New Delhi: Chandrayaan, space pgms India's modern expressions of ancient scientific heritage: Rajnath Singh
Coimbatore , India’s space missions like Chandrayaan and Aditya-L1 are not just technological achievements but a modern expression that ancient scientific spirit has always been a part of our cultural identity, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Sunday.
At the inauguration of the Maha Shivaratri celebrations organised at the Isha Yoga Center, headed by Sadhguru, here, he said Sun and the Moon are not just celestial bodies, but form the basis of our calendar and festivals.
“Our fasts, festivals and auspicious timings are determined through precise scientific calculations. Today, missions like Chandrayaan and other space programmes are modern expressions of our ancient scientific heritage, where tradition and technology move forward together” he said.
“When India launches missions like Chandrayaan , Mangalyaan and Aditya-L1 , it is not just a technological achievement, it is also modern expression of that ancient spirit which has always been part of our cultural identity,” he said.
“As we send satellites into space, we are simultaneously advancing our scientific culture,” he added.
Observing that national security is usually associated with weapons, technology and physical strength of India’s soldiers, he said,
“But, if you look closely, real security does not come from external power alone. True security comes from a strong national consciousness. A fear based society can never be truly secure in the long-term. Only a fearless society can build a strong nation. This fearlessness does not come from physical strength, it comes from spiritual core,” he said.
On one hand, soldiers provide humanitarian assistance with the spirit of Shiva during times of crisis, on the other hand, when necessary, they execute operations like Operation Sindoor with the intensity of ‘Rudra’, he said.
“The spirit within our soldiers comes from our culture, from the inspiration of Lord Shiva,” he said.
He referred to the “Bhavya Bharat Bhushan” awards instituted by Isha Foundation for the first time to recognise the exceptional individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society in fields like science and technology, arts, history and culture.
“Today, alongside the distinguished stalwarts from these domains who were conferred this honour, three institutions of our Armed Forces were also facilitated in recognition of the remarkable success of Operation Sindoor. These are Western Air Command, Army’s Southern Command and Western Naval Command. Personally, this filled me with great joy and a deep sense of pride,” he said.
Noting that culture and science are often seen as separate from one another, he said, in India they have always been complementary. “Culture is not merely a set of rituals, it is our way of life,” he said.
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