The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Rakesh Sharma shares his experiences with students

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Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Rakesh Sharma shares his experiences with students

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Wing Commander (Retired) Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to venture into space aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz T-11 in 1984, said he had never dreamt of becoming an astronaut.

At a function organised at Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, T.S. Krishna Nagar, recently, he distributed cash prizes and awards to winners of a State-level Science talent search exam conducted by the school.

Cash prizes worth about Rs.4 lakh were distributed to students across the State.

The former astronaut narrated his experiences in space, in a lively interaction with the students. “I never had dreams of becoming an astronaut because at that time India did not have a manned space programme, unlike Kalpana Chawla, who dreamt of becoming an astronaut, went to the U.S. and became one,” he said. He advised the students not to say no when opportunities came their way. Give it your best shot, he added.

On his first feeling after stepping into the rocket that took him to space, Mr. Sharma said: “It is a culmination of an entire training period. I waited for that for one-and-a half years.” N. Vasudevan, Backward Classes Secretary, School Chairman M.V. Muthuramalingam and Correspondent M.V.M. Velmohan were present.

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