India achieved a remarkable milestone by successfully landing on the moon’s south pole. It is a matter of pride for the state and many others as India is the first country to make such a landing and fourth overall for a moon landing. A wave of nationalist sentiment has thus emerged. Such moments, likening sports, are moments of unity for Indians within and beyond its borders. They are also celebratory moments for the scientific community at large. Chandrayaan-3’s success was also interestingly cheaper than some movies’ budgets.

However, while celebrating such feats is warranted, reflecting on its broader elements and their implications to prioritize meaningful celebrations is also essential. A major problem with contemporary celebrations of national achievements is that people heavily draw on abstract nationalism, celebrating the facets of the achievement itself less and the abstract idea of the state more. Some right-leaning news channels even emphasized their reporting not to honour science but to compare with Pakistan and highlight nationalist fervour.

This article nudges redefining nationalism to celebrate India’s recent moon landing more meaningfully. Broadly, this applies to many other national feats, too, no matter the country in question. The focus should be redirected from sloganeering and extremist nationalism to celebrating and discussing scientists, workers, research, and other productive elements.

Moreover, as dull as it may sound, achievements in outer space do not directly affect the material realities of most people. Thus, moments like these are not worthy of celebration for all, leaving room for dissent. Unfortunately, extremist nationalists react negatively to such people, violently enforcing “nationalism” down their throats. If celebrations are accompanied by silencing those with different views, then it’s not science being celebrated but something else, as no scientific culture would entertain such myopia.

Lessons from Science: Challenging and Questioning Beliefs

When Chandrayaan-3 launched several weeks ago, there were similar celebrations and emerging nationalism. At the time, I was in India, annoyed by power cuts, infrastructure conditions, population density, safety concerns, and stories of unpleasant political experiences.

It was hard to celebrate the launch; it simply did not change my material realities. The beginning or even a successful end to a moon landing mission does not give me stable electricity or safety. I was vocal about this, and, unfortunately, it resulted in even more hate. “Nationalists” were incredibly upset that I did not celebrate the launch.

And my experience is still a very privileged one. If we ask, “Does Chandrayaan-3 affect the bottom 50% of society that collectively holds only 6% of national resources?” the answer is much more disturbing.

It’s not that we should ignore the space feats, but we shouldn’t force people to celebrate them. When people’s experiences lead them to prioritize things differently, having a space open to discussing them is a right and essential to developing as a society. That is what the scientific method should teach us—being open to constant learning and questioning.

It is ironic that “nationalists” celebrate a major scientific feat but ignore scientific tenets itself. Would science have yielded such developments if self-proclaimed experts and “nationalists” prevented questioning so they “don’t be such a buzzkill!”?

The Dilemma of Resource Allocation

Beyond theoretical retorts, some consider space exploration as wasteful spending. After all, why should money be blasted into outer space when your neighbours sleep hungry, roads remain broken, and many economic crises persist?

There are some valid considerations against such a blanket statement, though. Other countries strive for success in outer space, so ignoring them could leave us behind. There is also the question of how much such competition even matters, but that is for another day.

The most sensible rebuttal is that spending is not an either/or thing. Focusing on space exploration does not mean social concerns are ignored. However, this point stands if it is enforced as such. It seems that currently, this allocation is guided by capitalist tenets. Funding is diverted to avenues that yield profit and not necessarily public good.

In part, the political public relations campaign that builds nationalism around Chandrayaan-3 could be propaganda that seeks to silence the common public’s demands to meet their more pressing needs.

These issues are even close to the heart of space exploration, with engineers at the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) being unpaid for 14-18 months despite assisting Chandrayaan-3.

Alternatively, critics raise questions about India’s other infrastructures that are underfunded and highly unsafe for workers. A prominent field in the discussion has been the sewer systems, where safety concerns are disregarded by governments as workers are left to die.

If it is possible to spend money across different sectors, why are some areas where the question is of life and death significantly underfunded?

How Capitalism and the Government Corrupt Science and Academics

The toxicities of capitalism don’t spare space and research. A full exploration of this connection is beyond the scope of this article, but a further critique of capitalism is necessary for more meaningful and productive funding in scientific endeavours, including space research and exploration.

Understanding and exploring space adds to scientific discussions around several concepts. Moreover, these developments can provide more accurate data about environmental considerations and other factors that influence the existence of our planet. Such work can guide decisions to enhance sustenance.

However, capitalist operations can subordinate those objectives by engaging in space research for avenues to exploit more resources and workers. After all, exploring the ‘New World’ was also done not for scientific or artistic endeavour but plunder.

Admittedly, this scepticism is not as vivid as in other interactions of capitalism with society. This string of thought merely seeks to inculcate a culture of healthy scepticism and is not villainizing scientists and engineers. In fact, these core cogs of the space industry are often exploited.

We must ensure that science is done for the sake of science, not profit or politics. A healthy critique of contemporary society needs to keep systems in check so that knowledge production remains honourable and is not subjugated by profit maximization or nationalism.

The Indian government has also created a culture that encroaches upon the academic space unethically in the name of nationalism. Often, it misuses laws to bully academics it disagrees with. These actions have resulted in academics resigning from institutions. Broadly, extremist nationalism and the resultant myopic views and security threats push highly educated people outside the country for safer living and more respectable employment.

Apart from encroachment, the Indian government has also been criticized for reducing funding for academic and scientific endeavours. It is noted that the government reduced funding for the Department of Space by 32% in the 2023-24 Union budget.

Despite these issues, the success of Chandrayaan-3 and other scientific achievements reinforce the possibilities in formerly “impossible” things. However, India requires an environment more conducive to education, research, funding, and safety should it want to maintain and enhance its scientific development and avoid losing skilled workers to other countries.

Pivoting Toward Meaningful Celebrations

In conclusion, India’s moon landing is indubitably an achievement to be proud of. However, it’s equally important to channel our appreciation not to the abstract idea of ‘India’ and definitely not to politicians but to the scientists, engineers, and workers who made it possible, and use this as an opportunity to call for increasing emphasis on developing and funding scientific and academic work.

If abstractions are to be used, they should celebrate cultures like the scientific method, openness to criticism, flexibility, and togetherness. We must take nationalism away from those who weaponize such achievements to silence dissenting voices.

At the very least, if one does not want to drop their abstract nationalism, they should be open to other ways of celebrating. It has barely been 48 hours since the news and “nationalist” pages, and individuals are already storming comment sections and profiles of those not celebrating the achievement. The “nationalist” reactions are not intended for logical debate but use only insults, misogynist threats, and identity-based slurs.

“Nationalists,” per usual, are not shying away from using communal slurs. In a comment thread where I noted that hating on those who do not celebrate Chandrayaan-3 is meaningless nationalism, critics replied by insulting my Muslim identity instead of being logical.

Establishing open, critical, and healthy ethics and discussions will truly celebrate these achievements, create cultures of scientific curiosity and unity, and build a future with even more potential.

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