India looks bigger from space than on map: Shubhanshu Shukla tells PM Modi from ISS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a video conference with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission.

The 'Bharat mata ki jai' slogan reverberated on the ISS as PM Modi told astronaut Shukla that his space travel was the first step towards India's Gaganyaan mission.

Modi said that the Lucknow-born astronaut's historic journey was not just limited to space but would add fresh momentum to the march towards 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India).

“You are farthest from India, but closest to the hearts of all Indians,” said the PM.

Shukla said his travel to the space station was not just a personal feat but a collective achievement of the entire nation.

“When I saw India for the first time from space, it appeared much larger and grander than on the map,” Shukla told the Prime Minister in a video link from the space station.

“You can truly feel the sense of oneness, there are no borders, no lines. It feels as if this entire Earth is our home and we are all its citizens,” Shukla said.

The exchange echoed the historic 1984 space conversation between former prime minister Indira Gandhi and astronaut Rakesh Sharma, reinforcing India’s growing presence in human space exploration.

During that exchange, which included officials from Moscow, Gandhi famously asked Sharma, “Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai aapko?” (How does India look from space?).

Sharma’s iconic reply — “Saare jahaan se achcha” — remains etched in Indian space history, symbolising national pride seen from orbit. — with PTI