Rakesh Sharma is the first Indian to go to space. He was formerly an Indian Air Force pilot who was part of the 1984 Intercosmos program. He flew aboard the Soyuz T-11.
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Early life
Rakesh Sharma was born in Patiala, Punjab, India on 13th January 1949. He completed his schooling from St. Georges Grammar School, Hyderabad. He went on to complete his graduation from the Nizam College. Sharma had dreamt of flying a plane since he was a little kid. He would run around with open arms, imitating a jet. The jet plane was a concept new to India those days, but he still dreamt of flying them one day when he grew up. Keeping his dream of flying alive, Sharma became an Air Force cadet in 1966, when he was only 18-years-old. In July of the same year, he enrolled at the National Defense Academy. Rakesh Sharma was a promising student, and in 1970 he was commissioned to become a pilot for the Indian Air Force.
Career
After becoming a test pilot in 1970, Rakesh Sharma flew Mikoyan-Gurevich, popularly known as MiG aircraft from 1971. He was good at his job and went up the rank to become the Squadron Leader and pilot with the Air Force in 1984. Upon joining the Air Force as a pilot, he had the chance of becoming a part of the war operations against Pakistan. In 1982 as part of a joint program between Indian Space Research Organization and the Soviet Intercosmos space program, Sharma was selected to become a cosmonaut for a space mission. He moved to Russia with his wife Madhu and the two learned Russian, to make their life in the foreign land easy. Rakesh Sharma once said that he missed the Zapekanka, which is cottage cheese cake, and the Black Caviar, from his days in Russia.
In 1984, Rakesh Sharma created history when he became the first Indian to go to space. He flew aboard the Soyuz T-11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Along with Rakesh Sharma, the Soyuz T-11 also docked and transferred commander, Yury Malyshev and flight engineer Gennadi Strekalov. They were sent to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station. Rakesh Sharma spent seven days, 21 hours and 40 minutes on board the Salyut T-11.
The team carried out research and technical studies which involved 43 experimental sessions. Sharma worked on bio-medicine and remote sensing. The team corresponded with Moscow and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in India. When Rakesh Sharma was asked by Mrs. Gandhi, how the country looked from outer space, he had quoted the line, “Saare Jahan se Achcha,” by the poet Iqbal, which became famous.
There is a misconception that Rakesh Sharma had landed on the moon, but that’s a rumor. He had gone to the Near-Earth Orbit, which is a concept not familiar to many.
After retiring as the Wing Commander, he joined HAL or the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in 1987. He served as Chief Test Pilot for HAL in Nasik. During his stint with HAL, he had a brush with death. While testing one of the MiG’s near Ojhar, in Nasik, Sharma had to eject himself off the MiG-21 to escape an accident that could have taken his life.
He continued in Hal’s Nasik Division until 1992, when he moved to HAL’s Bangalore division as the Chief Test Pilot. Sharma has also been associated with the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, playing a crucial role in the testing process for the same.
Sharma had shown a keen interest in space travel even at his current age. While talking on the occasion of an event organized by the IAF Training Command, Sharma said that he was open to space travel, if the government offered him one.
Awards
After returning from outer space, Rakesh Sharma was honored by India and the Soviet Union. He was given the highest gallantry award, Ashoka Chakra. The Indian government went ahead and awarded the Ashoka Chakra to the Russian counterparts as well, and the occasion was the only time that foreigners were given the Ashoka Chakra. The Russian government also awarded Sharma the Hero of Soviet Union.
Rakesh Sharma – Wife and Children
Rakesh Sharma became a celebrity once he was back from outer space. He would give lectures and talks. However, the celebrity status wasn’t something that he enjoyed much. He leads a quiet and simple life. Sharma currently lives in Coonoor with his wife, Madhu. His son, Kapil Sharma is a director who last directed John Abraham, Chitrangada Singh, and Prachi Desai in I, Me aur Main. His daughter, Kritika, is a media artist.
Biopic on Rakesh Sharma
Amir Khan is currently working on a biopic on Rakesh Sharma, which would be called ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha.’ The biopic will be produced by filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala’s company RSVP and will be directed by Mahesh Mathai.
Rakesh Sharma – Young Pictures
Rakesh Sharma -Now (Photo)
