Have You Offered ‘Gajar Ka Halwa’ To Your Fellow Astronauts: PM Modi Asks Shubhanshu Shukla Aboard International Space Station

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, held a captivating conversation with IAF Group Captain and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently aboard the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 space mission, alongside three other astronauts. The two discussed Shubhanshu Shukla’s thrilling experiences aboard the orbiting laboratory.

The Prime Minister touched upon various aspects of his journey, from the launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from the Florida coast to his day-to-day experiences in microgravity. 

PM Modi asked how Shukla was feeling, what unique phenomena he was witnessing, whether he was practicing meditation and, if so, whether it was proving helpful, as well as about ongoing space experiments and more.

During the conversation, one particular heartwarming moment came when Prime Minister Modi asked Shubhanshu if he had shared the ‘Gajar Ka Halwa’, a traditional Indian dessert that he took with him to the ISS, with his fellow astronauts.

"You are far in space, where gravity is almost nonexistent. But the people of India are seeing how down-to-earth you remain. You took gajar ka halwa with you, did you share it with your colleagues," the Prime Minister asked. 

Responding to PM Modi, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said, “Yes, I bought ‘Gajar Ka Halwa, ’Moong Dal Ka Halwa' (a unique pulses desert) and Aam Ras (Mango pulp juice). I wanted everyone who has joined me from other countries to enjoy the rich Indian culinary. All of us had it together and everyone liked it...”

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “…A short while ago, when I was looking out of the window, we were flying over Hawaii. We see sunrise and sunset 16 times a day from the orbit... Our nation is moving forward at a very great pace...”

During his interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla, PM Modi asked Group Captain about the conditions in space and how he is adapting to it.

Responding to Prime Minister, Shubhanshu Shukla said, “Everything is different here. We trained for a year and I learnt about different systems... but after coming here, everything changed... Here, even small things are different because there is no gravity in space... Sleeping here is a big challenge...It takes some time to get used to this environment… you can sleep on the wall, on the ceilings, on the floor…”

India is way more vast then what it appears, Shubhanshu Shukla tells PM Modi   

PM Modi then asked Shubhanshu Shukla about his first thought after reaching Space.

The Group Captain responded saying, “The first view was of the Earth and after seeing the Earth from outside, the first thought and the first thing that came to mind was that the Earth looks completely one, no border is visible from outside.”

"When we saw India for the first time, we saw that India really looks very grand, looks very big, much bigger than what we see on the map... When we see the Earth from outside, it seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it," Shubhanshu Shukla said.

Shubhanshu Shukla further told PM Modi that India is progressing at a swift pace adding meditation helps a lot in making good decisions.

“India is progressing at a swift pace...India will have its stations in space...Mindfulness plays a significant role in maintaining calmness, as there are many stressful situations during training and launch. Mindfulness and meditation help a lot in making good decisions…,” the astronaut said.

Shubhanshu Shukla tells PM Modi about experiments in space  

When asked by PM Modi on what all experiments they were performing and whether they would be helpful, Shubhanshu Shukla said, “I can say with great pride that for the first time Indian scientists have prepared seven unique experiments which I have brought here to the station. The first experiment, which is scheduled today, is on stem cells...My experiment focuses on how we can prevent or delay muscle loss in space by taking a specific supplement. We will also see if these supplements can be beneficial for older people on Earth as well...”

Shubhanshu Shukla further told PM Modi that he was absorbing all the lessons and experience like a sponge. “I am confident that these lessons will be highly valuable for us and that we will apply them effectively in the coming missions...”

Shubhanshu Shukla's message for younger generation 

When asked by PM Modi what message he would like to give to the young generation, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said, "The message I would like to give our young generation is that India has seen very bold and high dreams and to fulfil those dreams, we need all of you. There is no single way to success, but one thing that is common in every path is that you should never stop trying. If you adopt this basic mantra, then success may come today or tomorrow, but it will definitely come..."

Watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's full interaction with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla aboard ISS: