New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla shared a lighthearted exchange during their meeting on Monday, as they discussed Shukla’s successful mission to the International Space Station (ISS) — the first ever by an Indian.
The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in New Delhi, featured Shukla briefing PM Modi about his mission, in which he played a key role as part of the ISS crew.
In a jovial moment, Modi asked Shukla about the “homework” he had assigned to him before the mission.
Shukla also showed photographs he captured from space and shared his personal experiences — insights considered crucial for India’s upcoming human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.
When asked by PM Modi about the changes he felt after returning to Earth, Shukla replied:
“The brain takes time to understand that we need to walk again. It takes a while to re-adapt to this environment. When I came back, I couldn’t walk, and people had to support me.” He added that he had faced a similar adjustment when he first reached the ISS.
The astronaut also briefed the Prime Minister about various space experiments he carried out, such as studies on tardigrades, myogenesis, sprouting of methi and moong seeds, cyanobacteria, microalgae, and crop seeds.
Shukla noted that his international crewmates were eagerly awaiting India’s Gaganyaan mission. Highlighting India’s growing stature in space exploration, he said:
“From my personal experience over the past year, wherever I went, people were happy to meet me, eager to talk, and keen to ask about what India is doing in space. Many even knew more details about the Gaganyaan mission than I did, asking me when it would launch.”
Referring back to Modi’s instructions, Shukla said he had completed the “homework” — recording every element of his mission to support the Gaganyaan programme. “People would tease me, saying ‘Your Prime Minister gives you homework!’ But I remember it well and I completed it,” he told Modi.
The two also discussed how to inspire younger generations to pursue careers in space science and astronautics, and how India could achieve self-reliance in these fields.
After the meeting, PM Modi posted on X:
“Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects, including his experiences in space, progress in science and technology, as well as India’s ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat.”
In June, Shukla became the first Indian to reach the ISS. He returned on July 15 after completing an 18-day mission packed with experiments designed by ISRO and other international partners. Since then, he has been undergoing rehabilitation in the US, before returning to India on August 17.
Shukla’s Ax-4 mission has been celebrated nationwide as a milestone that brings invaluable experience to India’s forthcoming human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.
With inputs from IANS