New Delhi: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), has said that India looks “very big and grand” from Space.
“Jab pehli baar Bharat ko dekha, Bharat sach mein bohat bhavya dikta hain, jitna ham map pe dekhten hain, usse kahin jyada bada (When we saw India for the first time, we saw that India looks very grand, very big, much bigger than what we see on the map),” Group Captain Shukla said during his interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“.A short while ago, when I was looking out of the window, we were flying over Hawaii. We see sunrise and sunset 16 times a day from the orbit…Our nation is moving forward at a very great pace,” he added.
Speaking aboard the ISS, Group Captain Shukla also said that it looks from space that no borders exist on Earth.
“The first view was of the Earth and after seeing the Earth from outside, the first thought and the first thing that came to mind was that the Earth looks completely one, no border is visible from outside. When we see the Earth from outside, it seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it,” he said.
Group Captain Shukla, who is the second Indian to reach Space, said he feels very proud as India has reached the International Space Station and it is a collective achievement of the country.
He said he is feeling very emotional and happy after conversation with PM Modi.
He urged youth to work hard, never stop trying and said “the sky is never the limit”.
“I am feeling very emotional and happy after having a conversation with you and 140 crore Indians. I feel very proud as India has reached the International Space Station…I have learnt a lot in the entire journey. This is a collective achievement of the whole nation…I want to send a message to the younger generation that if you work hard, the future of the nation will be good. The sky is never the limit,” Group Captain Shukla said.
“The message I would like to give our young generation is that India has seen very bold and high dreams and to fulfil those dreams, we need all of you. There is no single way to success, but one thing that is common in every path is that you should never stop trying. If you adopt this basic mantra, then success may come today or tomorrow, but it will definitely come,” he added.