Rakesh Sharma

First Indian in space

Born: 13th Jan 1949, Patiala

April 1984 was an exciting time for the Indian space mission. India was sending its first citizen into space, and his name was Rakesh Sharma. Ravish Malhotra was the back-up spaceman.

It was 1994-95 and my brother Nagesh had become good friends with Kapil (Rakesh Sharma's son). They used to spend fun times together in our home. One day I asked Kapil if I could get his dad's autograph and on his next visit he brought me this autographed photograph.

Circa 1994-95

Kapil Sharma has become a celebrity of sorts in a totally different field. He made his Hindi film directorial debut in March 2013 with the film I, Me aur Main.

Rakesh Sharma's famous "Saare jahan se accha" line