ISRO chief prays for success of Chandrayaan space moon mission at Chengalamma temple in Sullurpeta
Last week India celebrated landing on the moon, led by S Somanath, ISRO Chairman. Days before he was at a temple (pictured) praying for the success of the mission. How does his mind combine science and spirituality?
His words: “I am an explorer. I explore the Moon. I explore the inner space. So it’s a part of the journey of my life to explore both science and spirituality. I visit many temples and I read many scriptures. I try to find the meaning of our existence and our journey in this cosmos. It’s a part of the culture that we are all built to explore, find out the inner self as well as outer self. So for the outer, I do science, for the inner I come to temples…”
This quote from ISRO chairman was sent by my friend Vinay Sarawagi, Senior Vice President Digital, Times Group, and it describes Indian philosophy seamlessly. In many societies this would be seen contradictory.
As Vinay wrote: “Bharat teaches one to think multidimensionally, to appreciate the mystery and paradoxes of life.”
INTO INDIA would add that this is an intellectual challenge for many in the west, who tend to see things as one way and not the other. In foreign policy, it is why aligned countries struggle to understand India’s view of a multidimensional world – in which instead of alignment India pursues multi-alignment.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/isro-chief-prays-for-success-of-chandrayaan-mission-at-chengalamma-temple-in-sullurpeta/article67076394.ece
Author: Stephen Manallack
Former President, Australia India Business Council, Victoria and Author, You Can Communicate; Riding the Elephant; Soft Skills for a Flat World (published by Tata McGraw-Hill INDIA); Communicating Your Personal Brand.
Director, EastWest Academy Pty Ltd and Trainer/Speaker/Mentor in Leadership, Communication and Cross Cultural Communication.
Passionate campaigner for closer western relations with India.
Stephen Manallack is a specialist on “Doing Business with India” and advisor/trainer on “Cross-Cultural Understanding”. He is a Director of EastWest Academy Pty Ltd which provides strategic advice and counsel regarding business relations with India.
A regular speaker in India on leadership and global communication, his most recent speaking tour included a speech to students of the elite Indian university, Amity University, in Noida. He also spoke at a major Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) global summit, the PR Consultants Association of India in Delhi, the Symbiosis University in Pune and Cross-Cultural Training for Sundaram Business Services in Chennai. He has visited India on business missions on 10 occasions and led three major trade missions there. He provides cross-cultural training – Asia and the west.
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