“I like to say that for the 140 crore Indians, I travelled 100 metres in space for each one of you,” said gaganyatri Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla AC ‘Shux’ while commemorating the first anniversary of the Axiom-4 mission, as he released a memoir, titled The Second Orbit: Belief Of A Man… Dreams Of 1.4 Billion Hearts. Unveiled at the auditorium in the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library, the memoir offers a personal account of his journey from the cockpit to space, chronicling his experiences leading up to the mission, his time in space and the lessons drawn from Ax-4.
This is my way of bringing space closer to you all: Shubhanshu Shukla
The book was unveiled by Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, along with Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, Chief of the Air Staff. Congratulating Shubhanshu, the Air Chief Marshal encouraged the children in the audience to dream big. He said, “You must be ambitious. You must look up. But don’t wait for the final destination to enjoy your life. I think that is what has kept Shubhanshu going throughout, because he must have enjoyed the journey. When you finally reach somewhere, remember that the destination is just one part. What he has achieved is the result of a process that took years, and that is what Shubhanshu recounts in this book, along with the final destination.”
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, Chief of the Air Staff
Kamna Mishra
Every person I’ve met in the last year has somehow felt a part of this mission. It was never restricted to me
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla AC
‘This is my way of bringing space closer to you all’Speaking about why he chose to write the book, Group Captain Shukla said, “I was there for 20 days, went around the Earth 320 times, and saw 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every single day. There is no good way for me to share all those experiences with all of you. The closest I can come is through this book. This is my way of bringing space closer to you, of sharing this story with you, and of giving people the belief that journeys like these are possible.”
Sanjay Kumar
Shukla also recalled the words he spoke before embarking on the mission: “I carry the dreams of a billion hearts with me.” He said the significance of that line only truly dawned on him after his return. “When I said it, I probably didn’t fully understand what it meant. I really understood its meaning when I came back to India last year.”
Seema Jain and Sarita Singh
The event also featured a special video message from Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to travel to space, congratulating Shubhanshu. Reflecting on the future of space exploration, Sharma said, “In the years to come, a lot of work will be carried out – space colonies will be established, deep space will be explored, and exotic resources will be discovered”
Rakesh Sharma
