Lord Hanuman first to travel to space: Anurag Thakur to students, advises to ‘look beyond textbooks'
Una: A statement by BJP MP Anurag Thakur has stirred controversy after he suggested that Lord Hanuman could be considered the “first space traveller.” Speaking to students at a PM Shri School in Himachal Pradesh's Una during an event marking National Space Day, Thakur urged children to "look beyond textbooks" and reconnect with India’s ancient traditions.
In a video later shared by the Hamirpur MP on social media platform X with the caption, “Pawansut Hanuman Ji… the first astronaut,” Thakur posed a question to the students: “Who was the first space traveller?” While students responded with Neil Armstrong, Thakur replied, “Mujhe toh lagta hai Hanuman Ji the” (I think it was Hanuman Ji).
पवनसुत हनुमान जी…पहले अंतरिक्ष यात्री। pic.twitter.com/WO5pG2hAqT
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) August 23, 2025
Backing his "Hanuman" theory, the BJP leader said that Indians must look beyond colonial narratives. “As long as we do not know our thousands of years' old tradition, knowledge, and culture, we will remain the same as the British have shown us,” he told the audience.
“I request the principal and all of you to think beyond textbooks and take a deeper look at our nation, our traditions, and our knowledge. You will discover a lot more,” the 50-year-old MP added.
Thakur’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from the opposition. DMK MP Kanimozhi condemned the statement, accusing him of blurring the line between mythology and science. In a strongly-worded post on X, she said: “Science is not mythology. To mislead young minds in classrooms is an insult to knowledge, reason, and the spirit of scientific temper enshrined in our Constitution. India’s future lies in nurturing curiosity, not confusing fact with fable.”
According to globally accepted records, American astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon, while Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first person to travel to space.
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RCB beat DC by 9 wickets in IPL
New Delhi (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued their impressive run, thrashing Delhi Capitals by nine wickets in their IPL match here on Monday.
Opting to bowl, pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/5) and Josh Hazlewood (4/12) shared seven wickets, while Rasikh Salam Dar (1/21) and Syuash Sharma (1/7) also contributed as RCB bowled out DC for 75 -- lowest score of this season.
For DC, Abishek Porel (30), David Miller (19) and Kyle Jamieson (12) provided some respectability to the total after being reduced to 8 for 6 in 4th over.
In reply, Devdutt Padikkal (34), Jacob Bethell (20) and Virat Kohli (23) completed the chase in 6.3 overs.
Brief Score:
DC: 75 all-out in 16.3 overs (Abishek Porel 30; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/5, Josh Hazlewood 4/12).
RCB: 77 for 1 in 6.3 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 34; Kyle Jamieson 1/42).
