Rockets are vehicles for delivery of useful or destructive payloads to pre-determined destinations and they invariably get destroyed in the process. In a very limited sense they are almost like the suicide bombers who sacrifice their lives for the 'success' of some others' objectives, which they are brainwashed to believe in. Rocketry relates to the technology of rockets and we can define 'social rocketry' as the art (or science) of using someone to achieve the objective of someone else. Such objectives can be purely selfish or for a community or even for the success of an ideology. Skilful use of social rocketry is fast developing as a desirable trait among aspiring leaders in every nation and community. Using others has always been a familiar ploy in history but some people becoming voluntary vehicle for others is a new phenomenon. The amount of sophistication involved becomes very clear when we note (with concern) the fact that many of those who become 'rockets' are neither uneducated nor ordinary mortals. Social rocketry is taking its toll and even the infallible are succumbing to its latest techniques. 

Food chain and social linkages are inalienable facets of our existence. None of us alive can survive of our own in this universe. We are all dependent on others and we need other species to survive to ensure our own survival. The underlying logic of any conservation measure is essentially selfish and we are just ensuring that we or our own species survive in the long run. But the interdependency required in all such natural phenomena is mutual and respect for each other facilitates the survival process. It is quite different in the case of social rocketry. Just like a rocket which is created for delivering a warhead or a satellite, the individual(s) or ideology is got ready for the purpose. There is no request, approval or understanding involved in this. The social vehicle which will get destroyed in the exercise is trapped into use without any scruples.

By Individuals

Individuals who are adept in social rocketry are also called climbers. They use others to get what they want. Seldom do they care about what happens to the 'social rockets' they use. For achieving their own legitimate or illegitimate goals, they destroy the lives and careers of many others. To a very great extent the political phenomenon of 'sonrise' prevalent in the Indian Sub-continent involves very sophisticated use of social rocketry. Many of the rockets used here are volunteers obliged to the Family for one reason or another. The importance of relationships and obligations are too strong in the Sub-continent and hence we find the instances of 'sonrise' also high here. It is very difficult to find such obligations and kinship among the Europeans and Americans. For them, merit and expertise become the determining factors and that is what is giving an upper hand to the professionals from these areas. So many undeserving candidates are launched onto the ruling stage by social rocketry in India that we find the complete lack of commitment and expertise at the very top. 

By Ideologies

Much more dangerous is the social rocketry involving ideologies. The classic example in our times is the use of Communist ideology by various religious ideologies to establish themselves in many countries. Liberation theology and Brotherhoods, which claim to stress on equality and socialism, are all indulging in social rocketry by using Communism as their vehicle to capture power. Communism being inherently weak and incomplete becomes a natural choice for these poaching ideological variants. The proponents of such mutated religious ideologies are so clever that they easily trap many declining communists to become their 'suicide bombers' for propagation. Only a very few of them will even survive to realise that they have been used. It would be malapropos to name the individuals and organisations, but many of the erstwhile Naxal movements, terrorist groups and farmers' organisations becoming active proselytisation agencies in India are classic examples of this.