BJP leader claims Hanuman was first space traveler, stoking debate

A senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former union minister stirred a nationwide conversation after telling students in Himachal Pradesh that Lord Hanuman could be regarded as the first person to travel into space. Speaking during National Space Day celebrations at a PM Shri School in Una, Anurag Thakur urged pupils and teachers to look beyond textbooks and connect with India’s ancient traditions, suggesting that civilizational knowledge has value for contemporary science and exploration. He subsequently shared a video of the interaction on social media, captioning it that Hanuman was the first astronaut.

In the exchange, Thakur asked the students, “Who was the first space traveler?” The class reportedly answered with several names, including Neil Armstrong, but the speaker suggested his own view: “I think it was Lord Hanuman.” He argued that India’s long-standing cultural and scholastic heritage is often overlooked and that modern achievements in space should be understood in the wider context of the country’s traditional knowledge. Thakur emphasized the need to think beyond conventional curricula to appreciate India’s historical contributions and to inspire future...