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Updated 25 June 2025 at 19:20 IST

Space Bound Shubhanshu Shukla Listened To This Hindi Song During Lift-Off For Axiom-4 Mission, And His Pick Couldn't Have Been Better

Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian in over four decades to soar into space aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The lift-off took place from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to the International Space Station as part of the Axiom Space's Ax-4 Mission.

Reported by: Devasheesh Pandey
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Shubhanshu Shukla was part of 4-member Ax-4 crew that flew to the International Space Station
Shubhanshu Shukla was part of 4-member Ax-4 crew that flew to the International Space Station | Image: X

Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla from Lucknow scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three other astronauts, from US, Hungary and Poland, to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space on Wednesday. Shukla's spaceflight, only the second for an Indian, came 41 years after astronaut Rakesh Sharma's was space bound on a Russian spacecraft.

Also read: What Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 Mission Means for India’s Space Diplomacy

Ax-4 crew launch day playlist released by Axiom Space | Image: X

On X, Axiom Space shared the crew's launch day playlist and Shukla's pick was Yun Hi Chala Chal from Swades. The song is a tribute to Indian roots in more ways than the track is in Hindi. Composed by AR Rahman and sung by Kailash Kher and Udit Narayan, it plays in Swades when Mohan Bhargav, an NRI working for NASA, returns to his hometown in India to reunite with his nanny Kaveri Amma. It signifies the uncharted territories that Mohan will discover on this trip to India and the numerous unknowns he will make his own.  

'Jai Hind! Jai Bharat', says Subhanshu Shukla from space

"The Tiranga (Tricolour) on my shoulders tells me that I am not alone and I am with all of you," 39-year-old fighter pilot-turned-astronaut Shubhanshu said in his first remarks from the earth's orbit. "Namaskar, my dear countrymen. What a ride! We have returned to space after a gap of 41 years and what an amazing ride it was ('kya kamaal ki ride thi')," he said.

"We are orbiting the earth at a speed of 7.5 km per second... This is not just the beginning of my journey to the International Space Station, but the beginning of India’s human space programme and it is my desire that all the countrymen become a part of this journey," Shukla said.

"Your chest, too, should swell with pride... Together, let's embark on this journey of India's Human Space Programme. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat," Shukla said.

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Published 25 June 2025 at 19:02 IST