India has received very special wishes for the upcoming Independence Day from the sky as Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have extended greetings with the tricolour in their hands.
The cosmonauts also celebrated the close ties between the two countries in space exploration in their message. India is set to mark its 80th Independence Day on August 15.
In the video message, the Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov said, "Dear friends, the Republic of India is celebrating its 80th Independence Day."
"India broke free from colonial rule and embarked on a path of self-reliance and prosperity," he added. As India celebrates its 80th Independence Day, this year marks the 65 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to travel into space, he said.
In their message, the cosmonauts also mentioned Gagarin's November 1961 visit to India. Recalling the first space traveller's impressions of India, the cosmonauts said that he had described the country as seemingly beautiful from space, but even more so on Earth because it was home to "true friends."
It is worth mentioning that New Delhi and Moscow's space cooperation has spanned several decades and has emerged as another sector symbolising the long-term friendship.
Back in 1975, India's first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched by the Soviet Union, marking the foundation of space cooperation between the two countries.
The relationship achieved another milestone when in 1984, Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-11 spacecraft and became the first Indian to travel into space.
The special Independence Day message also highlighted the country's upcoming Gaganyaan mission, another area of cooperation as Indian astronauts, known as Gaganyatris, trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia.
Cosmonaut Anna Kikina emphasised that the partnership continues to evolve through India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The cosmonauts concluded the message wishing India peace, prosperity and further achievements in space exploration. "Long live India-Russia friendship," cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev said.