Star Trekker

Becoming only the second Indian after Rakesh Sharma to transcend Earth's boundaries and reach space, Shubhanshu Shukla marked an important milestone in India's space mission

- By AJAY SUKUMARAN

Legions of wide-eyed kids sat glued to their living room TVs in 1984 as Punjab boy Rakesh Sharma made a call to Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi from space and, training his gaze on the nation, said it was “Saare jahan se accha” (the best of them all).

Though future Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot and only the second Indian in space Shubhanshu Shukla was not one of those kids, born a full year later, Sharma had already spelled the trajectory of his life.

Over a four-decade-long journey that would involve chance, grit, ambition and unerring talent, this boy from Lucknow would follow Sharma and become Astronaut 634, climbing aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in July last year and making history for Indian spaceflight.