Prayers take off before mission

Nellore, Oct. 22: It is not just the skills of ISRO scientists that ensured the smooth liftoff of Chandrayaan but also their fervent prayers. All top Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists including the chairman, Dr Madhavan Nair, have been offering prayers for several days seeking divine help to make the moon mission a successful one. Majority of the employees and their families living in ISRO colonies in Sriharikota spaceport have also been visiting places of worship.

Mr Madhavan Nair and his wife regularly prays at the Sri Changalaparameswari temple located close to Sulllurpeta every time when he visits the Shar centre and especially before launches. Engineers, other staff and their families living in ISRO colonies prefer to worship at a temple located in Shar centre, which was consecrated by the Kanchikamakoti peetam. Idols of all the important Hindu deities are installed in the temple.

Similarly, people have also been thronging a church and a mosque in the colonies. "We have chanted Hanuman chalisa at the temple on Saturday seeking blessing for the rocket launch," says Ms Swetha who lives in Shar colony. "It is a practice for students to assemble at the temple and recite Hanuman chalisa whenever there is any launch."

Mr Purushottam, an engineer, said that he and his family members had regularly been going to the church to ensure the success of the lunar mission. "Since we work round the clock prior to the mission, our families get very concerned about it," said an ISRO official. "They seek the intervention of God because they want our efforts to succeed."

Local people in Sullurpeta have also been visiting temples to seek divine help for the success of the mission. In fact, Mr Madhavan Nair, during his visit to Changalamma temple on Tuesday, was delighted to meet Lakshmi Ragahva Srivalli, a local girl who had performed pooja for the success of the moon mission. He gave her his autograph as a token of gratitude.