PM Modi told Shubhanshu who went to ISS- Your visit is an auspicious beginning of a new era, the sentiments of the country are with you

Prime Minister Modi told Group Captain Shubhanshu, today you are far away from the motherland, from the land of India, but you are closest to the hearts of Indians. There is Shubh in your name and your journey is also the auspicious beginning of a new era. At this time, we are both talking, but I also have the feelings of 140 Indians. My voice contains the enthusiasm and excitement of all Indians. The Prime Minister further said, I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to you for hoisting the flag of India in space. I am not taking much time, first of all tell me whether everything is fine there, are you well?

In response, Group Captain Shubhanshu said, ‘Yes Prime Minister, thank you very much for your and 140 crore countrymen’s wishes. I am absolutely fine here, I am safe, because of your blessings and love. It feels very good. This is a very new experience. Somewhere a lot of things are happening, which show that I and people like me are moving in this direction in the country.’ He further said, this journey of mine, this is a short journey of 400 kilometers from the earth to the orbit, it is not only mine but also the journey of my country. Group Captain Shubhanshu further said, when I was young, I could never imagine that I would be able to become an astronaut. But I think that today’s India under your leadership gives this opportunity and also gives a chance to realize those dreams. This is a great achievement for me. I feel very proud that I am able to represent my country here.

After this, the Prime Minister said, ‘Shubh, you are in distant space, where the force of gravity is negligible. But every Indian is seeing how down to earth you are. Did you feed the carrot halwa that you took to your colleagues?’

Group Captain Shubhanshu replied, ‘Yes Prime Minister, I brought some food items from my country, like carrot halwa, moong dal halwa and aam ras. I wanted that these are my friends from other countries, they should also taste it. They should also experience the rich heritage of India. We all sat together and tasted it. Everyone liked it very much. The Prime Minister asked, Parikrama is a centuries-old tradition of India. You have got the privilege of doing Parikrama of Mother Earth. Which part of the Earth will you be passing over right now? Group Captain Shubhanshu replied, I do not have this information at the moment. But a while ago I was looking out of the window, we were passing over Hawaii and we do Parikrama 16 times a day. We see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets. This is a very amazing process. Right now we are moving at a speed of 28 thousand kilometers per hour while talking to you. This speed is not felt because we are inside. But this speed shows how fast our country is moving ahead. PM Modi further asked, what was the first thought that came to your mind after seeing the vastness of space? On this, Shubhanshu said, to be honest, when we reached space for the first time, the first view was of the Earth and the first thought that came to mind after seeing the Earth was that the Earth looks one, meaning no boundary line is visible from outside. The second thing was that when we saw India, what we read about the map, the size it is, is not correct. India really looks very grand. It looks very big. Much bigger than what we see on the map.