In the annals of history, April 3, 1984, marks the epochal ascent of Rakesh Sharma, etching his name as the pioneer among Indians to traverse the celestial expanse aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11. On this momentous occasion, the Indian Air Force bestowed homage upon Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, singularly heralded as India’s sole emissary to the cosmos, commemorating the 40th anniversary of his interstellar odyssey.
The Indian Air Force, through its conduit on X, reverently reminisced, “As India charts its trajectory towards the Gaganyaan Mission, we reflect upon the valorous odyssey embarked upon by the then Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma. A forerunner among Indian cosmonauts, Squadron Leader Rakesh embarked upon his celestial voyage on this fateful day, four decades past.”
Echoing the patriotic fervor, the Indian Air Force invoked a verse from the venerable hymn ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha,’ penned by the esteemed poet Allama Iqbal, the very verse that found resonance in the words of Rakesh Sharma, when queried by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the panorama of India from the cosmic vista.
Simultaneously, the Russian Embassy in India, via X, commemorated the historic milestone. “On April 3, 1984, the Soyuz-U launch vehicle propelled the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft into the celestial expanse under the #Intercosmos initiative. The crew, comprising Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov, alongside India’s pioneering cosmonaut — Rakesh Sharma.”
Denis Alipov, the Russian Ambassador to India, conveyed warm felicitations to Hero Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma and the Indian populace on the quadragenarian anniversary of the inaugural Indian sojourn into space aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft.
Embarking on his cosmic odyssey on April 3, 1984, Rakesh Sharma embarked upon the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft’s voyage, catapulted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. His sojourn spanned 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes, propelling India into the echelons of the fourteenth nation to venture beyond terrestrial confines.
During his cosmic sojourn, Sharma engaged in a dialogue with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who inquired about India’s visage from the celestial perch. To which, in a resonating simile, Sharma opined, “Sare jaha se achcha” (It is the best in the world), encapsulating India’s splendor from an extraterrestrial perspective.
The Soyuz T-11 spacecraft, ferrying a contingent of cosmonauts including Sharma, rendezvoused and facilitated the transfer of the trilateral Soviet-Indian international crew, comprising the craft’s commander, Yury Malyshev, and flight engineer, Gennadi Strekalov, to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station.
In recognition of his stellar expedition, Sharma was conferred with the esteemed title of the Hero of the Soviet Union upon his return from the cosmos, remaining the solitary Indian recipient of this distinction. Concurrently, India bestowed upon him its highest peacetime gallantry accolade, the Ashoka Chakra, affirming his indelible imprint on the annals of history.