Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Sky is the limit

Source: ISRO
Well, in this case, this saying holds true even literally. Because, India is only the fifth country to launch its own spacecraft to the moon, the Chandrayaan-1. It is indeed a grand achievement on part of all the scientists of India and the entire country thereby. They have definitely made us all proud, once again. This will be an inspiration to a lot of young aspiring scientists to enter the field. This will also bring a lot of research activities to the limelight in India and in turn bring prosperity. More details can be found in this press release.

I salute all the people associated with the launch of Chandrayaan-1. Watching an Indian rocket getting launched in space on TV was indeed a very exciting moment this morning. And it was perfectly cruising the expected trajectory. This mission will now lead a lot of other missions to come, including the one to Mars.

And I am sure, the moon will soon be the hottest tourist destination even in India, and songs like "चलो दिलदार चलो, चाँद के पार चलो, हम है तैयार, चलो..." will turn into reality. More so, it will attract international tourists too, owing to the obvious cheaper rates in India.

And then, literally, Sky is the limit for India Inc. (I already see Kingfisher Spacelines in the making). Way to go, Vaidnyaniks.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Happy WORLD NON-VIOLENCE DAY

First and foremost, I wish all of you a Happy Non-Violence Day and a very Happy Ramzan Eid. So, its actually a dual festive occasion for my country, Bapuji's Jayanti and Ramzan Eid. But the most significant occasion is today being World Non-Violence Day. In the event of the recent multi-serial blasts in the country, this day holds a very special place.
Non-violence has been preached in India from its very existence. Lord Krishna, the hero of Mahabharat, Himself has preached non-violence throughout. He never advocated the war, as it only ends in the destruction of innocent mankind. Islam also preaches peace and non-violence through the Holy Qur'an.
"Islam is a religion which teaches non-violence. According to the Qur’an, God does not love fasad, violence. What is meant here by fasad is clearly expressed in verse 205 of the second Surah. Basically, fasad is that action which results in disruption of the social system, causing huge losses in terms of lives and property." (http://www.alrisala.org/Articles/papers/nonviolence.htm)
The same thing was preached by Bapuji and that has led us to an independant India. I would like to say about what has happened and not about what would have happened otherwise. But, for sure, more people would have been killed. And loss of life is the biggest loss. It can't be measured in any way.
And the same preachings are required today. In our day-to-day life, how does our religion matter to us. We all get up, get fresh, pray our God for a good and successful day ahead and leave for our work. We come home after a hectic day, pray to our God again, have dinner and sleep. On festive occasions, we celebrate our festivals with each other. In Mumbai, Ganpati and Diwali is celebrated by every one, and so is Ramzan Eid and Christmas.
Today's occasion should inspire us all to collectively pledge to end the violence going on in and out of our minds.