Inspiring a new generation of astronauts

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0530

Growing up in the early 2000s, the stories of astronauts Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, and Sunita Williams (an American astronaut of Indian origin) were woven into my childhood textbooks. Later, as a teenager, I discovered Ravish Malhotra, another pioneer whose name deserved wider recognition but never received it. After these icons, there has been a long gap. An entire generation of children grew up without any Indian launching into space. The sense of scientific pride associated with human spaceflight faded over the years, even as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved remarkable success in uncrewed missions, placing satellites and equipment into orbit.

Saddam Hussein’s statue in Firdos Square

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0530

In April 2003, Iraqi civilians toppled Saddam Hussein’s statue in Firdos Square, Baghdad. It was one of the many statues around Iraq that were getting destroyed after the fall of Hussein’s 23-year rule. Erected only a year before, in 2002, to celebrate Hussein’s birthday, the statue was just one of the thousands of portraits that reflected his personality cult. Even the Iraqi currency featured his face at the time. United States government officials and journalists claimed the statue’s fall symbolised victory for the US.

August on The Field Blog

Inspiring a new generation of astronauts

Saddam Hussein’s statue in Firdos Square