Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla described young people as the future makers of the nation and urged them to start owning their dreams, whether in human spaceflight missions or any other field. He stressed the importance of collective effort in turning national aspirations into reality.
Mr. Shukla visited the National Cadet Corps Republic Day Camp at Delhi Cantonment on Sunday, January 11, 2026, where he interacted with NCC cadets. During the interaction, he encouraged them not to let a few failures define their journey and to stay focused on the goals they set for themselves.
A Group Captain with the Indian Air Force, Mr. Shukla quoted a famous line from the Hollywood animated film Finding Nemo and advised the uniformed youths to “keep swimming” through the challenges of life.
Speaking about national development, Mr. Shukla said that if people across the country put their heart and soul into working together, “we can achieve the Viksit Bharat dream even before 2047”.
Mr. Shukla returned to Earth on July 15 last year after completing a historic 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station. Launched on June 25 last year, the mission marked the first time an Indian astronaut travelled to the ISS, with Mr. Shukla serving as the mission pilot.
Recalling India’s space journey, he told reporters, “The first Indian who went to space was Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984, and it took 41 years before another Indian travelled to space. But now, I think, the youths are very excited about space, and also show an inclination to do things to achieve any big goal.”
In his address and during interactions with reporters, Mr. Shukla urged young people to take personal responsibility for national ambitions. “So, if it is about the vision of sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040, one will have to say, ‘it is my responsibility’ to ensure it happens, or for any other aspirations for that matter,” he said.
India’s long-term space goals include setting up the Bharatiya Antariksha Station by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040. Mr. Shukla also noted that the capsule carrying him into space launched from the same complex used for Neil Armstrong’s Moon mission in 1969.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
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