I remember when in 2012, the then PM of India had declared this project. The entire internet community came together to deride this, saying it's not possible in a couple of years and that India had better feed its hungry etc. I am a very proud Indian today. This achievement, like other by humanity (LHC in particular), will encourage me to push myself towards greatness.
I wouldn't call some bored internet-addicted teens and college cynics "the entire internet community." Just because some opinion is upvoted on sites like reddit, doesn't mean its some sample of the general population or the general internet population. College identity politics and extreme political correctness rules the internet, because that's the politics of those who spend the most time on the internet posting opinions. Its not a mainstream view, in my experience. I think you'll find a lot of ISRO fandom and well-wishers out here. The idea that the developing world shouldn't be performing "great works" is asinine and anti-progress.
Unfortunately, acting cynical and world-weary is going to be popular with young people because it imitates wisdom, but imo, its probably the worst attitude a young person can have. If you're not enthused and motivated you're just not going to be accomplishing anything. I often need to aggressively park my inner critic and gen-x "who cares" or "that's stupid" attitudes. These attitudes been a huge disservice to me my whole life. When I see others engaging in this type of cynicism, I really do pity them because life has so much to offer if you look at it the right way.
>I am a very proud Indian today.
You guys should be proud. This is an incredible achievement, especially when you consider the cost and difficulty of the mission.