In a moment that etched India’s name in the stars, astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s voice echoed through the cosmos with the patriotic tune ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’. It was April 1984, and Sharma had just become the first Indian to venture into space aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft.
Launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, the mission marked a historic collaboration between India and the Soviet Union. Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, a decorated test pilot from the Indian Air Force, underwent rigorous training in Star City, Russia, alongside his crewmates. Over 21 days, he orbited Earth 235 times, conducting a series of groundbreaking experiments.
From studying the human body’s response to microgravity to capturing India’s landscapes from 350 kilometers above, Sharma’s work provided invaluable data. But it was his interaction with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that captured the nation’s imagination. When asked, ‘How does India look from space?’, Sharma replied with the immortal lines from poet Muhammad Iqbal’s song: ‘Saare jahan se accha, Hindustan hamara.’ The transmission beamed live across India, igniting waves of national pride.
Sharma’s journey wasn’t without challenges. Weightlessness brought unexpected physiological effects, from fluid shifts causing facial puffiness to the disorienting loss of up-down orientation. Yet, he adapted seamlessly, performing tasks like deploying a camera to photograph monsoonal cloud formations over the Indian subcontinent.
Upon splashdown in the Aral Sea, Sharma returned a hero. Paraded through Moscow and Delhi, he received the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award. His feat demolished myths about Indians in space and paved the way for future missions. Today, as India eyes manned spaceflight with Gaganyaan, Sharma’s story remains a beacon of inspiration.
Decades later, Rakesh Sharma reflects on that cosmic rendition as more than melody—it was a declaration of India’s boundless potential. In the vast silence of space, one man’s song reminded the world of a nation’s soaring spirit.