Rakesh Sharma Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Former Indian Air Force Pilot, Cosmonaut
Famous For	Being the first Indian citizen to travel in Space
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 75 kg in pounds- 165 lbs
Eye Colour	Light Brown
Hair Colour	White
Defence Services
Service/Branch	Indian Air Force
Rank	Wing Commander
Service Years	1970-1987
Awards, Honours	• Ashok Chakra • Paschimi Star • Sangram Medal • Sainya Seva Medal • Videsh Seva Service Medal • 25th Anniversary of Independence Medal • 9 Years Long Service Medal • Hero of the Soviet Union
Space Mission
Mission	Soyuz T-11
Selection	1982
Joined As	a Cosmonaut
Time Spent in Space	7 days 21 hours and 40 minutes
Personal Life
Date of Birth	13 January 1949
Birthplace	Patiala, Punjab, India
Age (as of 2020)	71 Years
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Hyderabad, India
School	• St. Ann's High School, Secunderabad • St. Georges Grammar School, Hyderabad
College/University	• Nizam College, Hyderabad • National Defence Academy in Khadakvasla, Pune
Educational Qualification	Not Known
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Gaur Brahmin [1]ASSOCIATION OF SPACE EXPLORERS - ASIA
Address	He lives in Coonoor- a small town in Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu
Hobbies	Gardening, Travelling, Reading, Playing Golf, Doing Yoga
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Not Known
Family
Wife/Spouse	Madhu (Interior Decorator)
Children	Son- Kapil Sharma (Film Director) Daughter- Mansi (died at the age of six), Krittika Sharma (a Senior Design Associate & Behaviour Architect)
Parents	Father- Devendranath Sharma Mother- Tripata Sharma
Favourite Things
Cosmonaut	Yuri Gagrin
Holiday Destination	Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rakesh Sharma

• Rakesh Sharma was born into a modest Punjabi Family.

• His ancestors hail from Multan, West Punjab, present-day Pakistan.

• Since his school days, Mr. Sharma was inspired by outer space events. Recalling the Yuri Gagarin’s entry to space, Rakesh Sharma says-
  

  I was a student when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961, and I lapped every written word.”

• When Rakesh Sharma joined the Indian Air Force as a cadet in 1966, he was just 18.

• After passing successfully from the National Defence Academy, Pune, he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a Test Pilot in 1970.
  

  Rakesh Sharma During His Days In The Indian Air Force

• Sharma slowly and steadily advanced through many levels, and in 1984, he was appointed as the Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force.

• In the year 1980, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to select two cosmonauts for a joint Indo-Soviet manned space mission. Thus, Wing Commanders Ravish Malhotra, 40, and Rakesh Sharma, 35, were chosen for the task. However, due to some reasons, the requirement was later reduced to only a single man. Eventually, Rakesh Sharma was chosen for the task.
  

  Rakesh Sharma With Ravish Malhotra

• Sharma then underwent rigorous training for around 3 years. As part of the training, he was locked up by the Air Force in a room with artificial lights at an aerospace facility in Bangalore for 72 hours to test for “latent claustrophobia.” Additionally, he had to learn the Russian language quickly; as most of his training instructions were addressed in the same.
  

  Rakesh Sharma Undergoing His Cosmonaut Training

  

  Rakesh Sharma During His Training

• Unfortunately, when Sharma was training in Moscow, he received the news that his 6-year-old daughter, Mansi, was no more. In spite of this, he did not abandon his training and went on to become the 128th man and the first and the only Indian to go into space.
  

  An Old Picture of Rakesh Sharma

• On 2 April 1984, the then Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma, along with the ship’s commander- Yury Malyshev, and flight engineer- Gennadi Strekalov, took off from a remote place called Baikonur, now in Kazakhstan, from the world’s first and largest operational space launch facility to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station.
  

  Rakesh Sharma With Ship Commander Yury Malyshev (right) And Flight Engineer Gennady Strekalov (Left)

• As part of the voyage, Sharma spent around 8 days aboard the Salyut 7 Orbital Station. At the station, his job was to conduct experiments, mainly in the fields of biomedicine and remote sensing. He also did life sciences and materials processing experiments, including silicium fusing tests. He is also reported to have experimented with practicing Yoga to deal with the effects of prolonged orbital spaceflight.

• When the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, asked Sharma, on a hazy live link, how India looked from space, he delivered a line in Hindi that would have easily become a viral tweet today. “Saare Jahan Se Achaa (The Best in the World)”, Sharma had replied.

• Soon after his return to the Earth, Rakesh Sharma achieved celebrity status both in India and across the world. Interviews, seminars, interactions, press meets, lectures, etc. became a routine to Mr. Sharma.
  

  Rakesh Sharma Addressing A Press Meet

• Even after achieving such a magnificent feat, he doesn’t boast about it. He says-
  

  I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have gone into space. But, it could have been anyone. It is like a lottery, Meri Lag Gayi.”

• However, little did he know that his achievement would soon be forgotten at the expense of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which had been triggered after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
  

  Rakesh Sharma With Indira Gandhi

• He retired from the IAF with the rank of Wing Commander in 1987. Post retiring, Sharma joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and served as the Chief Test Pilot in the HAL Nashik Division till 1992.
  

  Rakesh Sharma With His Space Mission Memories

• Mr. Sharma had a close shave with death during his stint with the HAL. One day when he was testing a MIG-21 fighter jet near Ozar in Nashik, he lost control of the plane owing to a technical snag. Fortunately, he ejected out of the jet at the last moment.

• In an interview, he revealed that he practiced ‘zero gravity yoga’ to deal with the issue of space sickness.

• Many people think that Rakesh Sharma is the first Indian to walk on the moon. However, this is a misconception. Sharma has never walked on the moon and is only the first Indian to go into space.

• After his retirement as a test pilot, Rakesh Sharma settled in Coonoor, away from the crowd, noise, and exposure to city life. Explaining his love for the hills, Mr Sharma said that he fell in love with the Nilgiri Hills when at the age of 15, he was on his first solo trip to visit an uncle. Surprisingly, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw’s house shares its boundaries with that of Rakesh Sharma’s.
  

  The Nilgiri Hills Where Rakesh Sharma Lives

• Mr. Sharma shares a great bonding with his fellow Indian Air Force Officer, Ravish Malhotra.
  

  Rakesh Sharma Enjoying Skiing Along With Ravish Malhotra

• His son, Kapil Sharma, is a Bollywood film director, who directed the 2013 John Abraham starrer- I, Me Aur Main.

• Reportedly, a biopic on Rakesh Sharma is under production in Bollywood. Initially, Aamir Khan was the first choice to essay Rakesh Sharma on the screen, but when Aamir Khan left the project, Shah Rukh Khan came into the picture; however, he also left the film later.