Chandrayaan a wake up call, says Annadurai

(From The Hindu)

COIMBATORE: After 2010 there will be many moon missions undertaken by other countries. Anticipating this, we wanted to complete ours before they began. When we step into the moon tomorrow, we should be leaders among the other countries, Project Director of Chandrayaan – 1 M. Annadurai said here on Saturday. Responding to a felicitation given by Avinashilingam University for Women, he said the mission that was slated to be completed in seven years was accomplished in a record time of four years without any hitch.

“The Rs. 355 crore that was spent for the mission is not too high a cost for this kind of achievement. This is to show that we can achieve anything if we can work as a team. You need not have a background. Opportunities do not always knock at our doors. But, when they knock, we should be able to respond to them as a team. That will yield the best results,” Mr. Annadurai said.

Asking students to hold on to opportunities offered by the country, he said, “It is not a pride to go abroad and earn. India is throwing a red carpet of opportunities for you to grab. When India has given me the opportunity, it can give each one of you also”.

Terming the moon mission a “wake up” call not only for the U.S., but also for India, he said it was something the youth could look up to for doing more for the country. Since India could boast of a large youth population, it should serve as a productive human resource. He asked the students to be environmentally conscious. “Women have a more important role in this duty because they have to take on the role of teachers to their children at home. The role of a mother as a teacher is more significant than any other,” Mr. Annadurai said.

T.K. Shanmuganandam, Chancellor, Saroja Prabhakaran, Vice-Chancellor, and Lakshmi Santa Rajagopal, former Vice-Chancellor, of the university were among those who offered felicitations.