"Even today, Bharat looks 'saare jahan se accha' from above," Shukla said,echoing the iconic words of India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, who travelled to space as part of a Russian mission in 1984.
"It almost seems magical to me... It has been a fantastic journey for me," " Shukla remarked. The Indian astronaut stated that he will share his many memories and lessons learned with his fellow citizens. It is anticipated that the Axiom-4 mission will splash down off the coast of California on Tuesday after undocking from the ISS on Monday. The Falcon-9 rocket carrying the Dragon space capsule launched from Florida towards the ISS on June 25, marking the beginning of the Axiom-4 mission, which included pilot Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu.
"41 years ago, an Indian traveled to space and described how India looked from there," Shukla remarked, referring to his hero Rakesh Sharma.
"We all are still curious to know how India looks today from above. Aaj ka Bharat mahatvakanshi dikhta hai. Aaj ka Bharat nidar dikhta hai, Aaj ka Bharat confident dikhta hai. Aaj ka Bharat garv se purna dikhta hai. (Today's India looks full of ambition, fearless, confident and full of pride)," Shukla said. "It is because of all these reasons, I can say it once again that today's India still looks 'saare jahan se accha'. Jaldi hi dharti pe mulakat karte hai (we will meet on earth soon)," he said.
Shukla also applauded the students and researchers back home who helped with the outreach and science programs, and praised Isro, Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX for making the trip possible.