logo
Moong Dal Halwa to Aamras, know what Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is carrying for Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission

Moong Dal Halwa to Aamras, know what Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is carrying for Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission

Hindustan Times08-06-2025
India is poised to make a historic return to space as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot and astronaut, will take off as a part of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission. He, along with three other astronauts, will leave from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA) on June 10 (IST 5.52pm) to the International Space Station (ISS) that they will dock in 28 hours (on June 11).
Back in the 39-year-old's hometown, Lucknow (UP), his family is praying for a successful mission, as it will make him the second Indian astronaut to pilot a spaceflight since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission. 'He has been quarantined for a fortnight now, but once a day, he joins us for a group call, as his wife, Dr Kamna Shubha Shukla, and five-year-old son, are with him in Florida. We are all so excited, but also very nervous,' says Shubhanshu's sister Suchi Shukla, a science teacher in Lucknow.
Suchi adds, 'He is very hopeful and wants this mission to motivate the upcoming generations. I have shifted into my parents' home for a few days and our eldest sister is also coming down from Noida so that all of us can cheer for him together.'
Shubhanshu is carrying a few Indian delicacies with him. 'He is carrying moong dal halwa, gajar ka halwa, aamras and rice. He is excited to share the delicacies with the other astronauts too. Since Indian food is high on spices, he wasn't getting the permission to carry them. But finally, they did allow a few varieties. He is a fitness-freak and highly into yoga so I am sure he will balance it,' says Suchi.
Shubhanshu's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, a retired government employee, tells us that a 'Satyanarayan Swami katha and a hawan' are being organised to pray for a successful mission. 'The entire family is praying for him and we are all very confident and positive. Ab darr nahin lag raha hai. We are happy that his name will go in history books,' he says. Shubhanshu's mum, Astha Shukla, adds, 'Woh khud bahut excited hai ki woh Bharat ke liye kuch naya karne jaa raha hai. Bas jaldi se mission khatam kar ke wapas aa jaaye.'
While he is not allowed to disclose the personal belongings he's carrying, Shubhanshu's sister feels her brother is 'carrying our photos'. She adds, 'He cannot disclose due to protocol. Once you take anything to space, it becomes a certified object that has travelled to space. So, he will bring those back and it will be memorabilia for us. We will only get to know what those things are once he's back.'
City Montessori School in Lucknow, Shubhanshu's alma mater, is celebrating the feat by organising a YyomNite carnival at its Kanpur Road branch. 'All the students and staff are electrified that our alumnus Shubhanshu is undertaking this extraordinary journey, carrying the hopes of 1.4 billion Indians with him. The research he does there will push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and will be used for the advancement and prosperity of humankind,' says school manager Prof Geeta Gandhi Kingdon.
They will live stream the event and the carnival will have exploration areas, space photoshoots, activity camp and mission control centre. His family members will also join the event.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Boy from state among five medallists at Paris Olympiad
Boy from state among five medallists at Paris Olympiad

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Boy from state among five medallists at Paris Olympiad

Mumbai: The Indian team won five medals —three gold, two silver—at the 55th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) held in Paris from July 18 to 24. The golden trio—Kanishk Jain (Pune), Snehil Jha (Jabalpur), and Riddhesh Bendale (Indore)—topped charts with their precision and brilliance, while Aagam Shah (Surat) and Rajit Gupta (Kota) claimed silver, ensuring India tied for 5th place globally with Taiwan, Japan, and Russia. There were 415 participants from 87 countries. They were guided by Prof Sitikantha Das (IIT Kharagpur) and Vinayak Katdare (Retd, DG Ruparel College), and supported by scientific observers Amruta Sadhu and Vivek Lohani. Over the years, Homi Bhabha Centre For Science Education's Olympiad cell trained India's brightest through rigorous camps and mentorship. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai

How many parents still pass the ‘screen test' in a gadget-driven world?
How many parents still pass the ‘screen test' in a gadget-driven world?

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

How many parents still pass the ‘screen test' in a gadget-driven world?

Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel During that much-delayed flight from Delhi to Kolkata earlier this month, a Bengali family travelling from Washington DC to spend a part of their son's summer holidays with his grandparents caught my eye. For the entire six-hour ordeal caused by a 'technical issue' that first kept us in the aircraft for two hours, then the bus for half an hour and then the terminal for another two hours, the child did not whine, get fidgety or, importantly, be pacified with a screen.A few decades ago, that would not have seemed comment-worthy. After all, we also returned from New York when I was about the same age as that little boy for sweaty summer holidays in Kolkata entailing multiple long flights and train journeys. Only, being fidgety never yielded dividends from my parents and there were no 'screen' gadgets to engross my mind either. But getting hours of exclusive time with Baba and Ma always meant engaging is precisely what that little Bengali NRI family did too, over 50 years after my own similar trips. Both parents took turns to hold the wide-eyed little fellow's attention and interest, with nary a recourse to either food or gadgets. There were stories and conversations about all sorts of things that a five- or six-year-old would find absorbing, including the "to-do" list for this visit to his parents' former hometown and the fun they had together in earlier trips and holidays.I was impressed enough to compliment the boy's parents on his exemplary behaviour. The parents laughed and said their son has been used to long trips ever since he was a baby as they love going on car journeys, both in India and the US. But there is more to it. These parents were also actually interested in engaging with their growing son rather than fobbing him off to the ministrations of technology, now considered an acceptable child management many parents today in our milieu relish the prospect of spending many hours with their children without falling back on screens? How many can or would like to tell stories, recount old family anecdotes or, indeed, be a child's first interactive encyclopaedia? Many, if not most, parents would much rather let a gadget do all that storytelling and information dispensing even if some do read to children at bedtime in the time-honoured tradition of western movies and week there was an alarming news story that a survey found American teenagers consider AI to be their best friends now, offering "non-judgemental" advice on everything from make-up and clothes to relationships and life choices. So, not only have parents been replaced by gadgets but besties too? Worse still, many of them averred that AI simply did their thinking for them. It is a terrifying and sad commentary on the growing isolation in 'advanced' because millions of Indians can now afford the same gadgets, we are also heading that way, letting machines become our children's prime information sources, anchors and sounding boards. How are values and broader cultural and social traditions being passed on? Obviously, they are not. Worst still, what do most parents do with all the time freed up by technology taking over their duties as nurturers of their progeny? Spend it on their own gadgets, of father bought a magnificent red-leather bound children's encyclopaedia for me when I was seven, which was a boon for those after-school hours in our New York penthouse after playtime in the park as TV watching was strictly regulated. But my parents remained the most inexhaustible founts of information and those long journeys to and from India were a bonanza of anecdotes and conversations. And seeing that NRI family reassured me that all is perhaps not lost!

Air India Jaipur-Mumbai flight makes U-turn 18 mins after take-off: What went wrong
Air India Jaipur-Mumbai flight makes U-turn 18 mins after take-off: What went wrong

Mint

time2 hours ago

  • Mint

Air India Jaipur-Mumbai flight makes U-turn 18 mins after take-off: What went wrong

An Air India flight from Jaipur to Mumbai made an emergency return shortly after takeoff on Friday. Flight AI612 returned to Jaipur International Airport due to a 'suspected technical issue', officials confirmed. The aircraft was airborne for about 18 minutes before returning to Jaipur. "Flight AI612 operating from Jaipur to Mumbai returned to Jaipur shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue,' Air India said in a statement. Airline officials confirmed that the decision to return was made as a precautionary measure to ensure passenger safety. Air India further emphasised that passenger safety is the airline's top priority. This swift action aligns with standard aviation safety protocols when potential issues are detected, PTI reported. Upon landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked for any potential issues. Air India further revealed that 'troubleshooting checks were carried out, and it was determined to be a false indication'. Following the thorough inspection, the aircraft was cleared for operations. Once the protocols were fulfilled, the flight departed from Jaipur and continued its journey to Mumbai, the news agency reported. This comes just two days after a Doha-bound Air India Express flight was forced to return to Calicut International Airport on Wednesday morning, approximately two hours after its departure, owing to a technical fault in the aircraft's cabin AC. According to official data, a total of five Indian airlines reported 183 technical defects in their aircraft to the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) this year until July 21. Air India and Air India Express together have reported 85 technical defects, respectively, the data shows.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store