From ‘Saare Jahan Se' To ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai': 2 PMs, 2 Space Icons & 41 Years Of Indian Space Glory
On Saturday, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's heartfelt tribute from aboard the International Space Station (ISS) echoed across a more confident and space-ambitious India. His reply to PM Modi, 'Jab pehli baar Bharat ko dekha, Bharat sach mein bohot bhavya dikhta hain", wasn't just a poetic observation but was a moment that rippled through Indian memory, evoking the pride and emotion of a landmark echo from 41 years ago.
Back in 1984, it was Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, who famously replied to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's question, 'Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai?', with words that have since been etched in the Indian consciousness: 'Saare Jahan Se Achcha.'
That iconic phrase, drawn from poet Allama Iqbal's stirring patriotic verse, became symbolic of India's early ambitions in space. Sharma's presence aboard the Soviet Salyut 7 space station during a joint Indo-Soviet mission turned him into a national hero overnight. His words inspired generations of scientists, engineers, and schoolchildren dreaming of the stars.
In 1984 Wing Commander and former Air Force Pilot Rakesh Sharma Rakesh Sharma is first Indian who travel to space make the history Former PM Indira Gandhi talk with Rakesh ji !
Watch and spread. pic.twitter.com/C4wpjr7iW2 — Ashish Singh (@AshishSinghKiJi) June 29, 2025
Shukla's mission marks a generational leap for India, from piggybacking on the Soviet space programme to becoming a trusted partner in cutting-edge global missions.
The year 2025 delivers that India is no longer an aspiring space participant; it is a nation actively shaping the future of human spaceflight. Plans for the Gaganyaan mission, India's first manned spaceflight, are underway. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is eyeing its own space station and even lunar missions. Amidst this, Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot, has become the first Indian to reach the ISS, as part of a NASA-Axiom Space commercial mission.
His reflections, shared during an 18-minute video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offered not just technical insight but emotional resonance. 'From here, you don't see borders. You see one Earth,' Shukla said. 'India looks huge from here, bigger than on any map.'
Sky is never the limit.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai pic.twitter.com/x7mptNFpNS — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) June 28, 2025
In his call with PM Modi, Shukla spoke about the challenges of living in zero gravity, how even drinking water or sleeping requires effort and adaptation. He humorously described strapping his feet down during the call to avoid floating mid-sentence.
To which PM Modi responded with, 'Today you are farthest from the motherland but closest to the hearts of 140 crore Indians.'
The Indian astronaut also spoke about sharing carrot halwa, moong dal halwa, and aamras with international crewmates aboard the ISS. 'Everyone liked it,' he said, adding, 'They now want to visit India someday.'
While Sharma's 1984 journey was a moment of symbolic pride, Shukla's 2025 mission is also a strategic milestone. It reflects India's transition from observer to active participant in global space exploration. As India prepares to launch its own human spaceflight mission (Gaganyaan) and develop a Bhartiya Antariksha Station, Shukla's journey reinforces national confidence.
The two astronauts, under two Prime Ministers, now bookend four decades of Indian space ambition. Where Sharma's reply was poetic, Shukla's is declarative. Where Sharma flew under Soviet wings, Shukla carries India's flag to the ISS in collaboration with America.
Shukla's message to the country carried the weight of history and the promise of the future.
'This is not just my achievement. This is a collective leap for our country,' he said, before concluding with the words: 'Bharat Mata ki Jai.'
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Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance. Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What's the ongoing story: The Union government is working on ways to facilitate and standardise blood banking and blood transfusion in veterinary care. Key Points to Ponder: — Why are blood banks for animals required in India? — What role does the livestock and companion animal sector play in the Indian economy? — What are the major challenges in veterinary blood transfusion practices in India? — Know the key features of the draft SOP for veterinary blood banks. — What are the challenges associated with the storage of animal blood? — What services will be provided by the National Veterinary Blood Bank Network (N-VBBN)? 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Key Points to Ponder: — What is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)? — How is SAF different from conventional aviation fuel? — What is the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)? — What are the key environmental benefits of adopting SAF in the aviation sector? — Why is SAF referred to as a 'drop-in' fuel? — What are the primary feedstocks used in SAF production? How can India leverage its agricultural and waste resources to become a global exporter of SAF? — How has India positioned itself in the global SAF landscape, and what are its national blending targets? — What are the major global initiatives for promoting SAF adoption? Key Takeaways: — By the end of this calendar year, IOC will have the capacity to produce 35,000 tonnes per year of SAF from used cooking oil, which will be sourced from large hotel chains, restaurants, and sweets and snacks majors like Haldiram's, which normally discard cooking oil after single use. — Earlier this week, IOC became the first company in India to receive the ISCC CORSIA certification for SAF production at its Panipat refinery in Haryana. — ISCC CORSIA is a certification system for compliance with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) criteria for SAF. It is a prerequisite for commercial SAF production. According to IOC, the certification also sets a benchmark for other domestic refiners and industry players to scale up SAF production. — SAF is a biofuel that is produced from sustainable feedstocks and has chemistry similar to conventional aviation turbine fuel (ATF) or jet fuel, which is derived from crude oil. This means that existing aircraft engines can easily use the SAF-ATF blend. — The year 2027 will be an important one for adoption of SAF globally with the mandatory phase of CORSIA kicking in. CORSIA, which applies to international flights, would require airlines globally to offset any growth in carbon dioxide emissions beyond the 2020 levels. Using jet fuel blended with SAF is one of the ways through which carriers can keep their emissions under permissible levels. — India, too, will have to comply with the mandatory phase starting 2027. In line with the CORSIA framework, India's National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has set the initial indicative targets for blending of SAF with jet fuel 2027 onwards, starting with international flights. The indicative targets are: 1 per cent blending in 2027 and 2 per cent in 2028. The government is expected to announce SAF blending mandates for domestic flights in India as well, but only after blending for international flights begins 2027 onwards. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Govt panel sets indicative targets for blending sustainable aviation fuel in ATF from 2027 UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme: (4) With reference to the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), consider the following statements: 1. It is a biofuel that is produced from sustainable feedstocks. 2. It is cheaper and requires low production costs. 3. The National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has set the initial indicative targets for blending of SAF with jet fuel from 2027. How many of the statements given above are correct? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, economic and social development. 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It is projected to reach $4.19 trillion by 2025, making India the fourth-largest economy, behind the United States ($30.5 trillion), China ($19.2 trillion), and Germany ($4.74 trillion) (IMF estimates).' — 'Measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, India is already the world's third-largest economy at $17.65 trillion, trailing only China ($40.72 trillion) and the US ($30.51 trillion) in 2025. All this is a reflection of rising aspirations and India's strong resolve to regain its civilisational legacy.' — 'When India gained independence in 1947, its GDP was around $30 billion. The population stood at 330 million, with an estimated 80 per cent living in poverty. The average life expectancy was a mere 32 years (1947), and literacy levels were just 18.3 per cent (1951). Foodgrain production stood at about 50 million metric tonnes (MMT).' — 'Fast forward to 2025: India's population has increased to 1.46 billion, but poverty, measured at the $3/day (2021 PPP) threshold, has fallen to just 5.3 per cent, as per World Bank estimates. Literacy has surged to 77 per cent, while life expectancy has more than doubled to 72 years (2023). Foodgrain production has multiplied sevenfold, reaching 353.9 MMT in 2024-25. India is now the world's largest rice exporter, shipping 20.2 MMT in FY25…India is a net exporter of agriculture, unlike the US and China, which are both net importers of agriculture. These are not mere statistics; they narrate the story of a country in motion.' — 'However, even as India has achieved food security, there are still many challenges: Nutritional security, especially of children under the age of five, remains pressing. This calls for a sharper focus on women's education, improved maternal health, and continued emphasis on sanitation. The Modi government deserves compliments for making India open defecation free (ODF), which will help improve child nutrition.' — 'In the agri-food space, however, much more can be done. In particular, rationalising food and fertiliser subsidies needs to be put on high priority…While these subsidies are meant to shield vulnerable populations, they are plagued by large inefficiencies.' — 'Studies suggest that at least 20 to 25 per cent of these subsidies fail to reach intended beneficiaries. Though politically tempting, these subsidies come at the cost of productive investments.' — 'The next leap forward has to be rationalising subsidies and increasing investments in agri-R&D and efficient value chains. India's future lies in empowering its citizens to innovate, invest, and generate sustainable incomes. Environmental sustainability has to be central to this journey. The quality of India's soil, water, and air needs to be protected to attain the Viksit Bharat vision by 2047. Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: How far do you agree with the view that the focus on lack of availability of food as the main cause of hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India? (UPSC CSE 2018) Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate What's the ongoing story: C. Uday Bhaskar writes- 'The bombing of Hiroshima with an atomic weapon on August 6, 1945, that killed almost 1,40,000 people and led to the end of World War II is a pivotal event in global history. It marked the dawn of the apocalyptic atomic age, wherein nuclear weapons demonstrated their enormous destructive capability — first in Hiroshima and three days later over Nagasaki. Progressively, a norm was internalised globally that Nagasaki would be the last time that a nuclear weapon would be used militarily. And so, the nuclear taboo was born.' Key Points to Ponder: — How did the bombing of Hiroshima also mark the start of a new way of thinking about war, peace, and the use of force? — What was the Cuban missile crisis? — What is the doctrine of MAD — mutually assured destruction? — What is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? — Is India part of the NPT? What is the purpose of the NPT? — What is India's Nuclear doctrine? — India's nuclear power programme — Read about the Helsinki Accords. Key Takeaways: — 'It is a matter of considerable relief that the nuclear-weapon nations of the world have so far respected the sanctity of the nuclear taboo. But the run-up to the 80th anniversary suggests that the taboo is under stress in a very unexpected manner. The recent war of words between the US and Russia, laced with menacing references to nuclear weapons, is cause for deep concern and augurs ill for global nuclear stability and restraint.' — 'The US and Russia (which inherited the nuclear arsenal of the former Soviet Union) were the two superpowers of the Cold War decades and had amassed thousands of nuclear weapons of varying yields. After the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis that saw these two nations stepping back from the precipice, they arrived at a modus vivendi that neither nation would use the dreaded nuke except to 'deter' the other. Thus was born the deterrence doctrine of MAD — mutually assured destruction — an anomalous form of ensuring 'security' in a SAD manner: Self-assured destruction. — 'To regulate the spread of nuclear weapons, the two superpowers introduced the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) in 1970, and while this had no legitimacy in law, it was a de facto imposition of realpolitik and techno-strategic power. The world was divided into the nuclear haves — the first five nuclear weapon powers (US, USSR/Russia, UK, France, and China) — and the permanent nuclear have-nots, who were compelled to forego the option of ever acquiring nuclear weapons.' — 'The quid pro quo was that the latter, the NNWS (non-nuclear weapon states), would have access to civilian nuclear technology, and they would not be threatened by an NWS (nuclear weapon state). Concurrently, the NWS agreed to 'negotiate in good faith' towards disarmament — this remains the elusive Holy Grail.' – 'In summary, the world had evolved two norms to ensure the sanctity of the nuclear taboo. One, that nuclear weapons would not be brandished to resolve territorial disputes (Pakistan was rebuked for its attempt to do so in the 1999 Kargil War), and secondly, the sovereignty of a NNWS would not be violated without legitimate sanction.' — 'There was no sabre-rattling for almost three decades, from 1991 till 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine and Moscow found it necessary to invoke its nuclear capability.' — 'This was a major setback to the deterrence template and agreements such as the 1975 Helsinki Accords that sanctified the inviolability of borders in Europe. This was compounded in June 2025 when Israel, not an NPT signatory, attacked Iran, a NNWS, on the assumption that Tehran was about to acquire a nuclear weapon in violation of its NPT commitment.' — 'The more alarming exigency is a breakdown in US-Russia relations and an unintended military escalation. While the probability is low, it merits notice that both nations possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals — Russia with 5,459 warheads and the US with 5,177 (Federation of American Scientists' 2025 report on the Status of the World's Nuclear Forces).' — 'Even a limited exchange could cause catastrophic loss of life. A 2019 Princeton University simulation estimated 91.5 million casualties in the first few hours of a US-Russia nuclear war, with long-term effects like radioactive fallout and global cooling adding to the atomic apocalypse.' Do You Know: — The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament. — In 1968, the NPT came into existence. The treaty defines nuclear-weapon states as those that have built and tested a nuclear explosive device before January 1, 1967 – the US, Russia (formerly USSR), the UK, France and China – and effectively disallows any other state from acquiring nuclear weapons. — While the treaty has been signed by almost every country in the world, India is one of the few non-signatories. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: India's doctrine of Nuclear No First Use 📍Knowledge Nugget | All you need to know about India's nuclear might for UPSC exam 📍Was Hiroshima a show of strength meant to shape future order? Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (5) Consider the following countries: (UPSC CSE 2015) 1. China. 2. France 3. India 4. Israel 5. Pakistan Which among the above are Nuclear Weapons States as recognized by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 2, 4 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ALSO IN NEWS Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at
