Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. 22nd October. Morning 06.21.50. Countdown 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..0 and there it goes - Chandrayaan - 1. India's first mission to moon. The cliche in hindi films goes like this 'duniya chaand par pahuch gayi hai aur aap..' This statement is usually used to criticize someones narrow minded thinking. I guess this would be changed to 'ab toh Bharat bhi chaand par pahuch gaya.. aur aap!!'
We should really applaud the efforts of ISRO for the successful launch. The budget for this mission was around 80 million US Dollars. ISRO has many missions planned for future which include few more unmanned missions to Moon, unmanned mission to Mars and the day I am waiting for - Manned mission to Moon.
But in midst of all this success lets have a reality check.
- One-third of India's population (roughly equivalent to the entire population of the United States) lives below the poverty line and India is home to one-third of the world's poor people.
- According to the new World Bank's estimates on poverty based on 2005 data, India has 456 million people, 41.6% of its population, living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 (PPP) per day.
- The World Bank further estimates that 33% of the global poor now reside in India. Moreover, India also has 828 million people, or 75.6% of the population living below $2 a day, compared to 72.2% for Sub-Saharan Africa. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India
On the news channel you could see farmers outside the space centre of Sriharikota cultivating a piece of land.This is the place where cultures of centuries blend together. The very idea of this post was supposed to give everyone a thoughton the 'Development' of the nation. What kind of development are we expecting? Do we want to spend millions of dollars and reach space which wouldonly create a foundation for the generation next to go one step ahead in finding out the mystries of universe OR work on planet EARTH to resolve the grass root level problems of the nation.
Not that India is not trying. If poverty has decreased the population has also increased which keeps on affecting the figures. A study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that extreme rural poverty has declined from 94% in 1985 to 61% in 2005, and they project that it will drop to 26% by 2025. Report concludes that India's economic reforms and the increased growth that has resulted have been the most successful anti-poverty programmes in the country.
Anyways, there will always be a tradeoff between socio-economical development and technological advancements for a country. What shocked me more is the amount spent by ISRO. Well, the expense in itself might be enormous but when compared to other expenses (not by the govt) will really seem insignificant. You will, in fact, give a standing ovation to what ISRO has achieved. Here is some trivia about it:
- India's mission to moon has cost less than one-tenth of the amount which was paid by SET(Sony entertainment television) to get the rights of IPL(Indian Premier League).
- The amount is about half the price of a Jumbo Jet.
- The IPL deal of about Rs 5,000 crore or $1 billion is equivalent to Isro's entire annual budget, while NASA's is 20 times as much.
- Chandrayaan-2. Deadline: 2010. The cost: Rs 500 crore. That is still only one-tenth of IPL rights.
Lately, I stopped watching cricket. In fact, after reading this it makes me hate it even more.
What is the solution out of this?
- Stop marketing through cricket? Of course, not!
- Put a full stop on our space odyssey? A big NO!
And there are many more questions which need some answers. You may comment on few such QnAs.
For now, as Mahatma Gandhi rightly said - We need to be the change that we wish to see in the world.
Think about it.
