"Saare Jahan Se" To "Bharat Mata Ki Jai": 2 PMs, 2 Astronauts 41 Years Apart
New Delhi:
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, speaking from the International Space Station (ISS), looked down upon the subcontinent and said, " Jab pehli baar Bharat ko dekha, Bharat sach mein bohat bhavya dikhta hain." (When I first saw India, it looked truly grand.)
It sent goosebumps down the spines of a billion citizens. More than that, it echoed across four decades of Indian space history.
Because India had heard something like it before.
Back in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, had answered Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's now-historic question, " Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai aapko?" (How does India look from up there?) with words that would etch themselves into the Indian psyche forever.
" Saare Jahan Se Achcha."(Better than the entire world.)
Rakesh Sharma And Indira Gandhi
In April 1984, aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 7, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space as part of a joint Indo-Soviet mission.
When Indira Gandhi asked how the view from space was, Mr Sharma's reply wasn't rehearsed.
" Ji main bina jhijhak ke keh sakta hu, saare jahan se accha." (I can say this without hesitation, 'better than the whole world.)
He had recited the line from Allama Iqbal's famous patriotic song.
The moment became a historical bookmark in India's post-Independence imagination. Every schoolchild learned about it. Every aspiring scientist saw new horizons.
Shubhanshu Shukla And Narendra Modi
Fast forward to June 2025. The world has changed. So has India. No longer only a spacefaring hopeful, India is now building its own human spaceflight programme, planning its Bhartiya Antariksha Station, and setting its sights on the Moon.
And now, aboard the ISS, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force pilot, became the first Indian to reach the ISS. In an 18-minute video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he reflected on the moment that had brought him there.
"From here, you don't see borders. You see one Earth," Mr Shukla told PM Modi. "India looks huge from here, bigger than on any map."
PM Modi said, "Today you are farthest from the motherland but closest to the hearts of 140 crore Indians."
The two discussed everything from microgravity to meditation. Shukla described how small tasks like drinking water or sleeping become difficult. He had to tie his feet to keep from drifting during their call.
There were jokes too, about carrot and moong dal halwa floating in microgravity, shared among international colleagues aboard the station. "Everyone liked it very much," Mr Shukla said. "They want to visit India someday."
At last, Mr Shukla declared, "This is not just my achievement. This is a collective leap for our country."
And ended with, " Bharat Mata ki Jai."
Now, Shubhanshu Shukla floats in the vast stillness of orbit, with the Tiranga affixed beside him.
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