S Somanath, the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has voiced his support for naming the Chandrayaan-3 touchdown point as “Shiva Shakti.” He emphasized that there is nothing wrong with the name and that PM Modi’s explanation of its meaning suits everyone. Somanath also noted that PM Modi, as the Prime Minister of the country, has the prerogative to name the touchdown point, according to a statement.
Somanath stated, “PM Modi narrated the meaning of it in a manner that suits all of us. I think there is nothing wrong with that. Also, he gave the next name to Tiranga and both are Indian-sounding names.”
Acknowledging PM Modi’s role in naming the touchpoint, Somanath remarked, “We must have a significance of doing what we are doing. And he has a prerogative of naming it being the Prime Minister of the country.”
Discussing the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s progress, Somanath provided insights into the status of the lander, rover, and onboard instruments. He mentioned that all five instruments have been switched on and are producing valuable data. The ISRO chief expressed optimism about completing various experiments in the coming days before September 3.
Somanath elaborated on the mission’s testing process, stating, “There are different modes for which it has to be tested. So, we have the best picture ever of the Moon.”
On a personal note, Somanath shared his experiences beyond his role as the ISRO chief. He spoke about his visit to the Pournamikavu Bhadrakali temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He described himself as an explorer of both outer space and inner spirituality, expressing his interest in exploring science and spirituality.
He said, “I am an explorer. I explore the Moon. I explore the inner space. So it’s a part of the journey of my life to explore both science and spirituality. So I visit many temples and I read many scriptures. So try to find the meaning of our existence and our journey in this cosmos. So it’s a part of the culture that we are all built to explore, find out the inner self as well as outer self. So for the outer, I do science, for the inner I come to temples.”
