Chandrayaan-3 success sparks celebrations on social media

NEW DELHI: "Rakhi came early this year. 'Bharat Mata' just tied rakhi to Chanda mama" -- was among the varied expressions used by netizens to describe the historic moment when the Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon.

#Chandrayaan3 was among the top trends on X as India scripted history on Wednesday to become the fourth country after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon, sparking celebrations across the country and on social media.

Comprising the lander (Vikram) and the rover (Pragyan), the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole at 6.04 pm, propelling the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface.

Social media users posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to express their joy at the accomplishment, complementing the celebratory mood of the nation.

Ambassadors, film stars and cricketers joined the bandwagon to celebrate the feat.

Quoting from the popular song "Chaand Taare Tod Laaoon" from his 1997 film "Yes Boss", actor Shah Rukh Khan said the day belongs to India and ISRO.

"Congratulations to all the scientists and engineers ... the whole team which has made India so proud. Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon," the "Pathaan" star said on X.

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov posted on X and shared an image of the Moon.

"'Badhai ho, Bharat'. A historic triumph unfolds as Chandrayaan-3 lands flawlessly on the Moon's south pole! Humanity's quest for space exploration takes a monumental leap forward. Kudos to the brilliant minds behind this remarkable feat!," he said.

The mood among netizens was upbeat since before the historic landing, with #IndiaOnTheMoon and #VikramLander joining #Chandrayaan3 among the top trends on X.

#NASA and #ChandMubarak (in Hindi) also trended on the microblogging site while ISRO's live telecast of the Moon landing drew 5.7 crore views on its YouTube channel.

No country had ever landed a rover on the treacherous south pole that scientists believe may hold important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft, which was headed to the lunar south pole weeks after the launch of the Indian mission on July 14 crashed into the Moon on Sunday after spinning out of control.

Dairy major Amul's ad to mark the achievement features the iconic Amul girl celebrating with taglines that included, "Moon meetha karo … For launch and dinner", "Chanda apna lehrayega! … Make space for it!" and "Chaar chaand lag gaye! … Over the moon".

The Indian Air Force joined the entire nation in congratulating Team ISRO for its success with Chandrayaan-3 and said, "Looking forward to Gaganyaan soon." An X user, who uses the name 'sphinx', posted, "Was in flight. Pilot comes online. 'Chandrayan has Landed' … Entire flight starts clapping." The netizen further stated, "I don't know of any other country that celebrates tech like India does. That's a win." Many users on social media shared images of how people had gathered in front of screens at railway stations, malls and other public places to catch ISRO's live broadcast of the lunar mission landing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the scientists gathered at ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network virtually.

"India is now on the moon and now is the time to walk on the 'Chandra Path' of victory," Modi said.

He said all the myths and stories related to the Moon will now change and the proverbs will find new meaning for the new generation. Modi recalled that in Indian folklore, the Earth is considered 'maa (mother)' and the Moon as 'mama (uncle)'.

"The Moon was also considered very distant and referred to as 'Chanda mama dur ke', but the time is not far when the children would say 'Chanda mama ek tour ke' e the Moon is only a tour away," the prime minister said.