Sky is not the limit: Astronaut Shubhanshu inspires students
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), on Saturday urged students to dream beyond conventional career goals and contribute to the country’s transformation, saying “the sky is not the limit” for them or India. The Ashoka Chakra awardee was speaking at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, where he delivered the sixth Dr Rajaram Jaipuria Memorial Lecture on the theme “The Indian Century: Youth, Innovation and Nation Building — Nai Soch, Nai Udaan.”
“The sky is not the limit, not for me, not for you, and not for Bharat,” Shukla told the students. Sharing experiences from his space journey, Shukla gave students a glimpse into life beyond Earth and encouraged them to cultivate curiosity and develop a scientific understanding of the universe. “From space, Bharat looks like ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha’,” he said, drawing applause from the audience.
Moving beyond space science, Shukla spoke about ambition, failure and resilience, urging students to set goals that wend beyond merely securing a job.
“Do not just think, ‘I want to get a job.’ ...Think, ‘I want to change India’,” he said.
Shukla said young people would play a crucial role in helping India realise its ambition of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
“Everybody makes mistakes. Do not hide them. Acknowledging your failure is the beginning of your journey towards success,” Shukla told the students.
Emphasising the importance of perseverance, he narrated the story of an astronaut who faced rejection nine times before succeeding on her 10th attempt. She subsequently became the most experienced member of her team in terms of time spent in space.
The story, he said, demonstrated why young people should not be afraid of failure and should continue pursuing their goals with determination, hard work and perseverance.
