New York: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., has added a saree worn by an Indian space scientist to one of its exhibits, marking a significant recognition of India's achievements in space exploration. The saree, worn by Nandini Harinath during a defining moment of India's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), is now displayed alongside globally recognized aviation and space exploration artifacts.
The museum described the garment as "a vibrant red and blue sari with intricate patterns" and shared photographs and video footage of the display, featuring a mannequin dressed in the outfit.
"One of India's 'Rocket Women,” Nandini Harinath helped her country reach Mars. She wore this saree to work the day the Indian Space Research Organization's spacecraft successfully left Earth's orbit and began its 300-day journey to Mars. As a rocket scientist and the Mars Orbiter Mission's deputy operations director, Harinath was integral to mission planning and operations. Far exceeding its mission of six to 10 months, the spacecraft spent eight years in orbit, documenting Mars' surface and atmosphere," the post was captioned.
The Smithsonian exhibit has drawn praise online, with many social media users calling the saree's inclusion a powerful symbol of India's scientific progress and the visibility of women in STEM fields.
Born and raised in India, Harinath comes from a family rooted in academics and engineering. Her mother worked as a mathematics teacher, while her father was an engineer. Before joining the Indian Space Research Organization, she completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in engineering.
Over a career spanning more than two decades, Harinath has contributed to over 14 missions at ISRO. Reflecting on her work in an earlier interview, she said that every mission feels like the most important one while working on it.
She credits Star Trek and Apollo 13 for sparking her interest in space.
