Celebrations break out as Indians revel in success of Chandrayaan-3 mission
Special screenings of the spacecraft’s landing on the Moon were organised by educational and public institutes and organisations across the country.
India erupted in rapturous celebrations on Wednesday, feting the milestone landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s lunar surface, as scores of people burst crackers, distributed sweets, and went out on the streets with the Tricolour in their hands and songs on their lips.
Special screenings of the spacecraft’s landing on the Moon were organised by educational and public institutes and organisations across the country. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) made the live events available on its official website, YouTube channel and Facebook account, and on public broadcaster DD National.
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“When the countdown began, there was pin-drop silence in the school hall and after the Moon successfully made a soft landing, everybody was shouting with pride. We are lucky that we saw this moment live,” Aditya Shrivastava, a Class 8 student of NRI Global Discovery School in Bhopal, said.
“I am so proud of India’s space research and successful missions. Isro has put India in the world map of space missions and made us feel proud to become the first country to land on the south pole,” Vedika Purohit, a BBA student of Vivekananda Global University in Jaipur said.
“Usually, I start studying from around 6pm. But today my mother insisted I watch the TV to see the landing. My mother kept explaining things to me. I was feeling very excited. I shouted when it (Chandrayaan-3) landed. I feel very proud of our country’s achievements,”Raahil Ghose, a student of Star Mission Academy in Kolkata, said.
Several people danced to drum beats and chanted slogans.
“We feel so proud of our country. We saw how the Vikram lander touched the Moon. It was an emotional moment for all of us,” Rahul Sarkar, a trader in Ahmedabad, said.
People in several parts of the country also held special prayers at temples, mosques and gurdwaras for the successful landing, while several schools remained open for a few extra hours to enable students to watch the historic moment.
In Delhi, Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri, along with others, joined a special “ardas” (prayer) at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib to pray for the success of the mission. Nearly 150 girl students of Al Jamiatul Islamia Islahul Banat madrassa at Mandoli were also part of a special prayer held there, hours before the scheduled landing of Chandrayaan-3’s lunar module.
Government schools in Uttar Pradesh remained open for an extra hour, on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, to watch the live streaming of the landing.
“India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon landing is a momentous occasion. This will instil a deep sense of pride and unity as we collectively celebrate the power of Indian science and technology,” additional state project director Madhusudan Hulgi said.
A similar order was also issued by the Assam government to its schools.
In Chandigarh, the municipal corporation organised a special screening for school students at the Integrated Command and Control Centre.
A special programme was held at the Regional Science Centre in Bhopal on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Science City and Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Kolkata organised a special screening of the landing for school students.
