Babies born on day of conquering Moon named after ‘Chandrayaan' in Odisha

Several babies born in Odisha's Kendrapara district shortly after India's Moon mission reached the surface of the Earth's natural satellite were named after ‘Chandrayaan'. At least four babies, three boys and a girl, who were born in the Kendrapara district hospital here on Wednesday evening were named so by their overwhelmed parents.

"It was a double delight. Our baby was born a few minutes after the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon. We have decided to name the child after the lunar mission," said Pravat Mallick, father of one of those four babies. The local tradition is to name a baby on the 21st day of the birth after a puja. Mallick's wife Ranu, a resident of Aripada village who gave birth to a son, said elders will be suggested to name the baby boy after Chandrayaan.

She said that the child's name may also be “Chandra” or “Luna” as Chandrayaan means a vehicle to the Moon. "Chandrayaan, however, is a stylish name. We will take a final decision on the 21st day puja," the mother smiled. "There's also a moon mark on the neck of my baby. This is also sufficient to conclude that the child is blessed by ‘Chandra Bhagaban,'" Ranu said.

Durga Mandal of Talachua village, Joshnyarani Bal of Nilakanthapur and Bebina Sethi of Angulei village also delivered babies on Wednesday evening. While Durga's baby is a girl, the two others are boys. Anjana Sahoo, head nurse at Kendrapara government hospital, said,"All new mothers are interested in naming their children after Chandrayaan." She recalled that several babies were named after cyclones that hit the coastal district in the past.

Additional District Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr P K Praharaj, said the parents feel privileged as their children were born at the country's historic moment. Praharaj added the child is considered lucky as he came to the earth at a time when Chandrayaan landed on the moon. "The boy and Chandrayaan made landing at the same time respectively on earth and moon," he said.