PM's conversation with Shubhanshu Shukla
New Delhi, Aug 19, 2025 : Prime Minister – When you people have returned after such a long journey…
Shubhanshu Shukla - Yes Sir.
Prime Minister – So you must be feeling some change like I want to explain, how do you people experience it?
Shubhanshu Shukla - Sir, even when we go up, the atmosphere there, the environment is different, there is no gravity.
Prime Minister : If you want, the seating arrangement remains the same...
Shubhanshu Shukla – It remains the same sir.
Prime Minister – And the entire 23-24 hours have to be spent in that?
Shubhanshu Shukla - Yes sir, but once you reach the space, by opening your seat, by opening your harness, you can go no ground in the same capsule and do things here and there.
Prime Minister- Is there so much space in it?
Shubhanshu Shukla – It is not much sir, but it is a little bit.
Prime Minister- That means it is better than the cockpit of your fighter jet.
Shubhanshu Shukla - It is even better than that Sir. But after reaching Sir there are many changes like your heart slows down completely, so those are some changes, and that, but in 4-5 days your body gets used to it, you become normal there. And then when you come back, then again the same, again the same changes, you cannot walk, when you come back, no matter how healthy you are. I was not feeling bad, I was fine, but still when I took the first step, I was about to fall, so people held me. Then the second, third, although I know that I have to walk, but the brain takes time to understand that now this is a new environment, a new atmosphere.
Prime Minister – So there is not just training of the body, there is more training of the mind?
Shubhanshu Shukla – It is a training of the mind, Sir. There is strength in the body, there is strength in the muscles, but the brain has to be rewired, it has to understand again that this is a new environment, now you will need this much strength or this much effort to walk in it. They understand this again, Sir.
PM : Who was there the longest, for how long?
Shubhanshu Shukla - At this time, the maximum time people are staying at one time is about 8 months Sir, it has started with this mission that we will stay for 8 months.
PM : The people you met there just now...
Shubhanshu Shukla – Yes, there are some of them who will come back in December.
Prime Minister - And what is the importance of green gram and fenugreek to you?
Shubhanshu Shukla - It is very good Sir, I was very surprised that people did not know about it, about these things, food is a big challenge Sir on a space station, space is limited, cargo is expensive, you always try to pack as many calories and nutrition as possible in the least space, and experiments are going on in every way Sir, and growing them is very simple, not many resources are required in the space station, you just put some water in a small dish and leave them and after 8 days those sprouts started coming very nicely Sir. I got to see them in the station itself. So these secrets of our country, I will say Sir, as soon as we got this opportunity that we could reach micro gravity research, they are reaching there. And who knows it might solve our food security problem, because it is there in a way for the astronauts in the station, Sir, but if it gets solved there, then it can help us solve the food security problem for those people on Earth as well, Sir.
Prime Minister – Firstly, this time an Indian comes, so what goes on in their minds when they see an Indian, what do they ask, what do they talk about, these people from other countries of the world?
Shubhanshu Shukla – Yes Sir. My personal experience in the last one year has been that wherever I went, whomever I met, everyone was very happy to meet me, they were very excited to come and talk to me and ask me what are you guys doing, how are you doing it. And the biggest thing was that everyone knew about what India is doing in the field of space. Everyone knew about this, and there were many people who were more excited about Gaganyaan than me, who would come and ask me when your mission is going, and my own crewmates who were with me, have taken it in writing after getting me to sign that whenever your Gaganyaan goes, you will invite us for the launch, and after that we have to go as soon as possible sitting in your vehicle. So I think Sir there is a lot of enthusiasm.
Prime Minister – They all used to call you tech genius, what was the reason?
Shubhanshu Shukla – No sir, I think those people are very kind, and those who talk like this. But my training sir, I have been trained in the Air Force, and after that we took training as test pilots sir. So when I joined the Air Force, I thought that I would not have to study, but I had to study a lot after that, I don't know and after becoming a test pilot, it becomes a kind of engineering discipline sir. I took training in this too, our scientist taught us for two-three-four years, so I think we were very well prepared, when we reached for this mission.
Prime Minister – What is the progress of the homework that I told you about?
Shubhanshu Shukla - Sir, there has been a very good progress, and people laughed a lot with me, after that meeting they even teased me that your Prime Minister has given you homework. Yes, he has given it and it is very important sir that we realize this, that is why I went there. The mission has been successful sir, we have returned. But this mission is not the end, the mission is just the beginning.
Prime Minister- I had said this that day also.
Shubhanshu Shukla - You said it that day...
Prime Minister – This is our first step.
Shubhanshu Shukla - This is the first step Sir. So the main objective of this first step was to learn so much from this that we can bring it back Sir.
Prime Minister- Look , the biggest task will be to have a very big pool of astronauts in front of us. We should have 40-50 people ready like this, till now very few children might have thought of this, yes friend this is something good, but now after your arrival, perhaps that confidence will also increase a lot, attraction will also increase.
Shubhanshu Shukla – Sir, when I was young, Rakesh Sharma Sir went there for the first time in 1984, but the dream of becoming an astronaut never crossed my mind, because we did not have any program, nothing Sir. But when I went to the station this time Sir, I talked to the children three times, once it was a live event Sir, and twice I talked to them through radio. And in all three events Sir, there was one child in each event who asked Sir how can I become an astronaut. So I think this in itself is a great success for our country Sir, that in today's India, he does not need to dream, he knows that this is possible, we have the option, and we can become one. And as you said Sir, it is my responsibility, I think, I got a lot of opportunities that I was able to represent my country, and now it is my responsibility to take as many people as possible to this level.
Prime Minister – Now space station and Gaganyaan…
Shubhanshu Shukla - Sir.
Prime Minister- We have two big missions...
Shubhanshu Shukla - Sir.
Prime Minister – Your experience will be very useful in that.
Shubhanshu Shukla - I think Sir, somewhere this is a huge opportunity for us, especially Sir, because the kind of commitment our government has made to the space programme, which has sustained budget every year in spite of failures like Chandrayaan-2 was not successful Sir, even after that we said no, we will move ahead, Chandrayaan-3 was successful. Similarly, even after such failures, if we are getting so much support, and the whole world is watching this Sir. So somewhere Sir, we have the capability and position in this, so we can acquire a leadership role here Sir. And it will be a very big tool, if such a space station is led by Bharat, but other people come and become a part of it, I heard Sir, what you had talked about Aatmnirbharta in Space Manufacturing Sir. So all these things are connected in one way, the vision that you have just given us of Gaganyaan and BAS, and then Moonlanding Sir, this is a very big, very big dream Sir.
Prime Minister – If we do it by becoming self-reliant, we will do well.
Shubhanshu Shukla - Absolutely Sir.
Shubhanshu Shukla – I have tried a lot of things like taking photographs of India in space, so this India starts from here, this triangle is Bengaluru, this is crossing Hyderabad and the flash you are seeing is lightning, it is filled in the mountains. And the dark area that comes as it crosses is the Himalayas. And these stars that are going upwards are all stars and as it crosses, the sun is coming from behind.