A boy once nervous about his maths score is now on star trek; My heart raced during countdown, says Shubhanshu Shukla's mother
Shubhanshu Shukla
exclaimed "Kya kamaal ki ride thi!" 10 minutes into his historic journey to space Wednesday, his maths teacher and mentor in school, Nageshwar Prasad Shukla, would have read more into it than what 1.4 billion-odd other proud Indians did.
This was a boy so low on confidence after his Class XII pre-boards in 2002 that he feared telling his parents how much he had scored in maths.
"One evening, he returned home after playing football and saw my bike parked outside. He entered his home looking nervous, having assumed that I was there to complain to his parents about his exam scores," recalled Nageshwar, who taught Shubhanshu at City Montessori School in Lucknow's Aliganj.
As the excitement of Shubhanshu's "ride" from Aliganj to Axiom-4 coursed through his hometown, Nageshwar was among those celebrating not just a momentous achievement but also a triumph of spirit. "After his below-par performance, I motivated him to start afresh. He worked hard, delivered and made us all proud in the board exams. As they say, the rest is history," the teacher said.
At the CMS auditorium on Shubhanshu's biggest day, his parents Shambhu Dayal and Asha Shukla sat in the front row, eyes fixed on the screen.
The 12.01pm lift-off from Kennedy Space Center broke the silence in the room.
Amid chants of "Hip Hip Hurray", a section of the audience leapt off their seats to do an impromptu bhangra.
"In a single moment, I experienced pride, joy and tears," Shambhu Dayal said. "Shubhanshu has always been focused, disciplined and deeply patriotic. Today, as he flies into space, I see the reward of years of dedication. It's not just his achievement; it belongs to the entire nation."
The astronaut's mother said all she would be doing throughout the mission is pray for her son's safe return. "My heart raced during the countdown. My son has taken our blessings with him on his voyage to space. I know he will be successful," said Asha.
Shubhanshu's sister Nidhi said seeing the spacecraft "disappear into the sky" left her overwhelmed. "Years of hard work have paid off. Now, all I want is for my brother to return safely so that I can give him a tight hug."
Niece Vaishnavi and nephew Nimay said they looked up to their "mama" as a "superhero" for whom no horizon was far enough to explore. "Today, world saw what we have known all along," said Nimay.
Among those who watched the local boy's space voyage were teachers and alumni of CMS. "It wasn't just a mission launch, but history being created in front of us. As the rocket lifted off, I had goosebumps. Someone from our city was reaching for the stars. That moment made us believe that dreams, no matter how distant, are within reach," said Akriti Ahluwalia, one of the happy faces in the audience.
Uttar Pradesh chief miniser Yogi Adityanath wrote on X, "A proud moment for India! Heartiest congratulations to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the Mission Pilot of Axiom 4 Mission, on this historic achievement (sic)."
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