Shubhanshu Shukla Returns From ISS, Prashant Nair Says ‘He Is Rama, I Am Laxman’

It wasn't just a press conference-it felt like a festival. When Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to journey to the International Space Station (ISS), spoke to the media in New Delhi on Thursday, the atmosphere was electric. Pride, patriotism, and emotion filled the air as his colleague and backup astronaut, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, described the moment in words straight from Indian tradition.

"A few months from now, we will have Diwali-the time Shri Ram ji returned to Ayodhya," Nair told reporters. "Today feels the same. For us, Shux (Shukla) is Rama, and I am proud to be his Laxman. All of India is celebrating like it's Diwali. Even though I'm older than Shux, I would happily be Laxman to this Ram every day. And just like Ram and Laxman had the Vanar Sena, we have our incredible ISRO team. Thank you, Hanuman and the team. India's time has come-whether it's technology, industry, or sheer josh."

Shukla and Nair are among four astronauts selected for India's first human space mission under the Gaganyaan programme. The roadmap is bold: India plans to conduct its first human spaceflight in 2027, establish its own space station by 2035, and place an Indian astronaut on the Moon by 2040.

Shukla described his ISS mission as "extremely successful," confirming that all technical objectives were met. But he also highlighted the deeper value of human space exploration.

"The benefit of a human space mission goes far beyond training. The supplementary knowledge gained just by being in space is invaluable. Everything I've learned in the past year will play a crucial role in Gaganyaan and the Bharatiya Antariksh Station. Very soon, we will launch astronauts from our own capsule, on our own rocket, from our own soil. But space is a world apart from Earth-the human body changes drastically. After 20 days in orbit, the body forgets how to live in gravity," he said.

For India, the moment wasn't just about one astronaut's return. It was about a nation taking its next big leap into space-on its way from Rama's Ayodhya to the Moon and beyond.