Prayagraj: From the classroom to the cosmos, Uttar Pradesh’s Class V students in Uttar Pradesh’s basic schools are set to get a first-hand glimpse of Earth through the eyes of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, whose experience of seeing the planet from space will soon find a place in their environmental studies textbook.The students will learn about Shukla and his experience of viewing Earth from space as part of their environmental studies. The State Institute of Education is revising the NCERT textbook ‘Hamara Adbhut Sansar’ to add content relevant to Uttar Pradesh, with the revised book set to be introduced from the 2027 academic session.The Indian Air Force test pilot from Lucknow became the first Indian in 41 years—since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984—to travel to space, and the first ever to visit the International Space Station (ISS). The Axiom-4 mission marked a significant step in India’s growing human spaceflight ambitions, with Shukla’s contributions laying the groundwork for sending an Indian astronaut to space aboard an indigenous spacecraft in the coming years.The book, prescribed for Class V environmental studies, has 10 chapters. The 10th chapter, ‘Prithvi Hum Sab Ka Ghar’ (Earth, Our Home), discusses Earth as the blue planet and will now introduce students to Shukla, the first Indian Air Force officer to reach the International Space Station (ISS).The revised chapter will tell students about Shukla’s early childhood and will also carry his observations after seeing Earth from space. The chapter begins with his reflection that Earth appears as one complete entity from space, without visible boundaries separating states or countries.The observation was shared by the officer with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his space mission and will now be used to help young students understand Earth as a common home for all.The inclusion is part of the State Institute of Education’s exercise to modify NCERT textbooks according to the state’s context and introduce local and contemporary references for students.The revised book will retain its existing themes, including chapters on Earth, clothing and how different objects are made, while adding the new material on Gp Capt Shukla and his space experience.State Institute of Education principal Rajendra Pratap said NCERT books are currently being taught in basic schools and are modified wherever required to reflect the state’s context.“The Class V environmental studies book ‘Hamara Adbhut Sansar’ is being revised accordingly. The modified book will become part of the curriculum from the new academic session in 2027,” he said.
