Putting India on the map and inspiring millions: Here's the best pick for Indian of 2014

Uniting Indians across caste, creed and age, inspiring the imaginations of millions, awakening the country to the possibility of what can be achieved with hard work, perseverance, determination and creativity, and firmly establishing India as a global force to be reckoned with, 2014 was undoubtedly the year of the big ‘M’. And no, I’m not talking about our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. While many other publications will honour his weighty achievements, I want to acknowledge the magnificence of that other M: Mangalyaan. I pick India’s Mars orbiter Mission (fondly known as MoM) as person of the year. Here’s why: 1. Mangalyaan is not ‘polarising’

Lets face it. Loudly declaring your support for Mangalyaan is not going to start an argument in a crowded room. It doesn’t pit best friends against each other, or see husbands and wives suddenly opting to sleep in different rooms. Saying you think Mangalyaan is the best thing for India right now is not going to result in your friends telling you that you are for a particular community or against another. And even better, a conversation on Mangalyaan will not generate  screaming matches on prime time television, outraged anchors, or ugly allegations and counter allegations. Bliss. We can all agree in fact, that Mangalyaan is Mar(s)verlous. Look at the stats: the first ever Mars mission to be launched successfully on its maiden attempt, the only mission from all of Asia to successfully reach Martian orbit and only the 22nd of 52 missions to reach its target. With a track record like that, who is going to argue against Mangalyaan? The only feeling it truly inspires is pride. 2. Mangalyaan promotes national unity and integration

Sanghi Chaddis and Sickulars unite! Jholawalas and hawks hold hands! Now tell MoM how much you love her. In fact look at the array of people following Mangalyaan on Twitter - Arvind Kejriwal, PIB India, former army chief General VK Singh and MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin… ideologies may divide, but MoM unites! Mangalyaan has shown us that there is more to being Indian than fighting ideological wars over who is an Indian, true patriot etc etc. In fact it has shown all us warring desis that by working together, there is much we can achieve - if only we would apply ourselves. After all there are no politics in space… yet. 3. Mangalyaan’s is the ultimate global ambassador No need for handshakes, photo-ops, elaborate state dinners or rock star like political performances at concert venues. Mangalyaan effectively blasted India on to the global stage and made sure that everyone around knew it was now a force to be reckoned with. All that bantering with the Mars Rover on Twitter didn’t hurt either, showing the world that India is not just an astro-geek but also the coolest kid in the outerspace classroom. Although much decried, a New York Times cartoon pretty much summed up exactly what Mangalyaan had done. It showed an Indian farmer, leading a cow and knocking on the door of what looked like an exclusive gentlemans club, with countries like the US, France and EU snootily smoking cigars. The message was clear. You may have preconceived notions of what India is - a poor and backward country - but look where it is now. Ignore it at your peril. This kind of message is worth a thousand diplomatic visits - even if they are roundly accepted as being successful. Although such trips end up in goodies like diplomatic goodwill and lucrative treaties, Mangalyaan has got India something equally valuable - respect. 4. It is a testimony to India’s best quality - jugaad One of the primary reasons that Mangalyaan grabbed as much attention as it did was because of the insanely low pricetag attached to the mission. MoM literally cost millions and millions dollars less than any other successful mission launched to the red planet to date. And what was behind it? Why Jugaad of course! Adaptive engineering at its best. When people poh-pooh Indian ingenuity, we can now point them towards MoM. 5. It works silently and efficiently We’re not going to lie. This is our favourite MoM quality and was strongly responsible for swinging the vote in Mangalyaan’s favour. Apart from a few tweets that have been both endearing and informative, Mangalyaan has been mostly been working really quietly and efficiently, taking photographs and gathering data. Maximum work, minimum fuss. No long drawn out speeches, no political rallies, no pointless photo ops. Now if only our politicians followed the Mangalyaan model!