On 6th February 2026, 40 students from DCT’s Vasantrao Dempo HSS of Arts, Science and Commerce, Cujira, attended the Goa Book Festival 2026, where Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla interacted with over 1,200 students.
Drawing from his experience in space, he spoke about how one’s sense of identity undergoes a profound transformation when one enters space where religion, caste, race, national identity and feelings of superiority or inferiority cease to exist. When seen from space, borders disappear and one begins to identify not as an individual or nation, but as one Earth, one humanity.
He also shared how the mind often creates false perceptions and how awareness, training and clarity help overcome fear and illusion.
He emphasized the importance of self-belief, perseverance and inner discipline, reminding students that the sky was never the limit — limitations exist only in the mind.
One of our students, Mast. Anish Turi from XI Science C, also got the opportunity to ask a question during the interaction.
Mr. Shubhanshu Shukla also answered how India looks from space, he said, “Saare jahan se achha, Hindustan hamara.”
Shubhanshu Shukla is an Indian Air Force Group Captain and astronaut, known for piloting India’s first private astronaut mission (Axiom-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025, becoming the first Indian to visit the ISS in over 40 years. He has also been selected for India’s national Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
Teachers who accompanied the students were Mrs. Harsha, Mrs. Prachi, Mrs. Sneha and Mr. Shravan.