24th August, 2023
Team ISRO achieved an amazing feat when the Chandrayan -3 made a soft landing on the Moon South Pole.
Built at a cost (Rs 625 Cr) lower than the cost of a Hollywood movie, Oppenheimer (Rs 800 Cr) and at only double the cost of some recent Bollywood movies, it was indeed a low-cost Engineering feat.
Some people ask, what can we gain from such achievements. Apart from many intangibles, speaking commercially alone, ISRO has launched satellites for more than 20 countries & earned more than Rs 1000 cr. We have more than 100 startups already in the Space industry and the indigenous engineering and software industry, by contributing to this low-cost marvel, is bound to gain much more in terms of orders & recognition.
The greatest change of late in our populace & ethos has been the change in mindset, from the ‘Can We?’ mindset to the ‘Yes We Can’ mindset.
Be it Sports, Business, Technology, Entertainment or Engineering, we are today talking scale & achieving against many odds.
‘Yes, we can’ – These three simple words hold gravitas that can galvanise the youth to action and instil a sense of hope.
First used by Barack Obama in what is Popularly known as the ‘Yes we can’ speech, it became a defining moment in Obama’s presidential campaign.
‘Yes, we Can’ people have a conviction that anything can be done once they’ve set their mind to it.
It’s more than mere optimism, though, such a belief is combined with a motivation to work on accomplishing the goal or completing the task.
A can-do attitude is a mindset and is an essential part of success.
Individuals who have a can-do attitude can see the potential in every situation and they’re not afraid to take risks. They’re also incredibly resilient and know that failure is just a stepping stone to success.
Possessing a ‘Yes I Can’ attitude increases our likelihood of success when we face adversity and increases the likelihood of our responding to adversity in a healthy manner.
For me, the most defining moment yesterday, apart from the landing on the Moon, was the answer given by the ISRO chief.
When asked by a TV anchor whether they had been having sleepless nights, he replied candidly, ” No, I had a perfect sleep, I was sure we were on track & all indications appeared positive.”
That is the ‘Yes We Can’ attitude – the conviction, the optimism, the belief that comes with this attitude.
We don’t know what the future holds, but we can certainly help form it.
Tomorrow always makes today just a day in the past, so don’t regret not having stepped up your game.
“Yes, we can” forces us to drive a roadmap, to reach a goal that was not easy to reach, and when we do, we have perhaps achieved incredible results beyond our imagination.
Let’s adopt the ‘Yes We Can’ attitude & stay blessed forever.