work for Mother India’s victory and struggle for it and have a grit and determination to make her proud. I could feel and sense your despondency and emotions last night. I was amongst you when the communication from the Vehicle was lost. There are several unanswered questions but I am sure you would find the answers. I know there was hard work behind,” the Indian PM said.
“We might have faced a small setback in our journey but this would not let down our zeal and enthusiasm to achieve our goals,” he said adding “our resolve strengthens now.” “The whole nation was awake last night in solidarity with our scientist sisters and brothers. We came very close to the surface of the moon and that effort is highly laudable,.“ he said.
“India knows that there would be many more proud moments to rejoice. When it comes to space programme the best is yet to come. There are new frontiers to discover and new places to go. We will rise to the occasion and scale newer heights of success, “ Modi said. “To our scientists I want to say, India is with you. True to your nature, you ventured into a place where no one had never gone before. You have gone as close as you could. I can proudly say the effort was worth it and so was the journey,” the PM said adding “the learning from today will get us a stronger and better tomorrow.”
He said that “in our glorious history we may have faced moments that could have crushed us but we never gave up. This is the reason our civilization stands tall. We have made historical achievements. I know that ISRO also does not failures to let it down” “There will be a new dawn and a better tomorrow. Without worrying about results we go ahead and that is our history,” he said.
