Lucknow, June 26 -- There were tears of joy in the eyes of Asha Shukla, mother of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of Lucknow, as she watched the special live telecast of her son and the rest of the Axiom-4 crew settled in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday. Shubhanshu's sister Shuchi Mishra was by her side, giving her a pat on the back. All the while, an expression of pride was visible on the father Shambhu Dayal Shukla's face. The special live telecast was arranged by Shubhanshu Shukla's alma mater - City Montessori School - at the World Unity Convention Centre, Kanpur Road campus. Surrounded by students, teachers and photographers soon after the lift-off, the family was the cynosure of all eyes at the event. The last minute on the live timer felt like the longest for his family as they prayed with folded hands, without blinking even once. Everybody in the auditorium jumped with joy as soon as the rocket was launched amid dhol (drum) beats. All cheered "Shubhanshu Shubhanshu" and "hip hip hooray". Asha Shukla said that it would take some time to soak in the feeling. "I was overjoyed, and I was constantly praying for my son. What I felt at the time of launch is beyond words," she said. Shambhu Dayal said that while they perform religious rituals at home everyday, they organised a special puja for the well-being of their son today (Wednesday). "We are positive about the mission. Even though it got delayed, we are happy that he finally took off today," Dayal said. Shukla's sister Shuchi Mishra was overwhelmed. She recalled the day her brother cracked the National Defence Academy (NDA) examination even before completing Class 12. "When Shubhanshu was selected for the National Defence Academy examination, he was only 16. The selection gave direction to him, and it is his hard work and grit that has borne fruit today. I was highly nervous and had mixed feelings throughout last night. He has always been calm and composed in handling all kinds of situations and he gave us confidence when we had a conversation a few hours back," said Mishra. Shivani Singh, principal of CMS Aliganj campus 1, said she almost skipped a beat when she saw the rocket being launched. "It was an amazing feeling to see our alumnus represent our country on the global stage. Shubhanshu was always a well-behaved kid who dreamt big and worked hard to achieve his dreams," said Singh. Nageshwar Prasad Shukla, his mathematics teacher in Classes 9-12, was also overwhelmed to watch the launch live. Students danced to celebrate the lift-off. Shukla's story motivated them to work hard to pursue their dreams, some of them said. Adya Singh, a student of Class 9, said she was thrilled to watch the live telecast. "It was my friend's father who worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), who was my first inspiration to become a space scientist. Today, I found another inspiration when I watched my senior become part of such a prestigious mission," said Singh. Chetan Chaturvedi, another Class 9 student, who was part of the programme management team, hugged his friend soon after they saw the rocket lift off....