As the Indian Space Research Organisation’s ambitious Chandrayaan-3 completed its soft landing on the south pole of the lunar surface, coordinated from its control room in Peenya, on Wednesday (Aug 23) evening, residents of the city took a dip in the scientific spirit.
From the screening of the feat at museums, planetariums, and restaurants to special poojas at temples, the celebrations took different colours across the city.
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People watching the live telecast of the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on lunar surface, at the Jawaharalal Nehru planetarium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran
Hundreds of space enthusiasts, including children and senior citizens, gathered at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), where special screenings were arranged along with scientific commentary by leading scientists.
While some had painted their faces with the tricolour, rockets and the logo of ISRO, others brought the national flag to wave their support for the mission. The General Post Office also hosted a screening of the landing.
Applause and cheers
After the completion of each phase of the lander, the venues broke into thunderous applause and cheers. “As an Indian citizen, I am very proud. Watching it live in the museum made me feel like I was a part of the mission. The people and the atmosphere here were very enthusiastic, and I came here specifically for the live telecast,” said Shanmukha Priya, a science enthusiast at the museum.
“The advantage of telecasting live in the space gallery is that they (the audience) are in the space environment. Since we have models of the Mars Rover and Chandrayaan-1, they get an idea as to what a rover looks like,” Sadhana Attavar, Director of VITM said.
One of the many enthusiasts who had come to watch the live telecast of the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on moon. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran
At the planetarium, the background of Chandrayaan-3 and its mission objectives were explained by retired ISRO scientist Dr B.R. Guruprasad in Kannada. Alina Naqvi, a student from Mount Carmel College who was present there said “Chandrayaan-3 has been quite interesting to follow and watching it live with the community here has been a great experience. I have learnt that it is a big step in our space programme.”
A screening was also arranged at the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Park in ISRO Layout where many former ISRO scientists and retired employees of the Indian Space Organisation interacted with the public. Several educational institutions in the city, including the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore had organised the screening of the lunar landing on their premises for the students. Many Resident Welfare Associations and apartment complexes held small screenings and events to commemorate the Chandrayaan- 3 mission. In many places, people also lit firecrackers to celebrate the landmark achievement of the ISRO.
Many also took to praying to god for the success of Chandrayaan-3. Several temples like Dodda Ganapathi temple in Basavanagudi and Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in Guttahalli held special poojas for the event.
Political leaders laud feat
Many political leaders attended or held their own screenings to watch the soft landing on the moon and took to social media platform X, to congratulate ISRO on the success of Chandrayaan-3.
Ecstatic ISRO staff after the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the surface of the moon, at the ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network facility in Bengaluru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.
“The continuous efforts and decades of hard work of the country’s scientists have paid off today. The successful landing of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander on the south pole of the moon has left the world awestruck by the achievement of the Indian Space Research Organization. It is a proud moment for every Indian. Congratulations to the scientists of the country for such an extraordinary achievement,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He also congratulated the ISRO Chairman S. Somanath through a phone call.
Governor Thawaar Chand Gehlot, said, ”Once again, India’s vanguard, ISRO, emerges triumphant. The victorious saga of Chandrayaan-3 unfurls yet another milestone in the captivating voyage of space exploration. I extend my wholehearted congratulations to the entire constellation, encompassing the brilliant ISRO scientists steering this triumph, acknowledging their unwavering commitment and avant-garde thinking!”
Many MLAs celebrated the success of Chandrayaan-3 by distributing sweets to citizens. They also organised special pooja and food donation programmes.
