Shift the focus

Sir — It is unfortunate that the attempt made by the Indian Space Research Organisation to place a new earth-observation satellite in space ended in failure (“Satellite mission fails”, Aug 13). ISRO’s GSLV-F10 rocket, which took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota failed shortly after launching on Thursday. This was India’s first launch of 2021, and its first failure since 2017. The failure has been attributed to a ‘performance anomaly’.

However, ISRO has unquestionably triumphed in many of its scientific endeavours, and has several stories of success. Unfortunately, these are not highlighted nearly as much as the failures of India’s space organization. A number of ISRO’s achievements have stunned even the scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America. And yet, every failure, such as that of the GSLV-F10 rocket for the geo-imaging satellite mission, is played up. Unless the scientists at ISRO are recognized and lauded for their hard work, it will be difficult for them to reflect on and study the organization’s failures. The space body and its management must work to raise awareness among the common people not only about their own scientific perceptions but also about ISRO’s work and moments of success.

Md. Yousuf Kamal,
Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Sir — The failure of the recent ISRO mission to put an earth-observation satellite into orbit was reportedly owing to nothing more than a technical problem. India’s space body has already embarked on and completed many successful missions, with many more projects in the pipeline. The scientists and technicians at ISRO must remember that failure is part of a long, successful journey.

U. Mangalasseri,
Malappuram, Kerala

Sir — It is laudable that ISRO made its first launch of the year 2021, even if it ended in failure. The work put in by the scientific community while a pandemic rages in the country is not talked about or acknowledged enough.

Anirban Guha,
Calcutta

Tricky question

Sir — In the midst of a growing demand for raising the retirement age of Supreme Court and high court judges, the Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, recently wondered whether “a person’s age is the appropriate yardstick to decide the tenure and time of retirement” (“CJI dwells on retirement age”, Aug 13). His comments are also applicable in the case of people in other, largely sedentary, professions who retire at the age of 60. Advancements in medical science and facilities have ensured that people live longer lives. At the same time, retiring at a fixed age renders a workforce that has valuable experience and knowledge redundant.

On the other hand, extending the retirement age would pose a serious problem. The burden of unemployment among a young, eligible workforce is already high in India. If the retirement age is raised, it would likely delay the employment prospects of the youth.

Politicians seem to be the only people who can avert mandatory retirement. A noted politician is said to have once quipped about an octogenarian ruler of a rival political party, “Era dehotyag korar aage padatyag korena (They do not resign till the die)”.

Sanjit Ghatak,
South 24 Parganas

Save them

Sir — It was distressing to read that a dead dolphin washed ashore on Mumbai’s Juhu Beach. In fact, by April, at least four ocean humpback dolphins — they are endangered — had washed ashore in the city. These occurrences are cause for serious concern among wildlife conservationists, who seem to be fighting a losing battle against the pollution of oceans and other water bodies. Reportedly, 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone. Other forms of water pollution would only add to this number. The cleaning of India’s coastlines and adjoining water bodies must be undertaken on a war footing by the Union and state governments.

Arshiya Seth,
Mumbai