The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Rakesh Sharma takes children on a space odyssey

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 11, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Rakesh Sharma takes children on a space odyssey

By T. Nandakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 10 . After fighter planes and spacecraft, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma will now like to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 racing car. Coming from a man who once ruled the skies, Mr. Sharma's dream amused the children who had assembled for an interaction with India's first and only space traveller. The session was organised by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as part of the valedictory of the World Space Week celebrations in the city.

One of the children in the audience asked him whether he had any unfulfilled ambition in life. Without batting an eyelid he responded, "Yes, I would like to drive an F1 car. Back home, on the roads in Bangalore, I can rarely go above 20 km per hour.''

Question hour

The former test pilot answered a flurry of questions from the children in his characteristic style - cracking jokes and guiding them through the dream world of outer space. All hands went up as he kicked off by asking how many of them would like to go to space. That set the mood for the rest of the session. Questions flew thick and fast.

Switching between the nuances of space travel and its implications for the future of mankind, he showed the other side of his professional personality. "Looking at the earth from above gives an altogether different perspective. It lets you know what mankind is doing with the earth. It teaches us that we cannot finish off resources which take years to create.''

Humbling experience

Mr. Sharma described his space voyage as a humbling experience. "Up there, you realise your position in the universe.''

Another child wanted to know why he had responded with the comment ``Sare Jahan se Acha'' while talking to the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from the spacecraft. "It was my favourite song at that time and India did look great from space. The coastal regions, deserts, mountains and plains created a beautiful mosaic of colours and textures," he said.

Mr. Sharma said that he saw space flight becoming as commonplace as civil aviation. "We will probably colonise the moon and work out a system to relay solar energy to earth from near orbit. Deep space exploration is another major challenge we are likely to take up," he said.

To a query on the risks involved in space travel, Mr. Sharma said, "Personal safety comes pretty low down in a fighter pilot's priorities. My mother did not want me to join the Air Force. I convinced her that life on earth is as risky as flying a plane.''

Admitting his eternal fascination for space travel, he said he would like to go on another mission. "It was such fun then, it's still a big challenge, why not?" he said.

Kalpana Chawla

Mr. Sharma said he felt sorry for Kalpana Chawla, the astronaut who lost her life in the Space Shuttle accident. "She was an accomplished girl. I was sad that her career had been cut short," he said.

Mr. Sharma rounded off the session with a word of advice to the youngsters, "Dream big, go after your dreams and do everything to the best of your ability. Be committed and excited from inside."

Earlier, delivering the valedictory address, Mr. Sharma said private-funded space programmes had become a reality, presenting a whole lot of opportunities for young people. He distributed prizes to the children who topped the competitive events held in connection with the Space Week.

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