24/08/2023
My humble tribute to this Goliathan moment in human history - my salute to a nation’s prowess, to humanity’s perseverance.
The moon affects our lives enormously - its gravity the tides in our waters (and on us as we are 70% water); its 28 day cycle mirroring that of the woman’s monthly fertility cycle; its beauty and mystery the centrality of romance, prose and poetry. India has always understood the profound association of the moon with the earth and human life. From ancient times the moon has been a celestial object of prayer and worship, the Indian calendar is a lunar one - posited on the moon cycle, Indian festivals are determined by the movements of the moon and its astrology based on moon signs. India, for thousands of years, has understood the seminal necessity of living in harmony with the moon and its energy. The moon, in ancient Vedic/Indian wisdom signifies our mind, our emotions, the feminine energy in us and therefore the mother/the maternal factor. The moon energy is essential to balance life within us. So it is only fitting that a country that has understood the moon so insightfully and scientifically over millennia, today acquaints itself and our world with its most elusive and fascinating region - the South Pole, the area of greatest scientific interest on the lunar landscape. It carries the promise of ice water and hence the possibility of life. And the hope of understanding helium-3 (found in abundance on our lunar neighbour) as a renewable energy resource option. Always fascinated with space, one of the greatest heros of my growing years was Neil Amstrong, the first man on the moon. And now our children will have the stories of Chandrayaan-3 to add to their inspiration. Many cheers to ISRO- India’s Space Research Organisation.
I - India’s moonshine glory, the
S - South Pole of our moon no longer a never land, the Chandrayaan-3
R - radiant in its wakefulness exploring the new frontiers of ice water and helium-3, to
O - orbit humanity into newer horizons
© Dr. Priya Virmani, 2023
