By Ruma Dubey

We have done it!! A fantastic moment for India and Indians! We rarely get such moments to celebrate in the field of space science and research!

Thankfully, the media will now cover some good news instead of the relentless dirt digging and persistent, almost sadistic perseverance for bad news.

On 5^th November’13, India had first celebrated the proud achievement of ISRO but there was a slight sense of trepidation – will it make to Mars or no?

But this fear was put to rest and we as Indians felt really proud, when on 21st Sept’14, the very same Mars orbiter entered the very crucial final stage - the Mars orbiter, Mangalyaan’s  main liquid engine on the spacecraft was successfully test fired and its trajectory corrected.  And then we waited for 24^th Sept’14 – the penultimate and most challenging make-or-break event where the satellite would orbit Mars successfully, which in simple terms means Mangalyaan would reach Mars. Yes, we are there, carving a place for ourselves in history! The first country to ever get where Mangalyaan did in the very first attempt and that too on a small budget.  Surely, when Mr.Modi goes to USA, he will have lots more to cheer about! Yes, we do ‘make in India’!

And this had become literally a race to Mars, with USA’s NASA putting out its report stating that its orbiter, Maven, which was launched two weeks later than India’s orbiter, reached the Mars orbit two days ahead of Mangalyaan. This again was because Mangalyaan used the earth’s gravitational force for velocity while Marvin usd costly fuel. Both NASA and ISRO’s missions are to study the surface of Mars from orbit and neither of them will be landing there.

What puts Mangalyaan ahead of Maven is that this is India’s first attempt while it is NASA’s fourth try. More importantly, Maven was launched at a cost of $671 million while India’s Mangalyaan cost was just $78 million.

There are many who are frowning on this moment, voicing their dissent, saying that it is a sheer waste of money and something which India simply cannot afford with so many poor living in the country. Many ask the point of this Mars mission when people on earth do not get two square meals a day. Or there are some who feel that such missions only further go on to pollute the earth and add to global warming. And then there are some who say that Rs.450 crore spent on this mission could have been used to build toilets and control diseases.

All facts accepted but does that mean that India should only concentrate on poverty, toilet, malaria and population and never make attempts to rise above that?  These are endemic issues of India and it will take a while to resolve. It’s like saying that if a person is poor, he should not even dream of being rich as he simply cannot afford it.

This leap into space for India is as important as other social issues. It is an attempt to show to the world that not all brains have drained out of India, we still have scientists in India who can put together a completely indigenous orbiter. Yes, this mars mission, may actually prompt many students to look at career prospects as a space scientist or even as an astronomer.  We are proud of Indian born-American Kalpana Chawla; so why not a fully Indian astronomer? Yes, the Mars mission can give wings to aspirations to many young Indian minds.  In recent times, we have had no Indian scientist making a name world wide. Aryabhatta was a long long time ago, around 3600 years ago. If we come from a heritage of such an illustrious mathematician and scientist, which also gave us Bhaskara and Bhramagupta, why have our abilities diminished so much today? We follow age-old rituals and superstitions but why no emulators of these scientists? Just as Sardar Patel has been resuscitated, maybe the Mars mission will revive scientists in India. Maybe ISRO's Mangalyaan will finally see children voicing ambitions to become a rocket scientist and not just doctors and engineers.

Yes, we have poverty and many cannot afford even one meal a day. But that alone cannot be life and certainly not for a vibrant country like India. Unless we develop, economically, and create a standing for ourselves in the global arena, socially, nothing much will change.

Politicians will continue to do what they do but true leaders are indeed the path breaking scientists, industrialists, entrepreneurs, social workers who swim against the tide and instill that faith and hope in us that yes, we can indeed make a difference.

Just as the nation celebrated the victory of the World Cup and Modi’s rise, we should celebrate our Mars Mission; this is not something which happens every day.