Recently, after the ISRO had lost contact with the Vikram lander which was supposed to make a soft landing on the South Polar region of the moon, the image of Dr K Sivan, ISRO Chief, in tears moved almost every Indian and it was a heartbreaking moment for the entire country. The events were keenly watched by Prime Minister Modi at ISRO headquarters in Bangalore and when the events took a turn for the worse, Prime Minister Modi displayed his leadership qualities and handled the situation with grace and poise. From his impromptu speech to his hug which consoled Dr Sivan, the Prime Minister completely took charge of an emotionally charged event and motivated the ISRO scientists and asserted that India will create history sooner rather than later. The image of PM Modi hugging and consoling Dr. Sivan had made the latter an internet sensation on account of his dedication and firm commitment towards the country’s Space programme in general and the Chandrayaan-2 in particular. While even some of PM Modi’s fierce critics had come out showering PM Modi and Dr. Sivan after this episode, some left-liberals made unsavoury and bitter comments about the ISRO chief. While some of these left-liberals tried to label this incident as a publicity stunt staged by PM Modi, others criticised Dr. Sivan for breaking down.
An old video clip has gone viral on the internet following which Dr. Sivan is once again winning hearts on social media. In this video, a Sun News interviewer asked ISRO chief, “As a Tamil, having attained a big position, what do you want to say to the people of Tamil Nadu? To this, Dr. Sivan gives an epic reply stating, “First of all, I am an Indian. I joined ISRO as an Indian. ISRO is a place where people from all regions and languages work and contribute. But I am grateful to my brothers who celebrate me.” The interview was taken by Sun News in January 2018. The manner in which the ISRO chief, Dr K Sivan affirmed his national identity and also strongly asserted that his national identity is more important than his regional identity, has earned him even more respect among the countrymen. In fact, several people took to Twitter praising him for giving primacy to his national identity over regional identity.
https://twitter.com/Ethirajans/status/1171227749760954368
This old video has reaffirmed the fact that Dr. Sivan is a man of integrity and character. It is not only his excellent leadership skills and academic prowess, but also his humble demeanour and dedication towards the nation’s cause that have made him a household name. The manner in which he made it clear that his national identity transcends everything else is the reason why those who made unsavoury remarks about him and criticised him will really never be half the man that Dr. Sivan is.