Mumbai: The school in which Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla studied is celebrating for over a week his record-breaking mission through “Vyomotsav” – a festival celebrating dreams, science, and art.
Shubhanshu passed out from City Montessori School, Lucknow in 2002 and is now poised to become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) as the pilot of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). CMS is also organizing a watch party of the lift off to celebrate the pride of India.
The US-based Axiom Space is set to launch its Mission-4, carrying Shukla, along with three others, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 11 at 5:30 pm IST, delayed by a day due to weather conditions.
The term Vyomotsav was coined by Mohammad Ammaar, a student of CMS. The school celebrated CMS space week by conducting various competitions throughout this week - Cosmic Verses – Poetry contests that captured the beauty and mystery of the universe, Nebula Notes – Slogan writing competitions, Cosmocraft – Logo designing competition, etc.
Principal Of CMS, Jyoti Kashyap's Statement
Talking to the Free Press Journal, Principal of CMS, Jyoti Kashyap said, “Shubhanshu was a student with CMS right from Pre-primary till class 12. As a student, he was a very inquisitive child.” She added a special message from the school – “As the world watches the stars, we watch one of our own rise among them.
Shubhanshu, alumnus of City Montessori School, is all set to embark on his Axiom Space mission tomorrow, carrying with him the dreams and pride of his alma mater, his city, and his nation. Shubhanshu will be interacting live from space in three exclusive sessions — with CMS students, the Prime Minister of India, and media personnel.”
Vice Principal Of CMS, Lipika Kale's Statement
Vice-Principal of CMS, Lipika Kale – who was also the vice-principal when Shubhanshu was in school – said, “It was in a humble classroom that I saw a spark of spirit in a pair of innocent eyes, and now that spark has become a radiant flame lighting the skies. I am talking of none other than our own student Shubhanshu Shukla, who had a clear goal and a distinct vision. He was a hardworking and brilliant child. Science was always his cup of tea. I am reminded of a verse from Ramcharitmanas which says: “Sabu sukrit phalu ihan jag mahi; bina parishram nahin kachu pahin.”
All good deeds bear fruit in this world. But nothing can be attained without effort. Success, knowledge, or any accomplishment requires hard work, persistence, and commitment.”
City Montessori School was listed in the 2023 Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest school by enrollment, with 61,345 pupils enrolled on 10 August 2023 for the 2023–2024 academic session. It was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 2002. Founded in 1959 with just five children and a borrowed capital of 300 by Dr Jagdish Gandhi and Dr Bharti Gandhi, City Montessori School (CMS) began with the vision of inspiring generations of children to become socially motivated and conscious citizens of the world.
