From being shy to living India's space dream, Shubhanshu Shukla's journey comes full circle

New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI) Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla grew up as a "shy and reserved" person, hearing stories of the 1984 spaceflight of Rakesh Sharma in his childhood days.

On Sunday, Shukla, the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Sharma, signed autographs for school students and obliged the 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 IAF and the experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

"I was born (on October 10, 1985) a year after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma travelled to space, but I grew up listening to his stories. But the thought of becoming an astronaut never really took roots, because there was not a possibility. We did not have a (space) programme. But today, all of that has changed," he said.

More than 100 students from three IAF schools in Delhi attended the event.

"I want to say something to the kids sitting at the back. When I started out, or when I joined the NDA (National Defence Academy), I did not probably know anything regarding what I wanted to do with my life. As I said, I was really shy and probably under-confident and reserved, and guessing about everything that I was doing," the astronaut reminisced.

Shukla credited the IAF for the transformation it brought in him, saying the "IAF in general, and the 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 Shukla was evident, as even in the middle of an excited crowd of selfie and autograph-seekers, the star astronaut sought to ensure that his wife Kamna and little son Kiash were by his side.

Shukla, who is less than two months away from 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 brought and eventually, one thing led to another and I landed up at the NDA," he recalled in his nearly-30-minute address.

Shukla also underlined that the IAF training "prepares you for anything that 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 ISS, returned to Earth last month with his fellow astronauts after a 20-day space sojourn as part of the Axiom Mission 4.

He met the defence minister at the South Block on Thursday and discussed his space journey, the experiments he undertook in the 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 that 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 Earth from his spacecraft, which also offered a glimpse of parts of India, and said 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, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and eventually, landing on 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," Shukla 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 the country's youngsters.

"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 focussed, the possibilities are endless." Proudly sporting his class prefect's badge, Jai Vashishth (16), a Class-11 student at The Air Force School (TAFS), said he felt lucky to meet 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. PTI KND RC