Chandrayaan-3 and Praggnanandha over the moon

Two events occurred, serendipitously, over the past week, gazillion miles apart, that had pretty much the whole of India’s 1.4 billion people on the edge of their seats. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) pride and joy, Chandrayaan-3, was hurtling towards the south pole or the dark side of the moon, orbiting closer and closer to the landing site of the golden orb, as we waited with bated breath. While that historic space journey was nearing its completion, here on God’s good earth in the city of Baku in Azerbaijan, an 18-year-old chess prodigy from Tamil Nadu, Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandha, now fashionably Pragg, was creating his own history by pushing Norwegian chess maestro Magnus Carlsen to the limit for the FIDE world title. From India’s point of view, a fairy-tale script would have visualised Chandrayaan-3 make a smooth landing on the moon’s surface, and barely 24 hours later, the young teenager from Chennai checkmating the wizard from Norway. While it did not go exactly according to script, it came agonisingly close to doing so, and India’s cup of joy truly runneth over. Chandrayaan-3 and Vikram Lander had India and the world agog with a perfect touchdown for the first time ever by any nation on the south pole, while the precocious teenager Pragg lost to a more experienced opponent by the skin of his teeth. India celebrated both these events as seminal landmarks. And rightly so.

The wonderful thing about the ISRO saga and the boy wonder’s brilliance was that both these milestones were blessedly free of any kind of political taint. However, our political earthlings can hardly be expected to let momentous happenings pass without diving, deep end first, into a messy, me-too maelstrom. The imbroglio started with the television coverage of the moon landing. As Chandrayaan-3 was nearing its appointed destination on the lunar surface, our idiot box screens were split into two. While one half stayed with the historic descent towards the moon, the other half unveiled our Prime Minister, taking time off from the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, eyes glued to the history-making satellite. Waving our national flag, the PM watched with swelling pride and perhaps a touch anxiously, that all would be well if it ends well. Well, it did, and the PM did what he does best. Took centre stage and spoke eloquently and at length, praised all concerned particularly the scientists at ISRO, and did not miss a trick to ensure his own Government’s inspiring, leadership role was not lost on the populace. Some may aver that the word Government is surplus to requirements, but I will let that pass.

With a plethora of state elections in the offing, culminating in the magnum opus General Elections in May 2024, the ruling party will doubtless take every opportunity to blow their own trumpet, fortissimo, to extract full mileage from any event that positively redounds towards favourable optics. That is only to be expected of any ruling party that has one eye firmly fixed on the forthcoming hustings.

That being said, the opposition parties were quick to denounce the PM’s television appearance at the crucial hour of the moon landing, as little more than a brazen publicity-seeking stunt. In the somewhat low-key (thankfully) verbal slugfest that followed, if slugfests can ever be low-key, the opposition bench took exception to the PM hogging all the limelight, after showering fulsome encomiums on ISRO, and not acknowledging the role played by past leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru in India’s march towards becoming a technological power, driven by science and technology. The nation’s ‘scientific temper’ owes much to the founding fathers of the nation since India’s independence, they cried in unison.

The usual cut, thrust and parry that we have been witness to on a number of occasions in the past, continued apace. The names of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Vajpayee were taken in vain by both sides of the political binary. May their departed souls not stir restlessly. The Prime Minister’s name was taken, as is the party apparatchik’s wont, at the drop of a hat to bolster his stature as a leader of unparalleled dynamism and integrity. What all that has to do with the moon landing is neither here nor there. In politics anything and everything goes, so long as we can fit in 22 talking heads at the same time on our news channels, along with a hyper-ventilating anchor frothing at the mouth.

The opposition worthies, just by virtue of being in the minority, find themselves stranded to defend the vigorous onslaught of the treasury bench wallahs. They have no option but to sing hosannas to ISRO, as that august and noble body is beyond the pale of humdrum politics, and the ruling party will always be controlling the narrative just by being there. Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee even comically referred to Bollywood actor-director Rakesh Roshan in recalling India’s past space heroes, when she meant to say Rakesh Sharma. If the BJP are all over the place like a rash, the Congress counters by putting out full page adverts showcasing Nehru, Sarabhai and, incongruously, the local Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, and the stellar role played by all of them leading up to the success of Chandrayaan-3, not to mention INDIA without the intervening full stops, but subliminally flagging the opposition alliance. I am speaking only of the Bangalore papers here, where ISRO’s HQ is based. Obviously, no mention of the honourable PM can be expected in what is clearly a Congress party political campaign. 

Not to be outdone (when is he ever?), the PM landed in Bangalore at the crack of dawn on Saturday week, feted the entire ISRO team and was in turn fulsomely feted.  Sensitive to every nuance, the PM had special words for the women at ISRO (Naari Shakti), and their stellar contributions to the success of the project. Never one to miss a trick, a natural born brand guru, the PM anointed the precise points on the moon where Chandrayaan-2 nearly landed and Chandrayaan-3 successfully touched down as – Tiranga and Shiv Shakti respectively. What is more, Chandrayaan-3’s date of landing on the moon, August 23, 2023, will now be celebrated as National Space Day. That is a full plate to savour and the opposition has already started aiming its barbs.

Lest we forget, on November 14, 2008, Chandrayaan-1’s lunar probe had ‘impacted’ at a point near the south pole, whatever that means. The impact point was named Jawahar Point. November 14 also happens to be India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. That should set the cat among the pigeons.

On the flip side, a proposed road show in Bangalore was cancelled at the last minute. An eminently wise decision. It would have been too much of a good thing and would have undoubtedly added more fuel to the simmering flame. However, we can expect to hear more on this subject. A bit of argy-bargy surrounding the issue of why Karnataka’s CM and Dy. CM were not on hand to receive the PM at Bangalore and attend the ISRO function, was doused by the PM himself who had requested them and the Governor not to inconvenience themselves at the crack of dawn to pay their obsequies. And did the CM hurriedly visit ISRO earlier to rub some of the sheen off the PM’s visit? Dear, oh dear! Will the carping never end?

A totally needless distraction was the BBC’s not-so-veiled criticism, four years ago, of India’s 2019 Chandrayaan-2 venture, which was raked up and our media went into overdrive. The BBC was rightly chastised for clinging on to a colonial mindset, stereotyping India as it was several decades ago, struggling to feed its starving millions, yet splurging money on space missions it could ill afford. Unless I am missing something, I was unable to understand why the BBC’s 4-year-old broadcast was resurrected now, adding greatly to the noise levels and detracting from our hour of glory. Ironically, I do not recall the subject being discussed when it was first aired. To the best of my knowledge, the Chandrayaan-3 triumph was lauded by most western nations and media, though a tad guardedly.

One thing is clear. The political by-play from the sidelines has been confined to the Chandrayaan-3 mission. We must thank heaven that Pragg’s dazzling moves over 64 squares in Azerbaijan have not attracted any political one-upmanship thus far. Let us hope it stays that way. The PM was one among many dignitaries from across various walks of life who extended his good wishes to the young man from Madras. Doubtless his home state, Tamil Nadu, will shower him with riches and encomiums beyond the dreams of avarice. Here’s wishing that he is not distracted by all the hoopla that will surround him. He looks a well-grounded youngster imbued with solid, middle-class family values. Coincidentally, those values are almost a mirror image of the personality profile of the entire ISRO personnel. That said, it will not be long before Pragg is seen on our small screens endorsing any number of brands. You will get very long odds from a bookmaker if you bet against that prediction.

 It is significant that having landed safely on the moon, Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Rover Pragyan rolled down from the lander Vikram to commence its various scientific investigations. A mechanical Prag, scientifically and technologically driven, is surveying the lunar surface with the proverbial fine toothcomb; here on earth a human Pragg, strategically and mathematically hardwired, is forever scouring 64 squares on a chess board, inspired by tales from the Mahabharat and the Chaturanga, an early version of chess which also served as a brainstorming exercise for ancient war games.

If only our politicians don’t ruin it all.