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print versionISRO chief takes Mars mission replica to Tirupati, rationalists fume
IBNLive.com Nov 06, 2013 at 02:57pm
Mangalore: The Federation of Rationalist Associations has strongly criticised ISRO Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan for offering special prayers and performing pooja with the replica of Mars Orbiter Mission at the Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati, a day before the successful launch of the spacecraft from Sriharikota.
In a statement the federation president and noted rationalist Narendra Nayak said, "We strongly condemn the attitude of the Chairman of ISRO K Radhaksrishnan who has insulted the Constitution of India by placing the replica of the satellite meant for the Mars mission at the feet of a deity at Tirupati. He is unfit to occupy the position of the head of the space mission and should be immediately sacked."
He has also stated that the act was against India’s secular Constitution. "He has perhaps forgotten that ours is secular republic and that worship of a deity belonging to one particular religion particularly in matters of state is negating this very basic tenet of our Constitution. He has also forgotten Article 51AH which states that it is the duty of every citizen to develop scientific temper and the spirit of enquiry and humanism. I don’t know which principle of science is applicable to the act of placing a replica of the satellite at the feet of a statue at a temple. Again, if we quote his own words - We have to understand a lot from the solar system etc. If this is the case we have to also go a long way to understand how a person like him in a responsible position in a government organisation is foolish enough to believe that prayers to particular god can ensure the proper launch of a satellite! I don’t know who is responsible for the failures in such a scenario! We demand that he be immediately sacked for having done this affront to the Constitution of country. If he were to go a temple for his personal work we would have no reason to object at all. But, carrying his personal superstition into matters of the state is a crime against our Constitution." Sack ISRO chief for taking Mars mission replica to Tirupati: Rationalists ISRO chief Radhakrishnan seeks divine blessings for Mars mission Radhaksrishnan and his wife had visited the famous Venkateshwara Temple on Monday. He had placed the replica of the Mars Mission before the god. After the special pooja Radhakrishnan had said that they did not want to leave anything to chance.
India’s journey to Mars begun with the successful launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission on Tuesday afternoon. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) joined an elite club of just four agencies in the world which dared to travel to Mars. The Rs 450 crore Mars Orbiter Mission was successfully launched from Dr Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, a small coastal village in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday at 2:38 pm.
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ISRO chief takes Mars mission replica to Tirupati, rationalists fume -
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/isro-chief-takes-mars-mission-replica-to-tirupati-rationalists-fume/432561-62-127.html
This is a very condemnable step that too by the ISRO chief "Dr K Radhakrishnan for offering special prayers and performing pooja with the replica of Mars Orbiter Mission at the Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati, a day before the successful launch of the spacecraft from Sriharikota."
All educated people in the country should protest this move due to several reasons I feel as cited below:-
1) This is a dangerous precedent set to millions of young students in the country who are to become the enlightened and responsible citizens of the country & also to lead the scientific, technological & research fields in this country and for whom scientific temper (including reasoning, objective analysis, rational outlook) should be the base. There should be no surprise if more and more people lose their scientific temper and resort to poojas and black magic for everything including health problems, education etc. (now itself there are no dearth in such practices although among educated people).
2) India is a Secular country meaning Religion has no role in the affairs of conducting state & State doesn’t have a religion. Also State (including all its institutions whether educational, scientific, industrial all institutions that is connected to State or use public funds) should refrain from any sort of religious activity AND mainly religion is a private affair of an individual.
Now not only is this maintained in any practice and every institution you can find some or other religious symbols - making it a public affair rather than a private affair. Now the top scientific research institution also resorting to such affair means it seriously questions the secular credentials of this country on which this country has been built as part of freedom struggle.
The lecture from Supreme Court Lawyer Mihir Desai on "Secularism as a
Constitutional Right" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K8Pw9yXNxY
3) Now the prayers for the top scientific mission of this country being taken to Tirupathi means the State is making prayer to Tirupathi and that means State is following or its first priority is Hinduism.
This is not only blatant violation of Secularism but open discrimination on grounds of religion when this country is inhabited by Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Sarna, Buddhists, Jains and many local tribal and ethnic religions. This only proves the increasing protesting voices from different communities and social activists that India is becoming a Hindu State! And if this is the condition, it affects the very concept of "Unity in Diversity" and could lead to the collapse of the Indian State which was formed as part of the freedom
struggle!
Hence this issue should be seriously understood by all progressive
minded people and register strong protests............
Thanks & Regards
Nidhin
