A Chandrayaan for ISRO, a Giant Leap for India.

"Curtains for Chandrayaan-I after all contact is broken." Thus reads the opening heading of the Bangalore edition of the Sunday Times. But a little probing shows the second headline beneath: "Most of the objectives were met, say scientists". Indeed, Chandrayaan-I has been a giant leap for India, and it has not only brought pride to ISRO and the Nation, but has also catapulted India into the elite group that has sent spacecraft to Earth's only natural satellite.

Some may argue that whether a poor country like India should spend so much on space technology; but only if India utilizes such opportunities will it be able to stand on a par with developed countries and extricate itself out of poverty.

No one should expect such missions to be a hundred percent success. Failures are as likely as possible successes; and indeed, successful people and organisations do learn from such mistakes. So, the end of India's first lunar mission is the beginning of a new journey in the path of technological excellence. It is possible that some people (especially the middle class) may be unduly bothered by this incident; but such worries are unfounded.

So, from my side, I am expecting the next mission to the Moon from India. Keep up the good work, ISRO!

A New Beginning

For a long time I have always wondered whether i should be writing blogs or not. Well, today, I have decided to take a plunge and see what this world brings unto me and all those who know me well. For my first blog I am still wondering on the topic.

All of us have read the Mahabharata. Those who have read C. Rajagopalachari's (or any other detailed version) must have read the episode of the Yaksha asking King Yudhisthira questions testing his wisdom. One of the questions is "What is the greatest wonder in this world of men?" Yudhisthira replies, "Every day, we see creatures departing to Yama's abode (dying), and yet those who remain (are alive), seek to remain for ever. That verily is the greatest wonder."

Death is the only thing that is certain in our lives; yet we are unwilling to accept it and carry on with our lives.

Does this mean that we should all cease our activities and patiently await death? No. This kind of an attitude is strongly condemned by all our great scriptures and authorities. We must carry on with our normal duties; but be always aware of the impermanence of this material world, which is described as the "inferior energy" of the Supreme Being. This is the "New Beginning" we must make in our lives; to make it more enriching and fulfilling.

All of us believe in the existence of a Power beyond us. We see all kinds of seemingly inexplicable events happening around us; those of us who believe that the world is not governed by chance find it hard to swallow. For this, our Hindu philosophy defines the law of "Karma", or the results of our past fruitive activities.

Any philosophy may be sound and attractive; in my opinion, the most suitable philosophy is the one that gives the maximum peace of mind.

The Mahabharata is a great and wonderful story. All of its lead characters are human (with the exception of Lord Krishna) and are subjected to the pulls and pressures of the three material modes of nature. Nowhere does Veda Vyasa say "He was right" and "He was wrong". Anyone who thinks that in the Mahabharata, the characters are 100% good or 100% bad, has picked up the wrong story to read. Nowhere in Creation will we find any such being. But man can always strive towards improvement if he understands his past follies and works towards rectifying them. That is the essence of this great Epic.

Will post more such blogs in the near future. Have made a New Beginning.