Latest news with #Indo-Soviet
NDTV
29-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
"Saare Jahan Se" To "Bharat Mata Ki Jai": 2 PMs, 2 Astronauts 41 Years Apart
New Delhi: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, speaking from the International Space Station (ISS), looked down upon the subcontinent and said, " Jab pehli baar Bharat ko dekha, Bharat sach mein bohat bhavya dikhta hain." (When I first saw India, it looked truly grand.) It sent goosebumps down the spines of a billion citizens. More than that, it echoed across four decades of Indian space history. Because India had heard something like it before. Back in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, had answered Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's now-historic question, " Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai aapko?" (How does India look from up there?) with words that would etch themselves into the Indian psyche forever. " Saare Jahan Se Achcha."(Better than the entire world.) Rakesh Sharma And Indira Gandhi In April 1984, aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 7, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space as part of a joint Indo-Soviet mission. When Indira Gandhi asked how the view from space was, Mr Sharma's reply wasn't rehearsed. " Ji main bina jhijhak ke keh sakta hu, saare jahan se accha." (I can say this without hesitation, 'better than the whole world.) He had recited the line from Allama Iqbal's famous patriotic song. The moment became a historical bookmark in India's post-Independence imagination. Every schoolchild learned about it. Every aspiring scientist saw new horizons. Shubhanshu Shukla And Narendra Modi Fast forward to June 2025. The world has changed. So has India. No longer only a spacefaring hopeful, India is now building its own human spaceflight programme, planning its Bhartiya Antariksha Station, and setting its sights on the Moon. And now, aboard the ISS, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot, became the first Indian to reach the ISS. In an 18-minute video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he reflected on the moment that had brought him there. "From here, you don't see borders. You see one Earth," Mr Shukla told PM Modi. "India looks huge from here, bigger than on any map." PM Modi said, "Today you are farthest from the motherland but closest to the hearts of 140 crore Indians." The two discussed everything from microgravity to meditation. Shukla described how small tasks like drinking water or sleeping become difficult. He had to tie his feet to keep from drifting during their call. There were jokes too, about carrot and moong dal halwa floating in microgravity, shared among international colleagues aboard the station. "Everyone liked it very much," Mr Shukla said. "They want to visit India someday." At last, Mr Shukla declared, "This is not just my achievement. This is a collective leap for our country." And ended with, " Bharat Mata ki Jai." Now, Shubhanshu Shukla floats in the vast stillness of orbit, with the Tiranga affixed beside him.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Space travel alters worldview, makes clear planet belongs to everyone: India's first spaceman Rakesh Sharma
NEW DELHI: At a time when Indian astronaut is in space as part of the Axiom-4 mission, India's first spaceman , who went there as part of the Indo-Soviet space programme in 1984, has said that space travel alters the mindset of humans and makes them see the world from a perspective that 'this planet belongs to everyone' and is 'not the sole preserve' of anyone. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'We really need to preserve what we have, which means we need to end conflicts, we need to forget about our weapons, we need to forget about confrontation and we need to start collaborating instead,' he said in a recorded podcast shared by ministry of defence on the day India returned to space after 41 years. After more than a year-long training in the erstwhile USSR, Sharma, an IAF test pilot, was launched into space along with two Russian cosmonauts, where he spent over a week in orbit on the Salyut-7 space station in 1984. 'Because I was a test pilot when the selection happened… that time I was young, I was fit, and I had the qualification, so I was lucky enough to have been chosen. Then, after selection, we moved to Star City, just outside Moscow, for our training. The training went on for 18 months and culminated in the Indo-Soviet spaceflight in 1984. It was an eight-day mission, and we carried out experiments which were designed by Indian scientists," he said. Sharma recalled that the entire training and communication with crew members and mission control while they were in orbit was in Russian. 'We had to learn the language before we started training, and that was not easy because of the paucity of time. So, we took about two months to learn the language,' he said. He highlighted that in space, sunrises and sunsets happen at an interval of 45 minutes as 'we moved around Earth in just 90 minutes', and saw day and night several times in a day. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the podcast released on Wednesday night, the spaceman said that while space travel technology has changed, 'as humans, we haven't changed much'. 'The mental impact will always be there because humans will be able to get a different perspective. It does kind of alter the worldview... (shows) the vast place in the universe.' Sharma had famously said 'Sare Jehan Se Acha...' when then PM Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from space. Asked about the future of Indian space travel, he said, 'We will be going farther and farther from planet Earth... Space tourism will happen but space exploration will go side by side and we will keep marching ahead'. On India's uniqueness, Sharma said: 'We shared our Vedas with everybody. Our heritage says 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family)'. We still value it in the modern world as during Covid epidemic, we shared (vaccines) with everybody...'. When asked how he found the world and India from space, Sharma exclaimed, 'Oh dear! Beautiful. In our country, we got everything: we got a long coastline, the ghats section, plains, tropical forests, mountains, Himalayas. It's a beautiful sight, different colours, different textures'. After his return from the mission, Sharma went back to the IAF from where he retired as wing commander. 'After a few years, I moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as their chief test pilot,' he said, and recalled his association with the evolution of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas' fighter jet. 'Later I joined the IT industry. Life has been rewarding for me.'
The Print
26-06-2025
- Science
- The Print
Space travel alters world view… planet Earth belongs to everyone: Rakesh Sharma
Sharma had spent eight days in orbit in the erstwhile Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984. He shared his thoughts in a recorded podcast shared by the Ministry of Defence on the day India returned to space after 41 years, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from India and three other astronauts set forth on a landmark space odyssey on Wednesday. New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, said space travel alters the mindset of humans and makes them see the world from a perspective that 'this planet belongs to everyone' and is not the sole preserve of anyone. Shukla scripted history by embarking on space travel, along with three others from the US, Poland and Hungary, to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space. In the podcast released Wednesday night, Sharma, who had famously said, 'Sare Jehan Se Acha…' during his time in the orbit, said he was a test pilot in the Indian Air Force when the selection happened. He later retired as wing commander from the IAF. 'Because I was a test pilot when the selection happened.. that time, I was young, I was fit, and I had the qualification, so I was lucky enough to have been chosen. Then, after selection, we moved to Star City, just outside Moscow, for our training. 'The training went on for 18 months, which culminated in the Indo-Soviet spaceflight in 1984. It was an eight-day mission, and we carried out experiments which were designed by Indian scientists,' he said. Sharma recalled that the entire training, and communication with crew members and mission control while they were in orbit, was in Russian. 'We had to learn the language before we started training, and that was not easy because of the paucity of time. So, we took about two months to learn the language,' he said. While the Indo-Soviet spaceflight took place in an analogue era when very few owned a television, the Axiom-4 mission lift-off was watched by people on TV screens and mobile phones live across the globe. After multiple delays, Elon Musk's SpaceX launch vehicle with Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm (IST) carrying mission pilot Shukla, former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. 'Kamaal ki ride thi (It was an amazing ride),' Shukla said 10 minutes after the Dragon spacecraft was placed in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 200 km as part of the Axiom Mission 4(Ax-4). In the podcast, Sharma, when asked how he felt watching the world and India from space, exclaimed, 'Oh dear! Beautiful.' 'In our country, we got everything: we got a long coastline, we got the ghats section, we got plains, we got tropical forests, we got mountains, Himalayas. It's a beautiful sight, different colours, different textures,' he said. Sharma said in space, days and nights are very unusual, as sunrises and sunsets happen at an interval of just 45 minutes. He said while space travel technology has changed, 'as humans, we haven't changed much'. 'The mental impact will always be there because humans will be able to get a different perspective. It does kind of alter the world view… (shows) the vast place in universe,' the veteran astronaut said. It changes the mindset, he emphasised. The IAF, in a post on X, said Shukla has set forth on a landmark space mission, carrying the pride of the nation beyond Earth. It also said, 'This is a dèjà-vu moment for India, 41 years after the mission of Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, who first carried our Tricolour beyond Earth. Being more than a mission – it is a reaffirmation of India's ever-expanding horizon.' Asked about the future of Indian space travel, Sharma said, 'We will be going farther and farther from planet Earth.' 'We really need to preserve what we have, which means we need to end conflicts, we need to forget about our weapons….this planet belongs to everyone, it is not a sole preserve,' he underlined. Sharma added that space exploration will 'keep marching ahead'. 'I am hoping that India will be a modern leader in the years to come, and India will succeed in its (space) mission, which I am quite confident we will,' he said. Sharma said after his return from the mission, he went back to the Indian Air Force. 'And after few years, I moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as their chief test pilot,' he said, and recalled his association with the evolution of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas'. PTI KND AMJ SKY SKY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
‘Space travel alters worldview, Earth belongs to everyone,' says Rakesh Sharma as Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission makes history for India
Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, said that space travel alters the mindset of humans, making them see the world from a perspective where "this planet belongs to everyone" and is not the sole preserve of anyone. He shared his thoughts in a recorded podcast shared by the Ministry of Defence on the day India returned to space after 41 years, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from India and three other astronauts set forth on a landmark space odyssey on Wednesday (June 25, 2025). Mr. Sharma had spent eight days in orbit in the erstwhile Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984. Mr. Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space travel mission, along with three others from the U.S., Poland, and Hungary, to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space. Sharma recollects historic flight In the podcast released Wednesday night, Mr. Sharma, who had famously said, 'Sare Jehan Se Acha...' during his time in the orbit, said he was a test pilot in the Indian Air Force when the selection happened. He later retired as wing commander from the IAF. "Because I was a test pilot when the selection happened.. that time, I was young, I was fit, and I had the qualification, so I was lucky enough to have been chosen. Then, after selection, we moved to Star City, just outside Moscow, for our training. Qualified cheer: The Hindu editorial on Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 mission "The training went on for 18 months, which culminated in the Indo-Soviet spaceflight in 1984. It was an eight-day mission, and we carried out experiments which were designed by Indian scientists," he said. Mr. Sharma recalled that the entire training and communication with crew members and mission control while they were in orbit was in Russian. "We had to learn the language before we started training, and that was not easy because of the paucity of time. So, we took about two months to learn the language," he said. Different era While the Indo-Soviet spaceflight took place in an analogue era when very few owned a television, the Axiom-4 mission lift-off was watched by people on TV screens and mobile phones live across the globe. After multiple delays, Elon Musk's SpaceX launch vehicle with Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm (IST) carrying mission pilot Shukla, former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. "Kamaal ki ride thi (It was an amazing ride)," Mr. Shukla said 10 minutes after the Dragon spacecraft was placed in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 200 km as part of the Axiom Mission 4(Ax-4). In the podcast, Mr. Sharma, when asked how he felt watching the world and India from space, exclaimed, "Oh dear! Beautiful." "In our country, we got everything: we got a long coastline, we got the ghats section, we got plains, we got tropical forests, we got mountains, Himalayas. It's a beautiful sight, different colours, different textures," he said. Mr. Sharma said in space, days and nights are very unusual, as sunrises and sunsets happen at an interval of just 45 minutes. Mental impact He said while space travel technology has changed, "as humans, we haven't changed much". "The mental impact will always be there because humans will be able to get a different perspective. It does kind of alter the world view... (shows) the vast place in universe," the veteran astronaut said. It changes the mindset, he emphasised. The IAF, in a post on X, said Mr. Shukla has set forth on a landmark space mission, carrying the pride of the nation beyond Earth. It also said, "This is a dèjà-vu moment for India, 41 years after the mission of Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, who first carried our Tricolour beyond Earth. Being more than a mission - it is a reaffirmation of India's ever-expanding horizon." Future of space travel Asked about the future of Indian space travel, Mr. Sharma said, "We will be going farther and farther from planet Earth." "We really need to preserve what we have, which means we need to end conflicts, we need to forget about our planet belongs to everyone, it is not a sole preserve," he underlined. Mr. Sharma added that space exploration will "keep marching ahead". "I am hoping that India will be a modern leader in the years to come, and India will succeed in its (space) mission, which I am quite confident we will," he said. Mr. Sharma said after his return from the mission, he went back to the Indian Air Force. "And after few years, I moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as their chief test pilot," he said, and recalled his association with the evolution of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas'.
The Print
25-06-2025
- Science
- The Print
Space travel alters world view, helps to understand value of planet Earth, says Rakesh Sharma
Sharma had spent eight days in orbit in the erstwhile Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984. He shared his thoughts in a recorded podcast shared by the Ministry of Defence on a day India returned to space after 41 years, as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from India and three other astronauts set forth on a landmark space odyssey on Wednesday. New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, says space travel alters the mindset of humans and makes them see the world from a perspective that 'this planet belongs to everyone' and not a sole preserve of anyone. Shukla scripted history by embarking on space travel, along with three others from the US, Poland and Hungary, to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space. In the podcast released tonight, Sharma, who had famously said, 'Sare Jehan se Acha…' during his time in the orbit, said he was a test pilot in the Indian Air Force when the selection happened. He later retired as wing commander from the IAF. 'Because I was a test pilot when the selection happened.. that time, I was young, I was fit, and I had the qualification, so I was lucky enough to have been chosen. Then, after selection, we moved to Star City, just outside Moscow, for our training. The training went on for 18 months, which culminated into the Indo-Soviet spaceflight in 1984. It was an eight-day mission, and we carried out experiments which were designed by Indian scientists,' he said. Sharma recalled that the entire training, and communication with crew members and mission control while they were in orbit, was in Russian. 'We had to learn the language before we started training, and that was not easy because of paucity of time. So, we took about two months to learn the language,' he said. While the Indo-Soviet spaceflight took place in an analogue era when very few owned a television, the Axiom-4 mission lift-off was watched by people on TV screens and mobile phones live across the globe. After multiple delays, Elon Musk's SpaceX launch vehicle with Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon-9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:01 pm (IST) carrying mission pilot Shukla, former NASA astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. 'Kamaal ki ride thi (It was an amazing ride),' Shukla said 10 minutes after the Dragon spacecraft was placed in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 200 km as part of the Axiom Mission 4(Ax-4). In the podcast, Sharma, when asked how he felt watching the world and India from space, exclaimed, 'Oh dear! Beautiful.' 'In our country, we got everything: we got a long coastline, we got the ghats section, we got plains, we got tropical forests, we got mountains, Himalayas. It's a beautiful sight, different colours, different textures,' he said. Sharma said in space, days and nights are very unusual, as sunrises and sunsets happen at an interval of just 45 minutes. He said while space travel technology has changed, 'as humans we haven't changed much'. 'The mental impact will always be there because humans will be able to get a different perspective. It does kind of alter the world view… (shows) the vast place in universe,' the veteran astronaut said. It changes the mindset, he emphasised. The IAF, in a post on X, said Shukla has set forth on a landmark space mission, carrying the pride of the nation beyond Earth. It also said, 'This is a dèjà-vu moment for India, 41 years after the mission of Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, who first carried our Tricolour beyond Earth. Being more than a mission – it is reaffirmation of India's ever-expanding horizon.' Asked about the future of Indian space travel, Sharma said, 'We will be going farther and farther from planet Earth.' 'We really need to preserve what we have, which means we need to end conflicts, we need to forget about our weapons….this planet belongs to everyone, it is not a sole preserve,' he underlined. On a more generic note, Sharma said space exploration will 'keep marching ahead'. 'I am hoping that India will be a modern leader in the years to come, and India will succeed in its (space) mission, which I am quite confident we will,' he said. Sharma said after his return from the mission, he went back to the Indian Air Force. 'And after few years, I moved to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as their chief test pilot,' he said, and recalled his association with the evolution of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas'. PTI KND AMJ AMJ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
