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.