Desk: Two simple computer engineering student sisters, Puja Roy and Pratima Roy, interning at NASA Glenn Research Centre, have ignited the entire left-led ecosystem and caused a lot of heartburn among Hinduphobic Indians and foreigners.
And all this just because their photos have lots of pictures and idols of Hindu gods and goddesses visible around them.
The photo was shared by none other than Kathy Lueders, who leads NASA’s human spaceflight program as its Associate Administrator of Human Exploration and Operations Missions Directorate.
Kathy and others at NASA did not find anything amiss. But, there were a lot of woke and self-hating Indians who expressed their surprise at NASA selecting such Hinduism-professing and god-loving sisters as their interns.
There were some who thought that showing the interns with Hindu gods in the photo was promoting “the crazy, radical right wing hindu fundamentalism”. They even thought that ‘this is not setting an example for anyone but the religious bigots.”
On the other hand there were some who launched an attack on Hinduism itself, showing their Hinduphobic thoughts and misplaced reasoning.
Puja Roy is an intern at NASA Glenn Research Center and a sophomore at New York City College of Technology majoring in Computer Engineering Technology.
She has been interning remotely at NASA Glenn Research Center since Fall 2020.
On the other hand, her sister Pratima Roy is an intern at NASA Glenn Research Center and a senior at New York City College of Technology majoring in Computer Engineering Technology.
She is a Computer Engineering Student studying at CUNY New York City College of Technology.
Hinduism has been known for its legacy of nurturing science and enquiry.
And most of scientific and mathematical discoveries made in India are deeply embedded in Hinduism and its deities, starting from zero to calculus to Ayurveda to Yoga to even what is now known as Pythagoras theorem (in Sulbas-sutra).
Even the famous mathematician Ramanujan, in the film “The man who knew infinity” based on his life, is shown as saying – “an equation to me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God.”
However, the people accustomed to accepting Abrahmic concept of God, who somehow is always depicted as being angry and smirky, irritable and irascible, as well as those who feel it necessary to refute the same concept of God, like atheists in West, find it very difficult to reconcile with Indian scientists’ and mathematicians’ love for deities and religious philosophy.
There are many who feel that this stems from their ignorance and lack of understanding about two completely different premises and completely different takes on god, faith and religion.
Even ISRO scientists are known for loving deities and worshipping gods and goddesses by visiting temples before every important mission.
While scientists themselves are unfazed by those who laugh at them, there are many who feel that they show their lack of scientific temperament by worshipping deities.
Even those who would find it difficult to explain moment of inertia or differentiate between enthalpy and entropy find it easy to shoot mocking memes at ISRO chiefs just because they worship deities and visit mandirs.
Despite the photo of the two sisters with deities and idols triggering a lot of Hinduphobia, there were many from India and other countries who actually reacted with admiration.
Some represent hope, positivity and a promise to continue inching forward despite blatant Hindu-hate too.
