India is still celebrating Skyroot Aerospace’s historic Vikram-1 mission, but it’s not just the rocket that’s touching hearts. It’s what happened after the launch.
In an emotional post on X, Skyroot co-founder Pawan Chandana revealed that the very first person he called after Vikram-1 successfully reached orbit wasn’t a colleague or a fellow scientist—it was his father.
And the call lasted just a few moments. Because his father couldn’t speak.
“He just cried. And cried,” Chandana wrote. “He couldn’t speak a single word. But I understood every word he couldn’t say.”
The entrepreneur shared that his father was the one who made his journey possible, dreaming bigger dreams for him than he ever had for himself and never giving up on him—even when there
wasn’t much reason to believe.
In a candid revelation, Chandana admitted that until Class 8, he was “a bad student.” He scored just 51 marks in Mathematics and even failed another subject. At the time, he could never have imagined making it to an IIT, let alone becoming part of the team behind India’s first privately developed rocket to reach orbit, placing the country among just three nations to achieve the feat.
“I managed to hold back my tears when Vikram-1 reached orbit,” he wrote. “But somehow, writing this, I can’t.”
His message ended with a heartfelt “Thank you, Dad,” followed by a tribute to every parent who quietly believes in their children, even when they don’t believe in themselves.
The post struck a chord online, with thousands celebrating not just the scientific milestone but the deeply personal story behind it.
As everything slowly begins to sink-in, and after finally getting some sleep last night, I wanted to share a small personal note…✍️
The first call I made after Vikram-1 successfully reached orbit was to my Dad.
He is the man who made my journey possible—with dreams for me far… pic.twitter.com/RvQVtsoCRr
— Pawan (@PawanKChandana) July 21, 2026
One parent asked Chandana what changed after Class 8, writing, “My son hates writing, so his results are always bad, but he loves rockets and anything related to space. What can we do as parents to encourage him? He’s in Class 6. Please respond.”
Another user summed up what many were feeling: “Every one says, ‘It’s not rocket science.’ For you, it is rocket science. Humble middle-class parents like your father are the backbone of the nation’s progress.”
One commenter even hoped journalists would interview Chandana’s father, saying, “I can say form this pic, your dad had a story of his own of upbringing you and maybe the setbacks he faced like all of our dads coming from middle class families. would love some excerpts from him. journos should try.”
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-178489255684476331.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-178489263019645799.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-178489252584920297.webp)
