Space varsity mourns astronomy enthusiast Sushant

The International Space University (ISU) in France has paid homage to Sushant Singh Rajput in a statement, saying the news of the actor’s death was “deeply saddening”.

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday (June 14). According to an official, Mumbai Police found out during the probe that the 34-year-old actor was under medication for depression.

The actor had always cherished an interest in astronomy and was an ardent stargazer. He also owned a Meade 14″ LX600 telescope.

As part of his research for the film Chanda Mama Door Ke, he also visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2017. Rajput had stayed in NASA to train for his role as an astronaut for the film, which was eventually shelved.

The official Twitter handle of ISU on Monday (June 15) tweeted how Rajput was supposed to visit the campus last year but was unable to due to scheduling conflict.

“We are deeply saddened by the dramatic news on the death of well known Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Mr Singh Rajput was a believer and strong supporter of STEM education and was following ISU on social media.

“He had even accepted an invitation to visit ISU’s Central Campus in the summer of 2019 but other agenda priorities prevented him from travelling to Strasbourg,” the statement by the university read.

ISU paid condolences to Rajput’s family and friends, saying the actor’s memory will “remain among his thousands of followers across India and all over the world”.

Rajput had enrolled at Delhi Technical University (DTU) in 2003, which was then known as Delhi College of Engineering, but left the course to pursue his showbiz dreams. Even after leaving the four-year degree course, he remained fascinated with science and had a deep interest in astronomy.

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee too pointed out Rajput’s passion for astronomy and startgazing, and said he could always be seen with a book in his hand.

(With inputs from agencies)