Millennials see Rakesh Sharma in Shubhanshu Shukla—and it's not just about the spacesuit

Time of India

4 hours ago

There's something oddly poetic about seeing a generation that barely remembers Doordarshan reruns now getting excited about India's space dreams again. This time, the buzz isn't about
Rakesh Sharma
's historic 'Sare jahan se achha' orbit in 1984—it's about a fresh face with sky-high promise:
Shubhanshu Shukla
.
And yes, millennials are definitely paying attention.
Shukla isn't just another pilot turned astronaut-in-training. He's become a symbol—perhaps even a quiet metaphor—for a country ready to aim higher, bolder, and smarter. The connection with Sharma isn't accidental. It's deliberate, emotional, and rooted in a deep yearning for progress laced with patriotism. Millennials, who grew up between dial-up tones and Chandrayaan launches, are seeing in Shukla something they missed in their formative years: an Indian space hero in real time.
Not nostalgia, but a reboot
Let's get this straight—most of the millennials weren't around to watch Rakesh Sharma live from space. Most of us heard his story in school textbooks or grainy YouTube videos years later. But the idea of an Indian in space has always stirred something in us. When Sharma told then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that India looked 'saare jahaan se achha' from space, it wasn't just a soundbite—it was a proud headline tattooed onto the nation's memory.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Undo
Now, four decades later, Shubhanshu Shukla is taking that dream forward—but with a very 2025 twist. He's part of India's new astronaut corps being groomed for the
Gaganyaan mission
, and while we haven't yet seen him floating in zero gravity, his crisp uniform, calm demeanor, and sharp answers have already landed him a fanbase.
For millennials who've been cynical about politics, job markets, and climate change, this feels like a rare, unifying win.
Shukla's story reminds them that ambition doesn't always mean leaving the country—sometimes it means leaving the planet.
The face of a new India
It helps that Shukla looks and talks like someone who understands both legacy and leapfrogging. Born in Uttar Pradesh and trained as a wing commander in the Indian Air Force, he's the product of old-school discipline with a distinctly modern flair. He could just as easily be your friend's older cousin who topped the UPSC, or that quiet guy in school who always aced science class but never showed off.
But here's the real millennial hook—Shukla is aspirational without being flashy. He's calm in interviews, polite in tone, and doesn't rely on theatrics or slogans. In a world drowning in content creators and attention-seekers, there's something refreshing about a national figure who lets his discipline and trajectory do the talking.
He doesn't need a blue tick to feel verified.
Representation beyond Bollywood
For a generation raised on Shah Rukh Khan's stardust and 'Swades' nostalgia, Shukla offers something different: representation in science, not cinema.
Space, after all, isn't just a playground for foreign agencies anymore. India's space program has matured into one of the most cost-effective and technically brilliant operations in the world. And having someone like Shubhanshu Shukla at the forefront puts a human face on that excellence.
He's not playing an astronaut in a movie. He's the real deal. For once, the story isn't about fiction catching up with fact—it's the other way around.
Fueling ambition in the Instagram age
Let's not underestimate the impact this kind of visibility has. Millennials may be in their 30s and early 40s now, but they still remember growing up in a time when science and tech careers were noble but… well, kind of invisible. Astronauts were American or Russian. Space travel was something you watched on Discovery Channel, not on Doordarshan at dinner.
It's not just about rocket launches anymore—it's about life trajectories.
Shukla makes people believe that you can be rooted in small-town India and still reach beyond the stratosphere.
More than one man
Of course, Shubhanshu Shukla is only one of the Gaganyaan astronauts in training. But in every generation, one face ends up becoming the poster boy for a collective dream. Rakesh Sharma carried that role with grace in the 80s. Now, Shukla's emergence in the public eye feels like the right baton passed at the right time.
Whether or not he's the first Indian to go up in Gaganyaan doesn't even matter as much anymore. He's already lifted the mood down here. He's sparked a national conversation around space, science, and the silent, methodical preparation it takes to get there.
In a culture obsessed with overnight success, Shukla stands tall as a reminder that some dreams are worth training for. For years. With zero guarantees and maximum focus.
Looking up again
Maybe that's why millennials are drawn to him. Not just because he reminds them of Rakesh Sharma. But because he reminds them of themselves, or at least their best selves—ambitious, grounded, hopeful. And maybe, just maybe, a little space-obsessed.
After all, for a generation that's been stuck scrolling and surviving, watching one of their own reach for the stars feels like a reason to look up again.