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'Furthest from motherland but closest to Indian hearts': PM Modi interacts with Shubhanshu Shukla in ISS - watch video

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The Times Of Indiapublisher-detail-arrow
28th June, 2025 17:59 IST
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with Shubhanshu Shukla , who is aboard the International Space Station as a part of the Axiom-4 mission. He congratulated the astronaut on behalf of 140 crore Indians saying, "you are furthest from motherland but closest to Indian hearts". Shukla, in turn, thanked PM Modi and said that his leadership provided "numerous opportunities to fulfil their dreams".

He also described how India looked from space, saying that it "looks very grand, very big, much bigger than what we see on the map."


"Today, you are away from our motherland, but you are the closest to the hearts of Indians...Aapke naam mein bhi shubh hai aur aapki yatra naye yug ka shubharambh bhi hai," PM Modi said.


"At this time only the two of us are talking, but the feelings of 140 crore Indians are also with me. My voice contains the enthusiasm and excitement of all Indians. I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to you for hoisting our flag in Space. Is everything fine there? Are you well?" he asked.


Replying to this, Shukla said, "Thank you, PM Modi, for your wishes and the wishes of 140 crore Indians. I am fine and safe here. I am feeling very good, this is a new experience...This journey is not only mine but the journey of the whole nation...Under your leadership, today's India offers numerous opportunities to fulfil their dreams...I am feeling very proud to represent India here."


Shukla further shared that he had taken with him several Indian desserts like "gajar ka halwa, moong dal ka halwa and aam ras". "I bought gajar ka halwa, moong dal ka halwa and aam ras. I wanted everyone who has joined me from other countries to enjoy the rich Indian culinary. All of us had it together and everyone liked it," he said.


Describing the view of the Earth from space, Shukla recounted how it looked "completely one" and without any borders.


"The first view was of the Earth and after seeing the Earth from outside, the first thought and the first thing that came to mind was that the Earth looks completely one, no border is visible from outside. When we saw India for the first time, we saw that India really looks very grand, looks very big, much bigger than what we see on the map... When we see the Earth from outside, it seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it," he said.

Shukla is the first Indian to cross the 'Karman line' in more than 41 years, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 on April 3, 1984. From space, Shukla had shared a message: "This isn't the beginning of my journey to ISS, but beginning of India's human space flight programme."

The Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew, including Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla — call sign Grace — glided silently through space with its nose cone open and docking sensors ready, successfully linking with the International Space Station on Thursday.

This historic moment marked the first time an Indian set foot on the orbiting lab. Soft docking occurred at around 16.02 IST, with the full docking process completed by 16:16 IST.

Launched the previous day from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center, Grace carried out a series of precise orbit-raising manoeuvres during its 28-hour pursuit of the ISS — a standard Dragon mission profile but a remarkable journey for Shukla.

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