New Delhi, April 3: Exact 25 Years ago, Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma (Retired as Wing Commander from the IAF) quoted poet Iqbal’s lines, ‘Saare Jahaan se Achha’ in reply to the then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s question that how India looks from the Space. On April 2, 1984, Sharma flew aboard Soyuz T-11 as part of the Interkosmos programme. He is the first Indian citizen to travel in space. Rakesh Sharma Turns 70: Know Some Facts About First Cosmonaut Citizen to Travel in Space.

During his stay in space, he had a conversation with Gandhi in which he narrated his experience in space. He was accompanied on the mission by two Russian cosmonauts, and had undergone 18 months of training. Their launch vehicle took off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Sharma spent seven days 21 hours and 40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7 orbital station.

Rakesh Sharma's conversation with Indira Gandhi:

After the IAF pilot, no other Indian citizen has ever been to space. He is an alumnus of the 35th National Defence Academy. Sharma joined as a test pilot in the Indian Air Force in 1970. The IAF officer was selected on September 20 in 1982 to become a cosmonaut and go into space as part of a joint program between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Soviet Intercosmos space program. Vicky Kaushal to Replace Shah Rukh Khan in Rakesh Sharma Biopic, Saare Jahaan Se Achcha?

Sharma retired with the rank of wing commander in 1987 and joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and served as the chief test pilot in the HAL Nashik Division until 1992. The IAF pilot was also associated with the light combat aircraft, Tejas. He retired from flying in 2001.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 03, 2019 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).