BHUBANESWAR: As India created history by being the first country to land on the moon’s south pole, the capital city on Wednesday witnessed a remarkable show of unity as people from across religions came together to pray for the soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 on lunar soil.
Special prayers were offered at mosques, churches and gurudwaras and ‘yagnas’ performed by priests in temples for the safe landing of the lander module, Vikram. At the mosque in Unit-4, over 200 people including children gathered for ‘namaaz’ and prayed for the success of the mission. “As citizens of the country, we are extremely proud. We prayed for a favourable outcome of the mission and holistic advancement of our country,” said Shakil Rahman, president of Unit-4 mosque.
At many temples in the city, ‘homa’ and ‘yagna’ were performed by people for the cause. “Scientists of ISRO behind the prestigious mission should be lauded but I feel Mission Chandrayaan is the contribution of every Indian. So, we wanted to offer puja in the temple to pray the mission becomes a success,” said Prahallad Nayak, who runs a street theatre group ‘Bande Mataram’.
Nayak in the evening also walked through the busy PMG square carrying a 6.5 feet high replica of Chandrayaan on his head to celebrate the historic event. Prayers were also offered to Lord Viswakarma, the god of architecture on the day.
Hoping for lander’s smooth touchdown, enthusiastic students of various schools and colleges created posters and Chandrayaan projects were showcased on their institution’s premises. They watched the live visuals streamed on TV screens on the campuses. AT KIIT and KISS, elaborate arrangements had been made to enable students, faculty and staff to witness the historic event in real-time. Across the campuses, digital display boards attracted large gatherings of students who had, like the rest of the nation, anxiously awaited this historic moment.
At KISS, students took part in rituals at the Jagannath temple sending their best wishes to the dedicated scientists and experts of ISRO.At Aashayein, a centre of learning for slum children in the city, children also witnessed the mission and prepared the Tricolour with different materials to celebrate the occasion.
Similarly, people watched the live telecast of the lander module at the science park at Regional Science Centre. Celebrations weren’t just limited to Bhubaneswar. Elsewhere in the state too, replicas of Chandrayaan dotted the cities as people organised live screening of the historic event.
United in prayers
Special prayers offered at mosques, churches and gurudwaras and ‘yagnas’ performed in temples
Students created posters, Chadrayaan projects showcased in schools
Special arrangements made for live telecast at KIIT and KISS