Hours after The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO's) Moon mission landed on the lunar surface, desi social media users dug up the old, controversial cartoon published by New York Times (NYT) following India’s budget mission to Mars, Mangalyaan, in 2014.
#Chandrayaan3Landing #Chandrayaan3 #ISRO #Mangalyaan #NYT #NYTCartoon #NYTControversialCartoon #NYTRascistCartoon
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#Chandrayaan3Landing #Chandrayaan3 #ISRO #Mangalyaan #NYT #NYTCartoon #NYTControversialCartoon #NYTRascistCartoon
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hours after the Indian space research organisation's moon mission landed on the lunar surface,
00:06 desi social media users dug up the old controversial cartoon published by New York Times following
00:11 India's budget mission to Mars, Mangalyaan, in 2014.
00:15 As the social media platforms were inundated with congratulatory messages, a segment of
00:19 the online community swiftly criticised the golder cartoon that had been featured in NYT
00:24 back in 2014.
00:25 So, why are netizens slamming the old NYT cartoon?
00:30 The cartoon showed a moustached Indian man clad in a turban and dhoti along with a cow
00:35 knocking at the door of a room with two Englishmen clad in tuxedos and reading a paper with the
00:39 headline 'India's Mars Mission'.
00:42 The room had the words 'Elite Space Club' printed on the windowpane.
00:46 The cartoon was widely criticised as racist and mocking India's achievements.
00:50 The newspaper had later issued an apology.
00:52 For those who may not be familiar, a significant outcry ensued subsequent to the publication
00:57 of this cartoon created by Heng Kim Song.
00:59 Many individuals promptly pointed out how ISRO's successful Chandrayaan-3 mission served
01:04 as a powerful response to the offensive cartoon.
01:06 India's Mars mission, also known as Mangalyaan, effectively inserted a robotic probe into
01:10 Mars orbit last month with a total expenditure of Rs 4.5 billion.
01:14 The mission stands as one of the most cost-efficient interplanetary space endeavours ever conducted.
01:19 Notably, this accomplishment gains further significance considering that only the US,
01:23 Russia and Europe had previously achieved Mars missions, making India's successful
01:27 inaugural attempt particularly remarkable.
01:30 Andrew Rosenthal, the editorial page editor of the New York Times, clarified that the
01:34 cartoonist's intention was to underscore how space exploration is no longer confined
01:38 to affluent Western nations.
01:40 Rosenthal emphasised that the cartoon was never intended to demean India, its government
01:45 or its populace.
01:46 Many prominent Indians criticised the cartoon.
01:49 For instance, Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO of Ed Livies AMC, wrote that India could fail
01:54 but it also rises.
01:56 This comic strip on the left was published by the same group that wrote the article on
01:59 the right.
02:00 She said in a post that had images of the old cartoon and the headlines of New York
02:03 Times article on Chandrayaan-3's landing.
02:06 Entrepreneur and investor Kunal Bal, who shared the original NYT cartoon along with Times
02:10 of India's rebuttal by cartoonist Sandeep Adhavaryu that showed a group of well-dressed
02:15 men with rockets knocking on the door of the same elite space clubs that now has a
02:19 mustachioed Indian man in a turban and dhoti along with a cow reading a newspaper.
02:23 While the original TOI cartoon showed the Indian man reading the newspaper with the
02:27 headline "India launches record 104 satellites", the cartoon that Bal shared had the headline
02:31 "India first to land near South Pole of Moon".
02:35 Senior VP at Kotak International, Prasad Subramaniam, shared the cartoon along with a snippet of
02:39 a new New York Times article that called Chandrayaan-3's achievements "even sweeter".
02:44 "Life comes full circle," said Subramaniam.
02:47 Many others shared the sentiment, calling out New York Times for its disparaging cartoon.
02:52 Watch here.
02:52 [music]