Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to go to the International Space Station (ISS), spoke to school kids about his experience at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 on Tuesday. Group Captain Shukla said that his journey to space was not his alone. "I travelled to space with a billion hearts with me," he said, calling it the journey of the entire nation. He encouraged students to believe that someone sitting among them could be a future astronaut leading India's space ambitions."
Shukla spoke candidly about training for five years for just 20 days in space, urging students to enjoy the mundane and not just the exciting.
He got real about fear, admitting that as the Falcon 9 engines ignited, "every bone in my body shook," likening it to seeing an exam paper despite weeks of preparation. He spoke openly about physical pain - lungs compressing, difficulty breathing - and the mental challenge of isolation away from family.
READ: "India Looks Good From All Sides": Shubhanshu Shukla To NDTV
Using videos and humour, Shukla shared unforgettable moments about his space journey - dropping his laptop on Earth after returning back because he forgot gravity existed, listening to "Vande Mataram" from the movie Fighter and relearning to walk after returning to Earth.
Shukla advised students to use phones better, to read, learn, and listen to podcasts, recommending Wings of Fire by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Stressing resilience, he said fear is just worrying about the future, as fear and excitement are the same coin, so one should choose excitement.
At the New Delhi World Book Fair, Shukla also paid a heartfelt tribute to pioneers who shaped his journey. Remembering Rakesh Sharma, India's first astronaut, whose birthday is on 13 January, he said that even after four decades he could not better Sharma's iconic response to how India looks, "saare jahaan se accha", from space, adding that some truths are timeless.
He spoke about his commander, Dr Peggy Whitson, sharing how she was rejected nine times before becoming an astronaut and is now the American astronaut with the highest number of days spent in space, male or female, calling her a living lesson in persistence.
In his message to children, Shukla said that India's journey to space will not be driven by institutions alone, but by individuals who choose courage over comfort and curiosity over fear - and that someone sitting in the room could one day carry India's flag beyond Earth.
