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.

When Mumbai tried to relocate stray dogs

Mumbai: The Supreme Court's judgement of shunting the stray dogs out Delhi-NCR limits has brought back memories of a similar initiative tried by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2007-08 of moving the stray dogs out of Mumbai and shifting them to dedicated dog shelters.


The brainchild of the then Mumbai Deputy Mayor Vidya Thakur who is currently legislator from the Goregaon assembly constituency, the proposal stressed on 'Stray Dogs Free Mumbai'.


Faced with an increasing number of dog bites cases, Thakur had mooted a proposal and written to the then state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh asking for 50 acres of land in the Vasai-Virar belt out- side the city limits.


"I was getting lots of dog bites complaints and also people dying of rabies. Hence, I worked out an idea where strays can be shifted out and housed in dedicated shelters. This would have ensured both human beings and strays living in harmony," said Thakur.


There were an estimated 45,000 dog bites which took place in 2006 of which 21 people had died in Mumbai.


"We had identified the location and had begun talks with the villagers to take them into confidence on this project. We even begun talks with the state government. However, the proposal then fizzled out after I left my chair," she added.


The apex court on Monday ordered authorities across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to round up all stray dogs within eight weeks, house them in dedicated dog shelters and ensure none are released back onto the streets.


However, animal activists are shocked and call the whole order as shocking. “Dogs are terrestrial animals and it will be disastrous if they are moved to some other places,” said an activist who declined to come on record.


“This whole issue will be a logistical nightmare. First the authorities have to get the land and create infrastructure suitable for the strays. After that, the authorities have to ensure feeding and medical facilities. This is a mammoth task and in no way completed in a month,” said another animal activist.


For decades, the BMC had been rounding the stray dogs and killing them. However, this stopped in 1994 after the animal activists moved the Bombay High Court who ordered the BMC to sterilise these strays and control their population. The BMC claimed in its survey that over the last 29 years, 4.30 lakh stray dogs have been sterilised. This has resulted in reduction in the stray dogs' population to 90,757 from 95,172 in the last decade.

Comments

bottom of page