Meet Rakesh Sharma first Indian to go to Space forgotten Hero lives in Small Village
Meet Rakesh Sharma first Indian to go to Space
forgotten Hero lives in Small Village
Rakesh Sharma is the first Indian to reach space and one of the biggest heroes of this country. But, now a big question arises on his whereabout
Rakesh Sharma was born on January 13, 1949, in Punjab and belongs to a Punjabi Hindu Brahmin family. He completed his schooling St. George’s Grammar School and graduation from Nizam College, Hyderabad..
Rakesh always aspired for a pilot’s career. He joined National Defence Academy (NDA) in July 1966. By virtue of his valour and hard work, he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a pilot in 1970, which turned out to be the biggest moment of his life.
He completed 21 combat missions
Within a span of just 14 years at IAF, Rakesh Sharma was promoted to the rank of squadron leader in 1984, which was quite remarkable. However, he had done a lot of ground-breaking things in his career that made him a rightful officer for the position of squadron leader.
One of the major reasons behind such a rise in his rank was what he did in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
For the unversed, Rakesh was piloted the famous MiG-21 amid the war and completed 21 combat missions that impressed the whole nation.
It was a massive moment in Rakesh Sharma’s IAF career that cemented his reputation as one of the best pilots in the world.
It was in 1982 when the Soviet-Indian spaceflight program was all set to make history. Rakesh Sharma was one of the cosmonauts, who went to space. Apart from Rakesh, there were two Soviet cosmonauts inside the Soyuz T-11, which took them to space.
It was a titanic moment in both Soviet and India’s space history. After crash training at Moscow’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Rakesh cleared all the mandatory tests required and headed to space.
Many may not be aware that Rakesh Sharma is married to a woman named Madhu. The couple is blessed with two children, a son named Kapil and a daughter named Kritiika. While his son is a filmmaker and actor, his daughter is a media artist.
Pathetically, Rakesh Sharma leads a remote life in Tamil Nadu. He never craved for any limelight or constant spotlight on him. However, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve it all. The first Indian to reach space and has been was forgotten by the media. For decades nothing was reported about him and his personal life.
Fortunately way back in July 2023, a picture of Rakesh Sharma figured on the internet, after which it was reported that he is living a remote life in a village in Tamil Nadu. As per multiple reports, Rakesh is enjoying a peaceful and private life in Coonoor with his wife, Madhu and prefers to keep it that way only.
News Edit K.V.Raman
