New Delhi, June 26 -- Forty one years after Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma remarked 'sare jahan se acha, Hindustan hamara,' Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Wednesday said "The Tiranga (Tricolour) on my shoulders tells me that I am not alone and I am with all of you."

These were the first observations by the 39-year-old fighter pilot-turned-astronaut said from the earth's orbit. He scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three others to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space. It was 41 years after astronaut Rakesh Sharma's spaceflight onboard a Russian spacecraft.

Shukla is expected to participate in several outreach events during his stay at the ISS and is also expected to in...