New Delhi: The ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogan reverberated on the International Space Station as Prime Minister Narendra Modi told astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla that his space travel marked the beginning of a new era and was the first step towards Mission Gaganyaan, India’s own human spaceflight project.
“Shubhanshu, today you are the farthest from the land of India, but the closest to the hearts of every Indian,” the prime minister told Shukla in an interaction through a video link from the International Space Station, which is orbiting the earth at an altitude of 400 km.
Modi said Shukla’s name carries the word ‘shubh’ (auspicious), and that his journey marked the auspicious beginning of a new era.
‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ chant filled up the space station as the prime minister raised the slogan towards the end of the 18-minute conversation, which was reciprocated by Shukla.
Shukla told the prime minister that his space sojourn was “not my journey alone but also our country’s”, and that he was absorbing these “new experiences like a sponge”.
“Everything is different here,” the astronaut said, sharing his experience in micro-gravity conditions on the space station.
“We trained for a year and I learnt about different systems… but after coming here, everything changed…Here, even small things are different because there is no gravity in space… Sleeping here is a big challenge… It takes some time to get used to this environment,” he told the prime minister.
The astronaut said that the space station orbits the Earth 16 times a day and that he was privileged to witness 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every day.
“Right now, we are travelling at a speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour. This speed reflects how fast our nation is progressing and now, we must go even beyond this,” Shukla said.
Shukla reached the International Space Station on Thursday along with three other astronauts as part of the commercial Axiom-4 mission for a 14-day stay during which the crew will be part of a series of science experiments.
“When I saw India for the first time from space it appeared much larger and grander than on the map,” Shukla said in the interaction with the Prime Minister.
“You can truly feel the sense of oneness — there are no borders, no lines. It feels as if this entire Earth is our home and we are all its citizens,” Shukla said.
Modi told the Lucknow-born astronaut that his historic journey was not just limited to space, but would add fresh momentum to the march towards Viksit Bharat (developed India).
“We have to take Mission Gaganyaan forward. We must build our own space station. And we must ensure that an Indian astronaut lands on the Moon.
“Your experiences will play a crucial role in all these future missions. I am confident that you are diligently recording every bit of your experience,” the prime minister said.
Shukla said his travel to the space station was not just his personal feat but a collective achievement of the entire nation.
The prime minister told Shukla that his space sojourn would become a source of great inspiration to the youth of the country.
“I am confident that this will become a source of great inspiration. It has been a true pleasure speaking with you today,” PM Modi said.
Shukla told the prime minister that he had brought with him gajar ka halwa, moong dal halwa and aam ras (mango nectar) which was relished by fellow astronauts on the space station.
The International Space Station now has 11 astronauts from six countries.
