As Chandrayaan-3 made its descent over the lunar surface, the tension was palpable at S.R. Subramanian Sarvodaya here as girls watched the livestream of the historic event on YouTube. Some bit their nails and whispers of doubt over its success filled the study room. But when the Vikram lander finally touched down, the whole room broke into loud cheers.
It was a very proud moment for Kavya, Priyadarshini, Sudha, and all the other girls. The girls, students of various schools and colleges, said the lunar vehicle would send back images and information about the moon and space.
Some schools had asked children to watch the landing on television. A.T.B. Bose, the secretary of Kavi Bharathi Vidyalaya, Tiruvottiyur, had asked students from Classes VI to XII to watch the landing and write a short essay. “Two Class XI students from our school – Siva Surya A.J. and Sharuhasan G. – made a dynamic model of the moon lander that won a prize at a recent interschool science fair. We will have a special assembly on Thursday to celebrate the achievements,” he said.
Various residential associations also streamed the landing. At Prestige Courtyard in Sholinganallur, around 80 children watched the streaming at their mini-theatre. “Children were seated in every possible space inside the theatre. We had a countdown. The children really enjoyed it,” residential association secretary Dinesh Thillaiappan said.
Commercial establishments also joined in on the celebration. LKS Jewellers had placed two large screens outside their showroom and streamed the video live. The B.M. Birla Planetarium at Kotturpuram saw many enthusiasts clapping and appreciating the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3.
Felicitations all round
In a social media post, the Raj Bhavan said: “Entire nation and overseas Indian community are immensely proud of our space scientists for the historic #Chandrayaan3 successful mission to Lunar’s South Pole. Hearty congratulations to @isro Team for bringing India into the top space league. This is unstoppable India!”
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3’s lander module. “India is on the moon!...A monumental achievement that places India as the fourth country to conquer the lunar surface. Kudos to the entire team for their tireless efforts and innovation. A giant leap for India’s space exploration!,” he said in a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
In another post, he said the successful landing brought an “immense sense of accomplishment to Tamil Nadu”. He said all the three Chandrayaan missions were led by “exceptional minds from Tamil Nadu – Mylswamy Annadurai, M. Vanitha and, now, P. Veeramuthuvel. Their dedication and expertise inspire us all”. He encouraged young talents of Tamil Nadu to follow in the footsteps of these scientists and contribute to India’s journey of progress.
Later in the day, Mr. Stalin spoke to Mr. Veeramuthuvel over phone to congratulate him over the feat and further hoped to meet the scientist when he is in Tamil Nadu next.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri and Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan congratulated the ISRO scientists for achieving the moon landing.
In a statement, Mr. Alagiri said “ISRO was founded by Vikram Sarabhai, and Homi Baba played a supporting role. Then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru brought the two together in 1962 to found the Indian National Committee for Space Research. It is that effort that has resulted in the success of Chandrayan 3 and has made the nation proud. I congratulate the scientists of ISRO on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress.”
Mr. Haasan posted on X, formerly Twitter, congratulating ISRO. “From carrying satellite parts on bicycles to landing on the moon – What a journey it has been! Team ISRO is the pride of the nation. A historic day which will forever be etched in our nation’s spacefaring odyssey. The day is not far when Indians will walk on the moon,” he said.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said August 23 was a ‘golden day’ for ISRO and space research in India. “I congratulate the scientists of ISRO,” he added.
