President's Message - Thanksgiving, 2013
Dec 1, 2013
Dear Supporters,
Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday.
It is remarkable to read about the Mangalyaan Mission of India as it enters its final earth orbit to leave for Mars this weekend. It is of great pride to us that the principal scientist of the earlier mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, was from Assam and he was present for this mission's launch as well. We are proud of the contributions of Dr. Jitendra Nath Goswami.
Dr. Goswami's call to talented youngsters of the region, to take the lead, resonates with our mission in AFNA. The work in Support-A-Child (SAC) and AKADAMICS particularly align with his call. That is the call of the day.
When it comes to India's space mission, there is a lot of talk in the press (British, US, and some Indian) about the folly of undertaking such a mission in a poor country. But the people talking don't (or don't want to) understand the math and the real reason for poverty in India - lack of implementation, not lack of money.
In raw numbers, the cost of Mangalyaan ($75M) does not even register in India's annual GDP ($1.8 trillion). I did the math; it is hardly 0.004% of GDP. To put it in perspective, the IPL team Kolkata Knightriders was bought for $75M! So, the problem in India as a country is not the lack of money.
The problem is primarily implementation. Government money earmarked for social programs (from India's huge welfare budget) gets routinely returned unspent, including by Assam. That's where we need to focus on - great implementation.
So, when the Mangalyaan project implements amazingly, working hard and recovering from faults to stay on mission, it inspires us all, and most importantly it inspires the kids in school. It shows them that despite the apathy and corruption they see around them, there is another way where hard work counts, focus counts. And that's why I believe that such programs are crucial for India. People in the press should remember the inspiring effect of the Apollo space program earlier and its halo effect of making the US a magnet for scientific and engineering talent.
Wishing safe travels to Mangalyaan as it leaves earth towards its destination. May it continue to inspire us all to do good and to contribute for the kids to launch their own careers.
Happy Holidays to all of you.
Warm Regards,
- Satyajit Nath
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[News Article below reproduced from The Times of India]
NE has potential to lead, says Mars mission scientist from state
Gaurav Das, TNN Nov 11, 2013, 03.36PM IST
GUWAHATI: As the Mars Orbiter roars towards the Red Planet and is almost ready for its operations, a senior acting adviser of the Mangalyaan Mission, Jitendra Nath Goswami, said the northeast needs to inspire bright young minds from the region.
The Assamese scientist, who was the principal scientist at the first Indian planetary mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, and is at present the director of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, felt talented youngsters from the region should take the lead as the northeast has a lot to offer.
"There may be a few people from the northeast in the Mars mission and we may never get to hear about their contribution, but we can always draw comfort from the fact that the region offers tremendous potential for talent in science. It's for the government to tap this pool," said Goswami.
Goswami was present at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota along with other scientists when the Rs 450-crore mission to Mars was launched. With this launch, India joined the elite club of A-listers like the US, Europe and Russia.
Brushing aside views that India was splurging money on a planetary mission at a time when the country was facing a slowdown and many social and economic issues needed to be addressed, Goswami said India will be looked at from a different context after the mission.
"We don't lack resources but there is a lack of implementation of plans. The mission should be looked at from the national perspective. The government is helping us and now India's economy in picking up," said Goswami.
