yaan is so... abrupt. it is like gyan, which is really jnana.
There is an unfortunate mindset in India that cavils at anything of significance, based on false assumptions about the return on investment. Oddly, this perspective tolerates the bottomless money-pit of pork-barrel socialist shibboleths (eg. a rural employment guarantee scheme) which do in fact achieve their principal aim splendidly: that of permitting party cadres and politicians to siphon off large amounts.
On the contrary, it is worth analyzing why there is such poverty in India, despite the fact that, up until 1750CE, India was consistently the richest country in the world. European imperialists, after the Battle of Plassey in 1757CE, systematically looted the country of the equivalent of $10 trillion in today's money. They wiped out small-scale industry, and reduced the hitherto prosperous artisan class of skilled metalworkers, weavers, leather-workers etc. to landless, unskilled, itinerant laborers: hence lasting poverty in India.
Therefore, the best antidote for Indian poverty is strong national defense. India has always generated capital especially from its agricultural surplus, light manufacture and mineral wealth, and this made it a tempting target. Barbarians marched over the Khyber Pass, simply because there was gold in them thar hills of Hindustan. The Europeans were only the latest of this motley crew of raiders.
Therefore, my principal query about Chandrayaan is: does this lead to an ICBM capability so that India can credibly deter potential aggressors with nuclear missiles? I believe the answer is yes, and that is good enough reason for the moon shot. The civilian space program – although continually handicapped by American denial of technology and interference in a cryogenic engine deal with the Russians – does put India on the path towards a credible minimum deterrent against certain bellicose nuclear neighbors.
But there is more. The spin-off benefits of NASA's programs in the US have been enormous, for instance in electronics, computing, packaging, materials technology, etc. A lot of the research commercialized by the Silicon Valley was originally driven by NASA's (and DARPA's) funding. There is a similar boom with ISRO, for instance many of the components of the satellite launch vehicles are supplied by private-sector firms in Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu.
Besides, at a time when US commentators bemoan the fact that science and engineering do not appeal to the brightest minds – they all go into investment banking, and we now know the havoc they cause there – it is wonderful that children in India are being inspired by Chandrayaan. Not to mention the prestige factor and halo effect – these will drive more high-value manufacturing to India.
Super-powerdom does not come cheap. If we believe India has a shot at going back to its economic dominance of the past, military and scientific might are necessary conditions.
5 comments:
Agree with all you are saying Rajeev, except that India already has ICBMs. Its just that we don't advertise it, which is dumb in my opinion. The Agni-III family of missiles qualify as ICBMs. The Govt of India deliberately plays down the range of these missiles, like it says 3500 km for a 1.5 ton payload. Which means >10,000 km for a payload of abt 500 kgs, which it doesn't explicitly specify.
Chandrayaan has got nothing to do with ICBMs. But it definitely is a useful learning experience for further use of Space for both military & civilian purposes.
BTW the Moon Impact Probe of Chandrayaan has already reached the moon's surface.
The Indian Tricolor is proudly sitting on the moon!
Waiting for San to do the honors and post the full details...
Why do you say Ramayana? Should it not be Ramayanam?
Similarly, it should be Keralam, Mahabharatam, Andhra Pradesham, etc., and, I think, Chandrayaanam.
kapidhwaja, i wish i were as sanguine as you re. agni but i do believe the existing ones are just about IRBMs. we have nothing that will make it across the pacific. i hope you are right. but clearly the expertise gained in controlling SLVs is useful in building ICBMs.
witan, perhaps you are right about the 'am' endings. but 'ramayana' as an adjective is fine: eg. ramayana-maasam.
There have been various online discussions going on about what to call Indian astronauts, and I've come to like the word 'Antrikshak' - at least for domestic use. It's about as easy to pronounce as 'astronaut'. We can still continue to stick with the word 'astronaut' for international usage.
san,
Glad you have put forward the word Ant[a]rikshak. Antariksham is also an excellent word for outer space, as distinct from Akasam for the sky.
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