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By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

India’s Rocket Woman

Chandrayaan-3 Mission Director Dr Ritu Karidhal Srivastava helped script a historic chapter in India’s space story. On August 23, 2023, as the clock struck 6:04 PM Indian time, waves of joy swept across India and the world when Chandrayaan-3's robotic lander Vikram touched down on the Moon's south pole. This triumph made India the first nation to land a spacecraft there and the fourth overall to reach the lunar surface. Behind this moment stood the dedication of scientists like Dr Ritu...

India’s Rocket Woman

Chandrayaan-3 Mission Director Dr Ritu Karidhal Srivastava helped script a historic chapter in India’s space story. On August 23, 2023, as the clock struck 6:04 PM Indian time, waves of joy swept across India and the world when Chandrayaan-3's robotic lander Vikram touched down on the Moon's south pole. This triumph made India the first nation to land a spacecraft there and the fourth overall to reach the lunar surface. Behind this moment stood the dedication of scientists like Dr Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, Chandrayaan-3’s mission director, affectionately known as India’s “Rocket Woman.” For millions watching, it was a moment of national pride; for the scientists behind the mission, the culmination of years of painstaking work and belief in India’s space ambitions. Dr Srivastava often placed professional commitments ahead of personal comforts, pouring her energy into India’s stellar legacy. Whether spearheading Chandrayaan-3, leading key aspects of Chandrayaan-2, or contributing to the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), she devoted herself to advancing India’s space programme. “From Mangalyaan to Chandrayaan, women have matched men stride for stride,” she has said, reflecting the growing presence of women scientists in India’s space missions. Over the years, women have moved from supporting roles to positions of leadership within ISRO, bringing expertise and determination to some of the nation’s most ambitious projects. Journey to the Stars Born in 1975 into a middle-class family in Lucknow, young Ritu was fascinated by the moon, stars and vast skies above. Her curiosity deepened during her school years, when she spent hours reading about space and imagining the mysteries beyond Earth. After earning her degree from Navayug Kanya Mahavidyalaya, she completed her MSc in physics in Lucknow before moving to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru to specialise in aerospace engineering. This path led her to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which she joined in 1997. At ISRO, she steadily rose through the ranks, earning recognition for meticulous planning and technical expertise. She served as Deputy Operations Director for the Mars Orbiter Mission, popularly known as Mangalyaan — India’s first mission to Mars, which succeeded on its first attempt and placed the country firmly on the global space map. Personal Sacrifices Her work’s success roared loudly. The ISRO Young Scientist Award from President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007 and the Woman Aerospace Achievement Award from the Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries recognised her contributions to the nation’s space programme. Yet for years she worked largely away from the public spotlight, focused on the demands of complex missions. In a candid moment, Dr Srivastava spoke about balancing professional duty and family life. There were times when mission preparation meant missing important family moments. Once, when her daughter was running a fever, she could not leave work; her husband stepped in while she checked repeatedly by phone. School events and parent-teacher meetings often passed without her presence. Yet with strong support from her husband and family, she remained committed to the demanding world of space exploration. That collective resolve — from Dr Srivastava and her team — ultimately propelled India to new cosmic heights. Vikram’s flawless landing at the Moon’s south pole marked a technological triumph and firmly placed India among the world’s leading spacefaring nations.

‘Anupamaa’ set gutted; probe on

Mumbai: A massive fire raged through and gutted the sets of a noted television serial ‘Anupamaa’ at the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, famed as Film City, in Goregaon. There were no casualties in the incident, officials said.


The conflagration was noticed around dawn, and quickly spread through the massive ground-plus-one-storey set along the Film City Road, in the vicinity of the Whistling Woods International.


Concerned over the series of fire incidents, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has demanded a high-level judicial probe into the incident and urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to order a comprehensive fire audit for every film set, studios and other shooting locales across Maharashtra.


The Mumbai Fire Brigade and other agencies were summoned for help and after battling it over four hours, the fire was finally extinguished.


The blaze was apparently triggered – the causes of which are being investigated – when the preparations for the days’ teleserial shoot were going on.


Eyewitnesses said that tongues of leaping flames and thick dark smoke from the 5,000-sq were visible from several kms away in the western suburbs around 5 am.


The BMC and MCB rushed four fire-tenders, six jumbo tankers, ambulances and fire-fighters who were helped by the set crew and workers. The fire was restricted to electricals, installations, plastic and metal, decorative materials, props and other shooting infrastructure


The fire which reduced the ‘Anupamaa’ serial set to ashes, was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, plastic materials, iron materials, decorative material, cameras, costumes, lighting system and studio equipment spread over the 5,000 sq ft area.


AICWA President Suresh S. Gupta called for filing a criminal FIR against the production house, the producers, the TV channels and the DPC Managing Director plus the Labour Commissioner for the incident.


“In case the shooting had commenced as per plans at 7 am, a catastrophic situation could have developed, potentially resulting in loss of lives. This (fire) is another tragic reminder of recurring blazes in Mumbai and its surrounding film studios,” pointed out Gupta.


Despite warnings and multiple fires on shooting sets, Gupta contended that owing to the blatant negligence of producers, production houses and other stakeholders consistently fail to implement even the most basic fire safety precaution that jeopardises the lives of thousands of workers daily.


The AICWA chief alleged that owing to the collusion between officials, producers are not compelled to adhere to the mandatory fire safety protocols, which result in such incidents - at least one major blaze is reported annually, causing human or material losses.


“We also demand that the investigation must explore whether the fire was deliberately set off by anyone to illegitimately claim insurance — a horrifying possibility that would mean risking lives for financial gain…,” asked Gupta.


He claimed that such incidents are often deliberately hushed up by producers and the Film City authorities to avoid a public backlash as well as legal consequences.

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