'Heritage belongs in future': Shubhanshu Shukla shares how Dharohar Deck brought India's age-old textile tradition into space

New Delhi [India], January 18 (ANI): Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla shared on Sunday how he carried with him a curated collection of Indian textile cards into space, thus celebrating the age-old craftsmanship during his journey into space.
Shukla shared that in a poetic paradox, the box weighing just 20 grams carried to space the collective weight of India's textile heritage, "thousands of years of wisdom, resilience, and human ingenuity, orbiting the Earth as a quiet but powerful testament to who we have been, and who we choose to become."
In a post on X, he highlighted that he carried the 'Dharohar Deck', a thoughtfully curated collection of tactile cards that brought India's living cultural heritage to life through touch.
"Each card carries a fragment of India's legendary textile tradition--an invitation to feel history, memory, and mastery woven into fabric. Designed to bridge generations, the deck celebrates age-old craftsmanship while honoring India's extraordinary journey into space, where artistry and science converge", he wrote on X.
GC Shukla further noted that the Dharohar Deck is a tribute to the ingenuity of Indian artisans--custodians of a textile heritage that once clothed the world.
"Long before the Industrial Revolution, India was the global epicenter of textile innovation, producing cottons so fine they were described as "woven air," silks that traveled the Silk Route, and natural dyes so advanced they continue to outlast modern chemical processes. Techniques like block printing, ikat, jamdani, and kalamkari are not merely crafts; they are repositories of mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, and ecology--encoded in thread," he said.
Noting how, from the pre-independence era to the present day, and into the future, handicrafts have remained central to India's economic resilience, cultural identity, and sustainable practices, he said that by carrying the Dharohar Deck to space, "we extend these stories beyond Earth--asserting that heritage, too, belongs in the future."
"This journey is both symbolic and urgent. As India reaches for the stars, the deck reminds the world that progress is richest when it carries its roots along. Supporting and innovating within traditional crafts is not nostalgia--it is foresight. The preservation of this legacy is an economic necessity, a cultural duty, and an ethical commitment," Shukla said.

The Dharohar Deck is a thoughtfully curated collection of tactile cards that brings India’s living cultural heritage to life through touch. Each card carries a fragment of India’s legendary textile tradition—an invitation to feel history, memory, and mastery woven into fabric.… pic.twitter.com/HvhcvAwfQE

— Shubhanshu Shukla (@gagan_shux) January 18, 2026

GC Shubahnshu Shukla shared that he carried artefacts that embodied the spirit of India into space, which were crafted by the students of the National Institute of Design, and reflected the rich craft traditions of different regions of India.
Shukla was part of NASA's Axiom-4 Space Mission, which took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US, on June 25. He returned to Earth on July 15, splashing down off the coast of California. He became the first Indian in 41 years to travel to space. (ANI)