Updated 21 November 2025 at 09:00 IST
'Easier To Travel In Space': Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Jokes About Bengaluru Traffic
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the second Indian to travel to space, joked about the severe traffic in Bengaluru. His witty comment was acknowledged by Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge, who assured him that congestions will soon be over.
Bengaluru: Bengaluru is infamous for its notorious traffic. Even astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla couldn't help but joke about congestion in the the city, which is knows as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’.
While attending the Bengaluru Tech Summit on Thursday, astronaut and Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said that he has spent thrice longer time travelling to the event venue than he would spend on delivering his presentation at the summit.
The audience crackled as a grinning Shukla wittingly said, “I'm coming all the way from the other side of Bengaluru, Marathahalli. I have spent thrice the time that I am going to be spending on this presentation with you. So, you have to look at the commitment that I have."
Priyank Kharge, Karnataka Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, responded to Shukla's comment at the Summit's Future Makers Conclave.
Kharge assured Shukla that the state government will ensure that he will not have to face such a situation again.
“Like Shubhanshu Shukla said, it was easier for him to get from space to Bengaluru, but from Marathahalli to this venue was a little difficult…We'll ensure that doesn't happen again,” the state minister said.
For the unversed, the distance from Marathahalli to Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, where the summit was held, is around 30 km.
Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Travel
Shubhanshu Shukla, who is an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Piloted by Shukla, Axiom Mission 4 arrived at the ISS in June 2025. He returned to Earth in July 2025.
In his farewell address from the ISS, Shukla made a reference to cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma's “Saare Jahan Se Achha, Hindustan Hamara” comment and said, “Even today we want to know how it looks from space. I'll tell you. From space, today's India looks ambitious. It looks fearless. It looks confident. It looks proud. And so, I can once again say that today's India still looks better than the rest of the world.”
Shukla is the second Indian to travel to space.
Published By : Nidhi Sinha
Published On: 21 November 2025 at 09:00 IST