21 Oct 08 India launches Chandrayaan 1 on mission to the moon – unmanned without a bus driver…

Well, this breaking news about Chandrayaan 1 being launched in India moments from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Indiaago by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is kind of close to my heart. Sure, I’m German but I do have half my roots in India. So I’ve been proud, impressed (and concerned) by the domination of India in the IT marketspace (16% of the global IT outsourcing industry about 3 years ago)…

Pushing Chandrayaan 1 into space on a mission to the moon – unmanned, without the proverbial busdriver that is the unfortunate moniker often attributed to astronauts, is quite the leap forward.

The question is… how will this help India as a nation? The promise of the IT and general technology boom in India as an overall paradigm shift remains to be proven. Sure, there is more “new money” than ever, and Lamborghini Gallardos, Diablos and similar grotesque exhibits of ultra-wealth have made their way to Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi… but what about the 99.9% of the ROI (rest of india) who still live in the worst possible situations of ubiquitous poverty ?