India does not wish to remain technologically defecient foreever. If it goes ahead to solve its most basic problems without looking at cutting edge technologies, it will forever remain a country catching up.
Hope you comprehend this point of view. It is very easy to see black and white. Its catching the grey that needs some grey matter.

Only thing that man needs ot live is love. If you can't give him that, give him somethign to dream. If can't give him that, give him something to do ...

Scientists need a way of expressing themselves. They are an assett. Even if we look at space program as an indulgence, it is an indulgence Iandia can afford. If we don't look after our scientist and give them omthing to dream, where do you think they will go?

Besides, the space program does more than just provide monetary benefit. It gives hope and pride. To a nation that is malnourished as you say, it gives the people a chance to dream and work together. The pride of accomplishmnt will unit the nation and encourage the young to dream big.

Genius doesn't just do something. It dreams it first.

Andrew,

Surely it advances the knowledge and ability of India's scientists. I love the fact that the economies of India and China are growing enough to allow them what you think of as indulgence.

What of the devices you use now every day that are a direct result of the American moon programme? Many of which have been a direct benefit to the world as it is today.

No matter what the actual poverty situation is within India, I can't help but feel that the flow of trained doctors and surgeons to the West is a much bigger problem than of the educated who remain there trying to punch above their weight.

In your world all of the invention of the Industrial revolution in the West was indulgent because rickets was a major health problem. The two are not related.

this is one sign for india. fast track to 2030, present wretched india would be in the planet's top 7 of world nations and 2 of the present G7 would be not on the 2030 top seven list.

Andrew,

Despite this Arrogant post, you seem to forget what situation US was in when tried to reach the starts. Racism, Vietnam war, country divided, and poor economic situation.

Sometime you need more then money to live on, and that called pride.

And the way things are moving in US, you will soon have more homeless in US then India.

Arrogant sucker.

Talk about white man's burden! After plundering India of its wealth, the white man now tries to plunder it of its hopes and achievements too! If we go by Andrew's thinking, there should be no investment in science and technology in India as all resources will be diverted away from it. If the pioneers during the industrial revolution had taken the same route as things in Europe was worse than what we have in India today, we wouldn't be here exchanging ideas over the internet.

Just as the US and USSR's space programs added to the immense technological advancements in the western countries, so too will the investments in India's space, defence and nuclear industries. It will allow Indians to find solutions to problems that Indians face( which currently is a closely guarded secret by western nations/companies) without paying an arm and a leg. It will also improve the technological base of our country's industries and create jobs and growth.

Of course, for a left-leaning person carrying the white man's burden on his shoulder, none of this will matter, for he is told to repeat the same thing over and over "Indians poor, 1 billion, half under poverty blah blah".

Nothing more to say, ooh forgot, even now people catch cold don't they. Pretty funny ah after all we could have invested all the trophies on eradicating flu,fever etc and what else..

People should be visionaries not one dimensional thinkers.

Being an Indian all I can tell to you is

ISRO showed us what we can be irrespective of what we are. And the youth of the Nation has taken it to their heart.

Ever heard about APJ Abdul Kalam and what does he means to youngsters like me. You could use http://google.com

Lot of comments against Andrews flawed analysis. Is India going to solve all the problems Andrews mentions with £47m ? Hell no! On the other hand, such feats give the poor people confidence that if you aim high you can achieve great things. Look at Obama in the US! Heck Sarah Palin, a Mayor a few years ago! I'm sure a great many of the IT technicians that India produces have been and the rags to riches stories of others in India has an element of aiming high, beyond your obvious potential. You too can try that the next time you write an article like this, to look beyond the obvious and tell the entire story. The world will be a lesser place if the billion people in India for ever remain clerks and minions like they were under the British Raj. This sure is a sign that they have broken away from that mold.

I think the person is forgetting that India is the leader in survey satellite technology and is far advanced than any other country, and this has allowed India to not only provide survey of land but also helped meteoroligcal work for the Indian farmers, Because of these technologies, India is also able to provide tele medicine to help those same poor Indians. So sending the machine to Moon is not a big deal, where India can provide other technology and still help the poor, that is the point and is missed by the writer.

Buncombe's questions ("What good will this do?" and "Is it justifiable?") are not frivolous at all. And he is quite right about India's continuing problems of poverty and malnutrition. (Those who deny that these still exist apparently live in some other country.) But there are reasonable answers to both questions. The moon project, like the rest of the Indian space program, is not simply about its immediate objectives. The research-and-development that goes into these things has all kinds of spin-off benefits, ranging from materials technology to software design. Manufacturing the necessary components generates jobs, which generate wealth, some of which trickles down. The rockets themselves, like the PSLV and GSLV launch vehicles, are also revenue-earners. This is the basic stuff from which the new Indian economy is built, and if poverty and malnutrition are to be tackled successfully, the economy has to be innovative and strong. Also, the question of priorities is a universal one: every society must weight its butter against its rockets (or guns), and none can afford to focus exclusively on one or the other.

Hi Andrew, I understand your good will, but I think we miss a little point in your argument. Say a household has a 10$/unit-time income and 10 malnourished children. Should they spend $1 each for buying them fish? Or better shouldn't they spend only $0.90 each to buy them fish and spend 10 cents per capita to teach them how to fish? And even better if they can save a few cents to invest in making better tools to catch more fish in future. I think moon mission has extensive long term value - apart from the little science, most importantly it could inspire India's children towards science and technology. And if human attempts to play with new technology were ever to stop just because of surrounding relative poverty, nothing would have been invented. U could have rather argued against military investments made by some yet poor nations including India. Then u would have made a much more wiser point. But targeting an aspiring major economy's first moon mission vs it's poverty is not right way to think about the big picture.

What a ridiculous article. You must learn that long term visions are what matters, not the short term problems. The mission to the Moon, coupled with a 2020 bid for the olympics will put India firmly on the map. The revenue created by our olympic bid and future intergalatic successes will mark India as an Asian leader for this new century. I predict that as you Britishers fall into your cold sea; those hungry children you mentioned will be blasting off into space or winning another gold for the glory of India.

Mr. Buncombe,

It's about time the English people came out of colonial-era mindset. While some of your comments are accurate as a matter of fact, I am appalled as most of Britain still wants to see India as a third world country which should be deprived of advancements in Science & Technology even when she is capable of achieving them herself without any western assistance.

India like any other super power in early stages is going through some growing pains. She will come out of it with flying colors. Some of the issues you mentioned like malnutrition among children and health care for poor are very pressing issues. Having said that she must be prepared with the cutting edge technology too, for she is in a very volatile region.

Also, if you take a closer look, states like Andhra Pradesh are implementing near universal Health care and 911 like emergency services. So it is not entirely true, especially the way it is being reported in the British media.

So I suggest you and your reporter friends to be less critical of India's successes on several fronts and report good stuff like the one I listed.

best regards

Andrew Buncombe is one whose heart bleeds for India's poor. He speaks as if he will set national priorities for India.Despite all strategems India got free and in cutting edge technology at least has moved towards self reliance.It's been attained not due to but in spite of technology denial regimes and such like.India isn't selling hydrocarbons to stay afloat in world economy,it prides on the labor and quality performance of it's citizens.No longer can India anymore be taken advantage of.That's the message,and will carve a slice of the cake in satellite launch business and so on,sulking Andrew Buncombe notwithstanding.

You are right. I really wonder why these countries spend money that could be well spent on Health care, Education etc. In USA, where I live, there is no health care and Education that is affordable, still, NASA goes to Mars and have fun with little SUVs on Mars Surface. What the heck they are thinking? They just have to forget about going beyond USA and concentrate on its people and take care of those in need.

May be I am stupid like you, if USA, the most advanced country in the world keeps taking of care of every need of the people instead of space travel, it will not achieve it's right place under the Sun, may be the Universe, it will not be the same country that is advanced. I need to think and stop writing nonsense.

Andrew, to put it simply, the 47 million pounds spent on this project may feed 47 million poor Indians ONE good meal only. Thats all.

But the 47 million pounds will fire the imagination of 1.1 billion Indians in this generation and the next and the next... It will also bring scientific advancements. very cheap price to pay if you ask me.

You surely understand strategic spending? Unlike UK which wasted billions on your Chunnel. You could have given THAT money to us, the poor Indians couldn't you? Would have paid back a bit the wealth the Empire took away from India.

Here are the answers. Rocket Technology and Missile Technology go hand in hand. Missiles unfortunately are as must. You cant have farms and hospitals unless you can protect and defend them . As a corrolarry , so cannot people be fed. By the way , talking and comparing Medical Facilities ,are you by any chance referring to NHS

Mr Errol Flynn,
The point is not just about whether the author has raised a valid point about misplaced priorities or not ..it is about the incessant pounding that the country gets in his column. Write ups that berate the Indians as if the country is full of dimwits not capable of looking after themselves.
Do u (or Mr Buncombe)realise that the pace of devlopment (in the last 30-40 years) in India has been quite admirable on many fronts and I dont think we are consumed by this passion of being a superpower 'day and night'....we have many more important things to think and worry about.. U have spoken to a poor sample of Indians to form that opinion.

"Dear Friend,
I belive you dont have coorect information about the new India, I dont know from where you got the information about 1/2 the children dying. And wretched poverty ? Hi these people dont know anything outside thier world. Idiots"

Actually, he is right. India is a very poor country.

* The adult literacy rate is 61 percent (behind Rwanda and barely ahead of Sudan). Even this is probably overstated, as people are deemed literate who can do little more than sign their name.
* 47 percent of Indian children under the age of five are either malnourished or stunted.
* Only 10 percent of the entire Indian labor force works in the formal economy; of these fewer than half are in the private sector.
* The enrollment of six-to-15-year-olds in school has actually declined in the last year. About 40 million children who are supposed to be in school are not.
* About a fifth of the population is chronically hungry; about half of the world’s hungry live in India.
* More than a quarter of the India population lives on less than a dollar a day.
* India has more people with HIV than any other country.

(Sources: UNDP, Unicef, World Food Program; Edward Luce)

http://fusions.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/india-the-superpower-think-again/

Mr.Buncombe has a right to express his views and so do all who have posted their comments in response to his blogs about India.

But the tenor and tone, as well as the grammar and choice of words of some entries (From India or otherwise) is deplorable. Must civility and decorum be a casualty of debate?

If one is seeking to present a counterpoint, it can be done adequately and effectively, with more conviction; without resorting to cliches, harangue, repetition and intemperate language.

When we blog online, it is a record for posterity (so to speak). Even when it is with the relative anonymity that forums such as these provide. We leave traces of our ideas and opinions as well as our culture, enculturation and affiliations. These may well be retrieved by future Indian genderations and are a record of our times.

As Indians, and more importantly, as responsible individuals with a stake in humanity, we would do better to acquire a sound foundation in the art / science of logical argumentation and the proper employ of grammar. Indian blogs (sans the few and rare exceptions), lack discipline in discussion and tilt precipitously on the cliffs of angry argumentation.

Please consider these points in light of your individual / our national style of debate. That maybe is the greatest casualty of colonialism. The loss of propriety and composure, not the loss of wealth and trinklets.

Regards.

There will always be poor people no matter what. Does not mean that you should stop all scientific advance until all people are fed. Also, there are plenty of poor people in West too. To quote Jesus, The poor you will always have with you.

Let me tell you a secret.
The purpose of India's maiden moon mission is much bigger then just orbiting this white-looking round object. Indian scientists have found a way to use Helium for nuclear power generation which is in tons at moon.
Along with this mission, a small research satellite is also being sent which will map Helium mines throughout the moon's surface. Next step is to extract and send that Helium back to India during next moon mission, Chandrayaan-2 which is scheduled in 2013. This single ambition justifies all the spending.

India is doing it on it's own.
As someone pointed out earlier,
the oft discordant note from the "West",
is always from either the UK or the US
(less often though, in the recent years.)

While one must let bygones be bygones,
the UK, Australian and Canadian media,
tends to still look at India a colonial tint.

What a contrast in reporting when compared
to reporting and commentary on India
in continental Europe.

All that is going to change.
The date is October 22, 2008.
Those in UK, be present 5:30 hours ahead of the
scheduled Indian launch time.

Keep your eyes peeled to:
http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan/htmls/home.htm

Certainly I agree that still India is not a rich country, we need to keep on doing the investment to remove the poverty also and these things are being taken care of. But it will take time. It can't be done in one day or one year.

But on the other side, every country should keep on investing in science technology for the betterment of it's people and to get the sense of pride and achievement in it's people. Otherwise in the race to alleviate poverty altogether and in one go, we may lag behind too much in other areas and that will be worst.

Things and experiment can pass or fail but don't let it dishearten you. Every failure has also some learning in it.

This article is great and states truth about poor people in India.Job well done.
After finishing reading all the comments these are my thoughts -
*Dont tell India what do you , British rule ended in 1947 !
*Untouchable - Yes it exists and that is a true statement. BUT I having lived in UK for few years can tell you that people get KILLED yes KILLED for the skin color, I would rather stay in a country and be untouchable than be a "developed" country and face death because of my skin color. How developed is that up to you folks ! :)
*If you are SO compelled to write this article out of pure compassion about poor then join a non profit organisation and work for poor people and help them come out of poverty.