BU Felicitated Moon Hero
“There are a lot of achievements that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made over the years. But, most of them have remained in the backstage. Chandrayaan – 1 has given us the opportunity to bring out our achievements,” Project Director of Chandrayaan – 1 M. Annadurai said here on Friday. He was speaking at a felicitation function organised by Bharathiar University to honour him for the success of the moon mission. He said that after 12 failed attempts Chandrayaan – 1 was the 13th attempt that had succeeded. “It is a symbol of team spirit,” he said. Terming Chandrayaan – 1 as the first step, he promised that there would be many more steps. “Now that Chandrayaan – 1 is completed, we are already finalising Chandrayaan – 2. There will be more moon missions.”
Accepting the honour bestowed on him by the university, he said he did not consider such felicitations as a celebration of his accomplishments, but as opportunities to tell people about forthcoming endeavours. “We planned the landing on November 14 to commemorate Children’s Day. It was our team’s gift to the children of India.”
Mr. Annadurai also commissioned the Campus Wide Networking. The networking, costing Rs. 53 lakh, would connect the 1,200-odd computers in the university. “The university has tied up for Rs. 11.5 lakh worth downloads a year. Students will be able to use unlimited downloads. As a second phase, the hostels of the students will also be connected and will be made total Wi-Fi,” Registrar P. Thirumalvalavan said.
Felicitating Mr. Annadurai, Vice-Chancellor G. Thiruvasagam invited him to be a visiting scientist at the DRDO-BU Centre for Life Sciences. “Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has agreed to be one. We will be very happy if Mr. Annadurai too agrees to become one”. T. Veluchamy, Syndicate Member of the university, K. Natarajan, Head, Department of Chemistry, and V. Selvarajan, Director, Research and Development Centre of the university, offered felicitations. Mr. Annadurai interacted with student and faculty representatives drawn from the university and the affiliated colleges.
