Picture this: an Indian Air Force officer, suspended in zero gravity, his voice carrying a timeless patriotic song across the void. Rakesh Sharma did just that, singing ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’ from space and forever linking India to the space age.
The backdrop was the Indo-Soviet space odyssey of 1984. After years of diplomatic negotiations, India joined the elite Intercosmos program. Sharma, with his combat experience in the 1971 war, emerged as the perfect candidate. Training in Moscow honed his skills for the Soyuz T-11 flight.
Liftoff was electric. Seven minutes of fiery ascent propelled Sharma into orbit. Aboard Salyut 7, the crew tackled biomedical research, testing yoga’s efficacy in space and analyzing blood flow alterations. Sharma’s footage of the Ganges and Himalayas offered scientists pristine data on atmospheric phenomena.
The conversation with Indira Gandhi unfolded spontaneously. Asked for his impressions of Earth, Sharma evoked Iqbal’s poetry, his words crackling over radio waves to millions. Newspapers splashed the quote nationwide, dubbing it the ‘space shayari’ that stirred souls.
Daily routines in space blended science and surrealism. Urine recycled into drinking water; sleep strapped in sleeping bags. Sharma documented it all, from sunrise every 90 minutes to the aurora’s ethereal glow. His calm under pressure earned praise from cosmonaut veterans.
Re-entry tested resolve, with 8G forces compressing the body. Safely back, Sharma’s honors included Hero of the Soviet Union. Retiring as a test pilot, he watched India’s space program flourish—from Chandrayaan to Mangalyaan.
Today, at 75, Sharma mentors young engineers. His story teaches that true exploration begins with courage. That song in space? It wasn’t just music; it was India’s arrival on the galactic stage.