From shy to living India's space dream: Shubhanshu Shukla's journey

IAF's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla grew as a "shy and reserved" person, hearing stories of the 1984 spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in his childhood days.

On Sunday, Shukla, India's second astronaut to travel to space after Sharma, was signing autographs for school students and obliging fellow air warriors queuing up to get clicked with him.

Life, like his recent space sojourn in a spacecraft orbit, has indeed come full circle for Shukla.

The occasion was the felicitation of Shukla and three other chosen Gaganyaan astronauts by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Air Force Auditorium in Subroto Park here.

During the event, Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his journey of joining the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

"I grew up as a shy and reserved person. We used to hear stories of the spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in our childhood days," he said.

Shukla credited the IAF for the transformation it brought in him, saying the "IAF in general, and cockpit in particular", have been "great teachers" in his life.

Amid all the accolades and admiration lavishly showered upon him, both on and off the stage, the caring family man in him was evident, as even in the middle of an excited crowd of selfie and autograph hunters, the star astronaut sought to ensure that his wife and little son were close by his side.

Shukla, who is less than two months shy of turning 40, had a humble beginning. Born and raised in Lucknow, he entered the IAF with a complete civilian background.

"Initially, I did not intend to join the defence (force), but I did. I filled up a form which my friend had bought, and eventually one thing led to another, and I landed up at the NDA (National Defence Academy)," he recalled in his nearly 30-minute address.

Shukla also underlined that the Air Force training "prepares you for anything life throws at you as also to face hardships".

"It sets you up for life, it sets you up for success," he said.

Shukla, who became the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, returned to Earth last month with his fellow astronauts after a 20-day space sojourn as part of the Axiom Mission 4.

He met Rajnath Singh on Thursday at the South Block, where they discussed his space journey, the experiments he undertook in orbit, and Gaganyaan, India's pioneering human spaceflight programme.

The IAF officer also shared some humour-laced anecdotes from his "microgravity challenges" while in the orbit, of objects which got lost as they floated away in the spacecraft.

He also described the experience of witnessing 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a day from the orbit.

Shukla shared a video clip of a night view of the Earth from his spacecraft, which also gave a glimpse of parts of India, saying it is probably "one of the most beautiful sights" one could ever see.

Shukla's space odyssey as part of the commercial mission to the ISS has set the stage for achieving India's own ambitions of human spaceflight - Gaganyaan - and building the Bharat Antariksha Station soon after.

"This mission is a big achievement for our country, and it has come at the right time. India is on course for its human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, Bharatiya Antariksh Station and eventually landing on the Moon.

"Whatever we have learnt from this (Axiom) mission, I think they are very unique and critical for our mission. Our efforts in the coming months and years would be to employ those learnings in our mission," he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.

But the biggest aspect that is "giving me joy, is the love and excitement among the people", and the support they are showing for this mission, he said.

"Somehow that curiosity has been generated in our country. Now we just have to enable it. One by one, we have to execute this mission. Very soon, we have to send an Indian in an Indian capsule through an Indian rocket from Indian soil," Shukla asserted.

He also had a message for India's youth.

"This is a big opportunity for India in space exploration. We have the ambition in place, our dreams are big, and now we need you to realise those dreams. So, remain curious, and explore this field," he said.

Asking them to "practise discernment in the age of distraction", Shukla said, "Stay focused, the possibilities are endless."  More than 100 students from three Delhi schools under the IAF attended the event.

Jai Vashishth, 16, a Class-XI student at The Air Force School (TAFS) proudly sporting his class prefect's badge, said he felt lucky to meet "astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla.

"He is my role model now. I want to be like him, join the Air Force and become a fighter pilot. His journey has inspired us," he told PTI.

Vashishth, whose father retired from the IAF and is now working in the banking sector, said one of his friends wanted to become a doctor but now he too wants to join the armed forces.

Ashwina Tripathy, 16, also a Class-XI student who attended the event, said felt happy and motivated to see Shukla face to face and hear about his journey.

"I initially wanted to become a fighter pilot but later I changed my mind. I now wish to become a doctor and take up a career in specialised aerospace medicine. I love aircraft and read about them in books and online," she told PTI, pointing to a fighter jet badge she sported on her uniform.