NEW DELHI ¨C In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars¡¯ orbit and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt,
The New York Times published a cartoon. Well-fed Westerners lounged inside a house labeled ¡°Elite Space Club,¡± while India, represented by a turbaned peasant with a cow in tow, knocked on the door. It was a patronizing and racist image and it triggered a furor in India.
Now, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has made India the first country to land a lunar rover on the moon¡¯s south pole and a new cartoon began making the rounds. This time, the peasant and his cow are inside the house, now labeled ¡°Moon South Pole,¡± while Americans, Russians and others line up at the door, rockets in hand, to request admission.
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