At ISRO HQ, PM Modi says Chandrayaan-3 success belongs to not just India but all humanity, names moon touchdown spot ‘Shiv Shakti’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the success of Chandrayaan-3 is not just India’s alone but belongs to all of humanity.

Addressing the scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) command centre in Bengaluru straight after his arrival from a hectic tour of South Africa and Greece, PM Modi lauded lauded their efforts on the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission and also announced that August 23 will now be celebrated as ‘National Space Day’ to mark Chandrayaan-3’s landing on the Moon.

The PM met and interacted with ISRO scientists involved in the Chandrayaan-3 mission and was also briefed about the findings and progress in the Chandrayaan-3 Mission at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC).

A visibly emotional Prime Minister said that his impromptu plans to visit the ISTRAC may have caused some inconvenience to the scientists but he was eager to personally salute the scientists for their diligence, dedication, courage, devotion and passion.

PM Modi said that this achievement heralds India’s scientific power in infinite space.

“India is on the Moon, We have our national pride placed on the Moon. This is today’s India that is fearless and relentless. This is an India that thinks new and in a novel way, the one that goes to the dark zone and spreads light in the world. This India will provide solutions to the big problems of the world in the 21st century,” he said in his address to the ISRO scientists.

The Prime Minister said that the moment of the touchdown has become immortal in the consciousness of the nation. “The moment of touchdown is one of the most inspiring moments of this century. Every Indian took it as his or her own victory,” he said.

“Our ‘Moon Lander’ has firmly set its foot on the Moon like Angad… On the one side is the valour of Vikram then there is bravery of Pragyan on the other. These are pictures of the never seen parts of the moon and this has been done by India. Entire world recognizes India’s scientific spirit, technology and temperament,” added PM Modi.

The PM stressed that the explorations of the mission will open new doors of possibilities for moon missions of every country as the mission would not only unravel the secrets of the moon but also contribute to overcoming the challenges on Earth.

“The point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 landed will now be known as Shiv Shakti. In Shiv, there is resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us strength to fulfil those resolutions. This Shiv Shakti Point of the moon also gives a sense of connection with Himalaya to Kanyakumari,” he stated.

He also announced that the point where Chandrayaan 2 left its footprints will now be called ‘Tiranga’. This point, the Prime Minister said, will serve as an inspiration for every effort that India makes and remind us that failure is not the end.

He emphasized that India has not just become only the fourth nation to have a successful touchdown on the surface of the Moon but also the 5th largest economy in the world and is now among the first-world countries be it trees or technology.

“In the journey from third row to first row, institutions like our ISRO have played a huge role,” the Prime Minister exclaimed.

The Prime Minister also gave a task to the young generation of the country.

“I want the new generation to come forward to scientifically prove the astronomical formulas in the scriptures of India, to study them anew. It is also important for our heritage and also important for science. In a way, this is a double responsibility for the students of schools, colleges and universities today. The treasure of scientific knowledge that India has, has been buried, hidden during the long period of slavery. In this Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, we have to explore this treasure too, do research on it and also tell the world about it,” he mentioned.

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