June 2025: 'Rockets, Rails, Checkmates & Ice Glory'
A marvellous meme-worthy month for India
June 2025—what a month. While the rest of the world was busy arguing about AI taking over (again), India casually dropped not one, not two, not three, but four flexes like it was no big deal.
"Hey, We Do Space Too" – After 40 whole years, an Indian astronaut finally made it back to space, visiting the International Space Station.
"High-speed train zipping through the Himalayas? Bet." – Engineers looked at the Himalayas and said, "Let’s build a high-speed train there." They slapped down the world’s tallest rail bridge and dug tunnels through mountains like it was a Minecraft project. Now, the Vande Bharat Express zooms through snow and landslides like, "Pfft, gravity is just a suggestion."
Gukesh to Magnus Carlsen: "Checkmate, Boomer." – 19-year-old Gukesh outplayed the Magnus Carlsen in classical chess. Carlsen probably stared at the board for five minutes, whispered "How?", and then quietly updated his LinkedIn to "Former World’s Best Chess Player."
Indian Women playing Ice-Hockey pick up their first international trophy: It was a historic achievement for Indian women’s ice hockey. They won their first-ever bronze medal at the 2025 IIHF Women’s Asia Cup!
Space: Here we come!
Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut to go to space, placed a call from aboard his spacecraft to the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She asked him how India looked from space. 'Saare Jahan se accha' was his famous response. ~40 years later, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (from the Indian Air Force) was the second astronaut to go back to space. As he took off from NASA's space centre, his famous words were famously simple ‘Jai Hind!’. He is on the International Space Station performing micro-gravity experiments (as of July 1st, 2025, when we are writing this post).
India's Space Journey began with the simple yet remarkable meeting of Dr.Vikram Sarabhai's with a bishop in a church in Kerala. Soon after, India launch its first rocket from the shores of this fisherman's village - Thumbha. Years later, Dr.Abdul Kalam saw one of his earliest rocket launches from Sriharikota fail, and fall into the Bay of Bengal. He wiped his tears, rolled his sleeves and went back to work immediately. There was no time to mourn a failure. Within a year, the team fixed the issues and India launched its launch vehicle successfully (the ONLY developing country to have done so).
Listen to the wild, inspiring, and slightly chaotic journey in my 6-part podcast—starting with [Episode 1 below].
No boring lectures, just stories of grit, genius, and "How did they even DO that?"
Bonus: Find out why ISRO scientists once transported a rocket on a bicycle. Yes, really.
Super-fast trains zip through mountains
On June 6, 2025, the Vande Bharat Express rolled into Srinagar like, "Mountains? Where we're going, we don’t need roads.". The construction of the Vande Bharat Express to Srinagar is an engineering marvel because it had to overcome huge mountains and tricky weather! The train runs through the Pir Panjal range, one of the toughest terrains in India. Engineers built the world’s highest railway bridge (Chenab Bridge) taller than the Qutub Minar!
Since Srinagar is very cold, special anti-freezing tech was used so the tracks don’t get icy. The train itself is super fast, energy-efficient. Plus, it’s got cool features like automatic doors and giant windows to enjoy the Himalayan views. Building this route took years of smart planning and brave engineering to connect Kashmir smoothly with the rest of India.
Fun-fact: The foundation stone for a crucial section of this rail link was laid 42 years ago by former PM Indira Gandhi.
Why It Matters
Kashmir’s been stuck in slow mode thanks to politics and the conflict that India and Pakistan have had over this picturesque state. This train will be a game-changer for jobs, trade, and giving Kashmiris the connectivity they deserve.
When Britain left India in 1947, they left a messy breakup note: "Kashmir, choose: India or Pakistan?" The Maharaja of Kashmir panicked, signed with India, and—plot twist—Pakistan went "Nah, that’s ours". That was followed by wars, betrayals, and 70+ years of UN meetings that have gone absolutely nowhere.
Listen to the Full Episode where I narrate these stories—because no Netflix show can top this real-life thriller. 🎧
PS: Kashmir’s people are still stuck in the season finale.
India’s rising chess superstar - Gukesh
Magnus Carlsen, the undisputed chess GOAT, yawned as he faced 19-year-old Indian phenom Gukesh. Computers gave Carlsen a 98% win probability. "Just another Tuesday," he thought. Then... blunder! Carlsen's smirk vanished as Gukesh pounced like a chess ninja. One brutal attack later—CHECKMATE! The crowd erupted while Carlsen banged the table. Even PM Modi tweeted fireworks.
This wasn't beginner's luck. Gukesh had already snatched the World Championship title months earlier. The kid didn't just beat Carlsen—he outcalculated the human calculator. More on this story below.
India's chess superstar is here
A few days ago, in the corridors of the Norway Chess 2025 tournament, the chess gods decided to have a little fun. Magnus Carlsen—yes, THE Magnus Carlsen, the chess genius and champion for over a decade found himself sitting across from an 18-year-old kid from India named Gukesh Dommaraju. Surely this would be just another routine demolition, right?
Ice Hockey has its WOW moment in India
India's women's ice hockey team just scored bronze at the 2025 Asia Cup - their first-ever international medal! The ultimate girl power moment: 19 of 20 warriors came from Ladakh (where they literally practice on frozen rivers). With no ice rinks properly made for practice or even proper gear, these girls would literally take the left-over second-hand hockey gear and go over to the frozen lakes and rivers to practice.
These skaters proved Himalayan grit beats fancy rinks any day. Not bad for a team that only debuted internationally in 2016!
July 2025 Book Club Alert!
I’ll be diving into the enchanting world of The Secret Garden—and you’re invited! If you’d like to:
Share your favorite quotes
Debate which character is the coolest vs. most annoying
Rant about grumpy little Colin
Email me at hello@wsnt.in to join! "Sign up by July 10th!"