Colour code
Sir — Even though pink is all the rage currently owing to the ‘Barbiecore’ trend, it seems that some have refused to jump on to the bandwagon. The Edinburgh city council is an example. A resident was slapped with a lawsuit for painting her front door bright pink on the ground that the colour did not meet the standard of a world heritage site property. After a lengthy legal battle and repaints, the council recently approved a light pink colour for the door. Given that brightly coloured doors are a common tradition in many countries, the attitude of the Edinburgh city fathers can come off as typical Western snobbery.
Drishti Mondal, Jamshedpur
Over the moon
Sir — In a landmark accomplishment in space exploration, the lander module of the third lunar mission of Indian Space Research Organisation, Chandrayaan-3, successfully landed on the south pole of the moon (“’INDIA IS ON THE MOON’: The first country to reach lunar south pole”, Aug 24). This is a matter of great pride for India and a triumph of indigenous technology.
The lessons learnt from the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019 played a pivotal role in the success. The technical glitches that marred the landing of Chandrayaan-2 must also be used to prepare for future interplanetary missions. Another key aspect of the success of Chandrayaan-3 is that it has made the rest of the world take cognisance of how low-cost space technology can be employed in the most effective way.
M. Pradyu, Kannur
Sir — Isro must be congratulated for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission (“One by one, all challenges conquered”, Aug 24). However, it is disheartening that the success of the moon landing, which is the result of the tireless efforts of a team of scientists, is being conflated with the achievement of the Bharatiya Janata Party dispensation led by Narendra Modi (“Modi on Isro screen, with ‘chanda mama’, Aug 24). This undermines the contributions of the scientific fraternity. The lunar missions were actually seeded during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance. But one does not see the former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, claiming credit.
It must be noted that the failure of Chandrayaan-2 was viciously mocked by certain sections whereas the success of the latest mission is being unanimously celebrated. The starkly different responses tell a lot about the public perception of scientific endeavours.
Abhijit Chakraborty, Howrah
Sir — The news report, “On the moon: Nehru’s New India” (Aug 24), charts the evolution of Isro under the stewardship of the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The BJP was not even a viable political entity during the abovementioned period. Hence, the party claiming credit for the success of the moon landing is nothing but preposterous. The landmark achievement is the culmination of historic collective efforts.
K. Nehru Patnaik, Visakhapatnam
Sir — Chandrayaan-3 has etched its name on the pages of history after August 23, 2023. Its success is a testament to India’s authoritative space technology that has enabled the country to join an elite group of successful moon-farers, namely, Russia, the United States of America and China. This shows that India is poised to take even bigger strides in space exploration in the coming years.
Md. Maimul Safui, Howrah
Sir — Given the manner in which the prime minister, Narendra Modi, hijacked the success of the Chandrayaan-3 as that of his government, it would not be surprising to see him use the lunar mission to canvass for votes ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Murtaza Ahmad, Calcutta
Sir — Russia has long been considered a veteran in space exploration. However, the failure of its lunar mission, Luna-25, last week has dented its undisputed status. Moreover, India’s success with Chandrayaan-3 seems to have added salt to the wound.
It must not be forgotten that failure is a viable option in space missions. It is hoped that the Chandrayaan-3 will play a key role in the discovery of lunar minerals and will open up avenues for reaching virgin areas in space.
Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta
Sir — Although viewers across the globe were waiting with bated breath to watch India’s moon landing, the video cut to Narendra Modi’s live telecast from South Africa. This is deplorable.
Kamal Laddha, Bengaluru
Parting shot
Sir — The extreme weather events in the Himalayan region should serve as a stark reminder to stop construction activities, which disrupt its delicate ecology. The Supreme Court has ordered the constitution of a panel of experts to study the carrying capacity of mountainous areas (“First step”, Aug 24). This is a positive development.
In 2014, the Union cabinet approved an action plan for rejuvenating the Himalayas. Despite this, the health of the mountain ecosystem has only worsened.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
