THE atmosphere in the ISRO facility was super-charged with emotion and gratitude and recall of all the anxieties that preceded and coincided with the Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission. Everybody who saw that emotional story unfold on television screens felt a lump in the throat -- across ages, across genders, across ideologies. In other words, the nation realised its strength through that stated or unstated expression of individual and collective sentiment. The whole Indian nation found itself superbly strong in its determination to keep moving forward in all domains, space included. The nation had really, really not seen such a moment in a very, very long time! The nation had not experienced such a sense of oneness for god-knows-how-much time! No matter the senseless criticism political vested interests heaped on the Prime Minister for his involvement in the Moon Mission, the nation knew what difference he had made with his straight conduct. But then, every human society has experienced such moments of extreme emotion, such times of beyond-the-words engagement with a big cause. The soft-landing of the Vikram Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 was one such time when the whole nation became one extremely sensitive as he is, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi naturally found himself struggling to keep his emotion in check as he spoke with the ISRO scientists in person and also the nation’s scientific community. What mattered most was how the audience -- men and women at different levels of administrative and scientific hierarchies of ISRO -- responded to the Prime Minister’s expression of emotion.

 

First, his face became flushed white and then went red as Mr. Narendra Modi tried to control his tears and then find appropriate words to state what he felt. There was a long pause -- as the audience waited with bated breath -- and then came a few unclear words. Then came his folded hands following by his words slipping out of quivering lips. Of course, the human society has often responded with much emotion to its own achievements through ages. But it has also come across some men and women with a special attribute of a mind far more sensitive than that of many others. Mr. Narendra Modi has often proved himself to be in that special category. A poet at heart and a super-soft consideration for human emotion, he has always responded to various important moments in his unique manner. The ISRO moment was one such! The moment of sheer poetry! The moment of history! The moment of destiny! The moment for permanent recall! In its long history since it came into being on August 15, 1969, the ISRO has seen many emotional moments. But rarely had a Prime Minister come forth in such a manner -- so pregnant with emotion, so loaded with poeticism! When the Prime Minister was speaking to the ISRO community at Bengaluru, nothing else mattered for anybody.

 

All he was trying to do was to relive that ISRO Moment, that India Moment, that very special occasion when India made possible what the world had not been able to achieve before. And what a way to do that! That moment actually highlighted many stated or unstated moments in the story of Indian science in the past 100 or so years. Even when the country reeled under alien rule, its scientists were working tirelessly -- and even silently -- to take the country forward. Their efforts were tempered with an unwavering faith that soon the alien rulers would be thrown out and the country would need modern science at its beck and call. All that tapasya of generations of Indian scientists found its fruition in the soft-landing on the Moon’s South Pole, the farside, the dark side, so to say! All Mr. Narendra Modi sought to do in his address was to place all the story of Indian science in perspective by putting in one single encapsulated moment -- of extreme emotion, which the nation fortunately understood correctly. There is little doubt that that particular emotional moment will carry its impact deep into future, motivating future generations not just of scientists but also others to keep doing their best to make India a true world leader. This is power of emotion when it flows from the leader of the nation -- for which we must remain grateful.