Sunday, September 7, 2003		Ulta-pulta

Moon-ward bound!
Jaspal Bhatti

THE PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee recently announced that by 2020 India will be successful in sending a man to the moon. On heaving this, many of our scientists rejoiced, for this momentous decision would usher in a better status and greater recognition for them. However some other scientists didn’t feel elated because they knew that even with greater recognition, their pay scales would still remain the same. With the kind of salary they were getting it was not possible for them to holiday even in Delhi, what to talk of the moon!

It is good to dream but many people ask that when we can’t dare to dream of clean drinking water, pucca roads, cheap medicines and education for all, can we afford to spend crores on a journey to the moon.

Perhaps the Sangh Parivar has advised the BJP to open its sub-office and a RSS shakha by 2020 on the moon or perhaps Vajpayee okayed ‘Mission Moon’ after the poets requested him. Vajpayeeji himself is a poet and he knows that the moon has special significance for the poet: Chalo dildar chalo chand ke paar chalo...

Even if Vajpayee has taken this decision in national interest, the question is do we have the capacity to spend crores and crores on ‘Mission Moon’? From where is the money going to come? Arun Shourie would probably advise: Sir, let us privatise the mission!

For all you know, ‘Mission Moon’ could be handed over to the Tatas or Reliance. Even if Reliance cannot find oil wells on the moon, at least it can come up with a new slogan, "Kar lo Chand Mutthi Mein"

There will be one great advantage of ‘Mission Moon’: the formation of a ‘Ministry for Space Transportation’. If George Fernandes is made in-charge of this mission then we need not train special astronauts for this. Because George saab can himself fly the spacecraft to the moon.