top of page

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.

Ladki Bahin, ‘batenge toh katenge’ raise campaign pitch

Ladki Bahin

Mumbai: The Assembly polls campaign, which started on issues like welfare initiatives and development, has reached its crescendo with phrases such as ‘vote jihad’, ‘dharma yuddha’, ‘Constitution under threat’ dominating the discourse.


The campaign, set to conclude on Monday, also saw NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray make an emotional pitch to voters, citing the “betrayal” by Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, respectively.


The Mahayuti government, comprising the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, has been highlighting its Ladki Bahin scheme for women in the run-up to the November 20 state polls.


The previous Uddhav Thackeray-headed MVA government lasted for two-and-a-half years, before being pulled down by large-scale desertions in the Shiv Sena by Shinde and other leaders in June 2022. Last year, Ajit Pawar also walked out with several NCP legislators and became the deputy CM in the Mahayuti government.


The factions led by Shinde and Ajit Pawar have been recognised by the Election Commission as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena and NCP, respectively.

The “betrayal” by Shinde and Ajit Pawar dominated the poll campaign of the NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), with Thackeray urging voters to defeat “gaddars” at the hustings.


Sharad Pawar (84) has also been on a whirlwind tour of the state and addressing rallies in the strongholds of his one-time confidants - Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse-Patil.


The senior Pawar is likely to address a rally on Monday in his home town Baramati, where Ajit Pawar is taking on his nephew and debutant politician Yugendra Pawar of the NCP (SP).


“The BJP admitting Ajit Pawar in the government is a betrayal of the core values the party stands for. It was the BJP that had called Ajit Pawar corrupt and launched a campaign against him,” claimed Vinod Salunkhe, a die-hard BJP supporter from Dadar in Mumbai.


However, he said he is resigned to supporting the BJP as there was “no other alternative”.


“I have just two options -- either sit at home or support the BJP,” Salunkhe, a senior executive in a corporate firm, said.


After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, the Shinde-led Mahayuti government rolled out a slew of welfare measures, including the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, that hands out Rs 1,500 as monthly doles to women.


“Over 2.3 crore women have benefited from the scheme with many receiving up to Rs 7,500,” a government official said.


The scheme was launched in July and Shinde said the government had paid the installment for November in advance, anticipating the model code of conduct following the announcement of elections.


Despite welfare measures and the development pitch, phrases such as ‘batenge toh katenge’ (divided we fall), ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ (united we are safe), ‘vote jihad’ and ‘dharma yuddha’ dominated the campaign gradually, drawing concern even by BJP leaders such as Pankaja Munde and Ashok Chavan and key ally Ajit Pawar.


Fadnavis contended the leaders have not understood the “core message” of unity sought to be conveyed through the slogan and claimed foreign invaders ruled the country whenever it was divided over caste lines.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has succinctly said it in the slogan ‘ek hai toh safe hai’,” Fadnavis recently said, adding the phrases signalled a pitch for unity.


Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who decided against entering the electoral fray, has also been touring parts of the state urging voters to defeat those opposed to reservation for the community.


In the din of the election campaign, issues such as creating employment, attracting investments, migration by farmers, rising costs of healthcare and education appear to have relegated to the background.


In rural parts of Maharashtra, issues like farm distress, slump in the prices of soybean and cotton and non-availability of farm labour are dominant, but virtually absent from the political discourse.


“The issue of onion export ban dealt a body blow to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections; in the assembly elections, soybean and cotton could be the issues nagging the ruling party,” Dipak Jagtap, an RTI activist from Manmad, said.


The state also saw the rival alliances roll out senior leaders from across country in the campaign.

Comments

bottom of page