Chandrayaan-3, ‘the gestalt of India’s association with sky and space’, and Article 51A(h)

Is a healthy reverence between science and mythology possible without mixing the two? The Leaflet asks scientists and rationalists in light of the recent NCERT modules on Chandrayaan-3 that talk Pushpak Vimaans and Vymaanika Shastras.

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THE Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan launched 10 special modules on the Chandrayaan-3 mission on October 17.

The modules, developed by National Council for Education and Research Training (NCERT), seek to give an overview of  "scientific, technological, and social aspects, as well as the emotional journey and team spirit of the scientists involved".

NCERT is an organisation set up to assist and advise the Union and state governments on policies and programmes related to school education.

The controversy

The contents of the 10 modules are designed to cover classes I–XII of school education and have been released in English and Hindi languages.

According to the module, the scientific exploration of Chandrayaan-3 can be traced to the past. "Did this scientific exploration happen only now? Didn't it happen in the past? Didn't people in the past think about this?" the text asks.

The module claims that Vymaanika Shastra or the science of aeronautics, an ancient Sanskrit text, contains "flying objects" with details of construction, the working of engines and the gyroscopic systems.