CM Sai pays tribute to Dr. Vikram Sarabhai on birth anniversary
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On the birth anniversary of the man who put India on the global space map, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai offered a respectful tribute to Dr. Vikram Sarabhai on 12 August 2026, honouring the physicist whose vision gave birth to organised space science in India.
In his post, CM Sai wrote — 'भारतीय अंतरिक्ष विज्ञान कार्यक्रम के जनक, महान वैज्ञानिक डॉ. विक्रम साराभाई जी की जयंती पर उन्हें सादर नमन' — 'Respectful salutations to the great scientist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space science programme, on his birth anniversary.' He noted that from the founding of ISRO to satellite launches, Sarabhai's efforts secured India a distinct place on the global space map, and that his foresight would continue to inspire the country's youth.
The scientist who built India's launchpad
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai was a pioneering physicist who argued, at a time when the idea seemed audacious, that a developing nation had every reason to invest in space technology. He founded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969 and served as its first chairman, laying the institutional and scientific foundations that would eventually carry Indian satellites and missions into orbit. His conviction was simple and radical: space science was not a luxury — it was a tool for national development.
Every 12 August, India's political leadership across party lines marks Sarabhai's birth anniversary with public tributes. The annual cadence reflects a broad consensus that his legacy belongs not to any one government but to the nation's scientific identity itself.