"Oneness": Shubhanshu Shukla's "Borderless" View Of Earth From Space

When Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla looked out of the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time, he saw something that no textbook, simulator, or training module could have prepared him for. The Earth, vast and radiant, floated beneath him-without borders, without divisions.

"It seems that the whole Earth is our home," he said, reflecting on the profound shift in perspective that space travel had gifted him. "You don't see any border, any boundary line. Humanity has always been and is living here. I feel a sense of oneness".

This sense of planetary unity, deeply rooted in India's ancient philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' -- the world is one family -- became a central theme of Mr Shukla's reflections. "The motto of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in our culture, you can understand it very easily when you look at the Earth from the outside," he said. "It was not what I had in mind, but the one thing that stood out for me was the oneness of the planet, which we call home".

Mr Shukla's journey aboard the Axiom-4 mission, also known as Mission Akash Ganga, marked India's return to human spaceflight after four decades. He became the first Indian to visit the ISS and only the second Indian astronaut after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's 1984 Indo-Soviet mission. But this time, India wasn't hitching a ride -- it was participating on a commercial mission. "After 41 years, an Indian returned to space. But this time, it wasn't a solitary leap. It was the beginning of what I like to call India's second orbit," Mr Shukla told NDTV.

The mission, brokered by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA and SpaceX, cost India nearly $70 million. Yet Mr Shukla was unequivocal about its value. "This mission has been very successful and will be very beneficial for our human space mission," he said, referring to India's upcoming indigenous human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan.

In his first public interaction after returning from the 20-day mission, Mr Shukla described the experience as transformative. "The mission itself exceeded every one of my expectations. But nothing, literally nothing, could have prepared me for what came after," he said. "The love, the messages, and the support from every corner of Bharat... it filled me with something which I did not expect. A new kind of purpose".

Mr Shukla's conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from space was a defining moment. With the Indian flag fluttering behind him, he told the Prime Minister, "I travel to space with the dreams of a billion hearts with me. I want them to live this journey with me because I feel that it is equally theirs as it is mine. Because I feel that this is truly the journey of an entire nation".

Mr Shukla's reflections also touched on the physical and psychological adaptations required for space travel. "Understanding how your body reacts to the microgravity and the environment of space added on to the completeness of the entire training," he said.

His readiness for future missions was evident. "There is a properly incubated rehabilitation and recuperation programme," he explained. "And step by step, you gain your strength and your balance. I feel perfectly normal. It feels as if I am ready to go on the space mission again".

As India prepares for Gaganyaan, Mr Shukla's experience is expected to shape astronaut training, mission protocols, and public engagement. 

"No States, No Countries -- Only Humanity" are Mr Shukla's reflections from space, echoing India's universal value "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam".