Earth looks one from space, no border exists: Shubhanshu Shukla's quote featured in new NCERT book

New Delhi: Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), is now featured in the newly released NCERT Class 5 Environmental Studies textbook with his awe-inspiring words about Earth from space.

Shukla, who completed an 18-day mission aboard the ISS on July 15, described how Earth appeared to him from space.

"After seeing Earth from outside, the first thought that came to mind was that Earth looks completely one; no border is visible from outside. It seems that no border exists, no state exists, no countries exist. We all are part of humanity, and the Earth is our one home, and all of us are in it," the book, titled "Our Wondrous World," has quoted him saying under the chapter "Earth, Our Shared Home".

The quote was part of his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now aims to inspire young minds to think beyond boundaries and embrace unity.

Group Captain Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot, completed his maiden space voyage as part of the Axiom-4 mission, a commercial spaceflight supported by ISRO and NASA, and operated by Axiom Space.

The journey marked a milestone for India: Shukla is the first Indian to step aboard the ISS and only the second Indian to go into space, following Rakesh Sharma's iconic flight in 1984.

Born on October 10, 1985 - just a year after Sharma's spaceflight—Shukla grew up in Lucknow in a middle-class family with no direct links to aviation or space. But a childhood visit to an airshow lit a spark.

After several postponements, Shukla finally launched from the Kennedy Space Center on June 25, aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Ten minutes into the mission, the Dragon capsule entered orbit, prompting Shukla to declare in Hindi, "Kamaal ki ride thi" ("It was a great ride") and share his sense of national pride.

Shukla returned after spending an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station.

The textbook, developed under the framework of the National Education Policy 2020, is part of a new integrated approach to learning that merges science, social science and environmental studies. Part of the The World Around Us series, the book aims to cultivate observation, ethical reasoning and environmental awareness in young learners.

Alongside Shukla's reflections, the textbook introduces innovative systems such as DIGIPIN, a digital address identifier for precise location mapping. It also includes content on oral health safety, microbial life, flood preparedness, and food preservation techniques.