Devlina, a Class-VIII student from Kendriya Vidyalaya at AFS Jorhat was one among the 60 students from the country who was selected to watch the Chandrayaan 2’s historic Moon landing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru in the morning hours of September 7th, 2019.
The student shared the experience to be “one-of-a-kind” and stated that she learnt a lot from the Prime Minister who was motivating and inspiring despite the setback. The ISRO faced a major setback in the early hours of September 7th, 2019 after it lost contact with the moon lander Vikram.
“It was an amazing experience. Students from different parts of the country were present at the programme. We have learnt of a lot just by watching the Prime Minister and the scientists. Although the connection was lost ahead of the landing, Modiji was extremely inspiring and motivating,” said Devlina. “We just hope that the connection is regained again,” she added.
It may be mentioned that in a bid to increase awareness about its space programmes, the ISRO jointly with MyGov.in had conducted an online quiz for the students from Class 8 to 10. The Human Resource Development Ministry had also written to the Central Board of Secondary Education including other state boards to encourage students for participation. And a total of 60 students were selected to witness the event.
However, in the early hours of September 7th, 2019, the ISRO lost contact with the moon lander Vikram just it was about to have a “soft” landing at the south pole of the moon. ISRO chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan was seen breaking down while shaking hands with Prime Minister Modi outside the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru.
Modi immediately hugged him and consoled him, showing what a true leader should do at times of crisis to uplift the spirit of his team.
Photo: Jyotideep Baishya
