At the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2025, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s trailblazing astronaut, offered a mesmerizing description of how India appears from orbit. Sharing breathtaking visuals and deep reflections, Shukla portrayed how viewing Earth from space dissolves borders and fosters a profound sense of global unity and belonging.
A View Beyond Borders
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Shubhanshu Shukla explained that from space, national borders fade, revealing Earth as one shared spaceship.
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The cosmic perspective transforms identity from local or national to planetary, making “I am from Earth” a heartfelt truth.
Visuals from Orbit
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Shukla showcased a magnificent video capturing India from the International Space Station, featuring soaring cities like Bengaluru and monsoon thunderstorms visible as purple flashes.
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An orbital sunrise, glowing in brilliant blue hues, offered a spectacular view of natural beauty from hundreds of kilometers above.
Personal Reflections and Emotional Impact
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He described the profound emotional experience of seeing Earth’s vastness and simultaneously recognizing human smallness in the cosmos.
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The astronaut noted how this perspective reshapes understanding of divisions, politics, and culture, promoting unity.
Journey and Message
Sharing his inspiring journey from flying fighter jets to orbiting earth, Shukla emphasized embracing challenges and the importance of saying “yes” to opportunities.
He urged celebrating failure as a stepping stone and highlighted India’s growing space capabilities with missions like Gaganyaan on the horizon.
Sources: India Today