NEW DELHI: As India gears up to celebrate its 80th Independence Day on Aug 15, three Russian cosmonauts on board the International Space Station have extended their I-Day greetings to the Indian people by holding the tricolour and sending a special video message recalling decades-old friendship between Moscow and New Delhi. The message transmitted from the space station from an altitude of 408 km serves as a masterclass in orbital diplomacy.In the video message reposted by the Embassy of Russia in India on Monday, Russian space crew — Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev — congratulated India and described space exploration as a key pillar of bilateral ties. “Eight decades ago, India broke free from colonial rule and embarked on a journey towards self-reliance and prosperity… Dear friends, today the Republic of India is celebrating its 80th Independence Day,” cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov said, extending his wishes to India.Holding the tricolour alongside three posters showcasing India-Russia space cooperation, the space crew highlighted key milestones in the Indo-Russian partnership, including the 1975 launch of India’s Aryabhata satellite and 1984 flight of India-born cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma.
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The cosmonauts also talked about India’s most-ambitious ongoing Gaganyaan programme, noting four Indian astronauts (Gaganauts) were trained in Russia — Prashanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Shubhanshu Shukla completed their space training module at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City between Feb 2020 and March 2021.Anna Kikina recalled Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s historic visit to India in Nov 1961. She quoted Gagarin’s famous words about the country: “India is very beautiful from above, but it is even more beautiful and special because it is home to true friends.”“The friendship between our countries has been time-tested, and space exploration is one of the main areas of our cooperation,” she said.
