The Moon has fascinated humans for centuries. Myths, stories and legends about the celestial body are a dime a dozen. Did you know that Chandradeva (Moon God) was married to the 27 daughters - the 27 constellations - of sage Daksha Prajapati, Lord Brahma’s son? According to popular folklore, the Moon was partial towards wife Rohini.
Our parents used the Moon to coax us into eating during our infant days. They would sing a Tamil nursery rhyme that would urge the Moon to come to us. We discovered that scores of families also employed this ploy.
The children would be distracted by the Moon’s beauty, while their moms fed them rich homemade curd rice. The Moon’s beauty has also been a source of inspiration for filmmakers, artists, and poets for generations.
A popular children’s story magazine that took its name from the Moon was the Chandamama.
Chandamama was a term of endearment used for the Moon. The brightly coloured illustrations and the exciting stories from the iconic magazine made our day. Some stories centred on the Moon, with one of them featuring a grand old lady who lived there.
When man landed on the Moon in July 1969 (during the pre-TV era), I remember observing my father and other family members glued to the radio commentary. The iconic image of Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut, treading gingerly on the lunar surface and his famous quote: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” featured prominently in the following day’s newspapers. I still treasure my 1969 National Geographic and LIFE magazine collection featuring articles and photos from the first moon landing.
Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the Moon on July 21 1969. But much earlier, on September 12, 1959, the crewless Russian Luna 2 spacecraft became the first to impact the Moon’s surface. Back then, nobody, even in their wildest dreams, would have foreseen India stealing the thunder and becoming the first country to reach the lunar south pole.
So when, on August 23, 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) managed to soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon, it marked a defining moment. With the entire nation cheering, Chandrayaan-3, weighing 1.7 tonnes, gracefully landed on the Moon.
The hard yards put in by generations of scientists and engineers finally paid off. The feat placed India in a distinguished group with Russia, the United States, and China. Chandrayaan-3 covered a travel distance of 3.84 lakh kilometres in 41 days, and its flawless touchdown was celebrated with great jubilation by crores of Indians who had waited with bated breath to witness a historic moment!
ISRO chief S Somanath deems Chandrayaan-3’s triumph essential, marking the start of several space expeditions, including ‘Aditya L1’ to study the sun’s corona. He said ISRO aims to explore Mars, Venus, and other planets and asteroids. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was over the Moon, beaming with pride. He declared that India was showing the boundlessness of the sky.
The success of the moon mission is another feather in ISRO’s illustrious cap and marks a glorious chapter in India’s tryst with space exploration. As someone aptly put it, the Moon is now a symbol of accomplishment, not inspiration.