I never dreamt of becoming astronaut: Rakesh Sharma

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Chennai : India's first man in space Rakesh Sharma had never dreamt of becoming an astronaut.

Narrating his experiences in space, in a lively interaction with the students of Velammal Group of Institutions after distributing cash prizes and awards to the winners of state-level Science Talent search exam here today, he said in fact he dreamt of becoming a fighter pilot.

''My cousin was a fighter pilot and I was dreaming to become one.

Honestly, I never dreamt that I will become an astronaut,'' he said.

''I never had dreams of becoming an astronaut because at that time India did not have a man space programme, unlike Kalpana Chawla, who dreamt of becoming an astronaut, went to the US and became one,'' he said.

Stating that his cousin was his role model, he said when an opportunity came he grabbed it.

''This should be the main quality of a person. I was fortunate that when the offer came, I had a good sense to agree. It was an exciting prospect,'' he added.

Retired Wg Cdr Rakesh Sharma advised the students not to say no if such offers came their way. ''If you have a good quality, don't say no. If an opportunity comes, accept it and give your best shot at it.''