On parole, Lalu arrives in Patna to attend son's marriage
Patna/Ranchi, May 10: The wait was finally over for his family, relatives, and party leaders and supporters, as jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad arrived in Patna on Thursday evening to attend his elder son's marriage on May 12.
Lalu Prasad was received by his elder daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti, his sons - former Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav -- and some senior party leaders.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief was welcomed at the Patna airport like a hero, with hundreds of party leaders, workers and upbeat supporters holding his colourful pictures in hand and raising slogans in his praise.
He is availing a three-day parole granted by Ranchi's Birsa Munda Central Jail authorities, to allow him to attend the marriage. He is currently serving his jail term following conviction in the fodder scam.
With a festive mood already prevailing at Patna's sprawling 10, Circular Road bungalow -- allotted to former Bihar Chief Minister and Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi, his presence is set to add more colour to the celebrations.
Former Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav got engaged last month to former Minister and senior RJD leader Chandrika Rai's daughter Aishwarya Rai. The wedding will take place here on May 12.
Earlier in the day, accompanied by a team of doctors and policemen, Lalu Prasad left the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), where he is admitted for treatment, for Patna by a private carrier.
He will, however, remain under constant watch of the camera during the marriage, in line with the conditions of the parole. He will also not meet and speak to party leaders, media persons and not engage in any political activity.
"All his movements would be captured by video cameras," a jail official said.
Lalu has been undergoing treatment at RIMS after he was brought back to Ranchi from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on May 1.
He was admitted to RIMS on March 17 as he complained of uneasiness in the jail.
The RJD chief has been convicted in four fodder scam cases since 2013, the latest being the Dumka treasury case in which a special CBI court sentenced him to 14 years in jail.
His provisional bail plea hearing is due to be taken up at the Jharkhand High Court on May 11.
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India harbouring big and bold dreams in space sector: Shubhanshu Shukla
Kolkata (PTI): Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station, on Wednesday said the country is harbouring “big and bold dreams”, foraying into human spaceflight after a hiatus of 41 years.
Shukla was the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned to India from the US on August 17, 2025, after the 18-day mission.
The space is a “great place to be”, marked by deep peace and an “amazing view” that becomes more captivating with time, he said, interacting with schoolchildren at an event organised by the Indian Centre for Space Physics here.
“The longer you stay, the more you enjoy it,” Shukla said, adding on a lighter note that he “actually kind of did not want to come back”.
Shukla said the hands-on experience in space was very different from what he had learnt during training.
He said the future of India’s space science was “very bright”, with the country harbouring “very big and bold dreams”.
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Shukla described his ISS flight, undertaken with support from the US, as a crucial “stepping stone” towards realising India’s ‘Vision Gaganyaan’.
“The experience gained is a national asset. It is already being used by internal committees and design teams to ensure ongoing missions are on the right track,” he said.
Shukla said the country’s space ambitions include the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Bharatiya Station (India’s own space station), and eventually a human landing on the Moon.
While the Moon mission is targeted for 2040, he said these projects are already in the pipeline, and the field will evolve at a “very rapid pace” over the next 10-20 years.
He told the students that though these targets are challenging, they are “achievable by people like you”, urging them to take ownership of India’s aspirations.
The sector will generate “a lot of employment opportunities” as India expands its human spaceflight capabilities, he noted.
Echoing the iconic words of India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, Shukla said that from orbit, “India is still the best in the world”.
Shukla also asserted that the achievement was not his alone, but that of the entire country.
“The youth of India are extremely talented. They must stay focused, remain curious and work hard. It is their responsibility to help build a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Highlighting a shift from Sharma’s era, Shukla said India is now developing a full-fledged astronaut ecosystem.
With Gaganyaan and future missions, children in India will be able to not only dream of becoming astronauts, but also achieving it within the country, he said.
“Space missions help a village kid believe he can go to space someday. When you send one person to space, you lift million hopes. That is why such programmes must continue... The sky is not the limit,” Shukla said.
“Scientists must prepare for systems that will last 20-30 years, while ensuring they can integrate technologies that will emerge a decade from now,” he said.
Shukla added that he looked forward to more space missions, and was keen to undertake a space walk, which will require him to "train for another two years".
