Sunita Williams Returns: Astronaut’s Ancestral Village In Gujarat Over The Moon — WATCH | India Information
Sunita Williams Returns: Residents of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams’ ancestral village Jhulasan in Gujarat’s Mehsana district on Wednesday celebrated her secure return by bursting firecrackers, distributing sweets, dancing and providing prayers to the native deity.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel additionally prolonged congratulations by means of X to “our very personal Sunita Williams” and mentioned individuals in India take immense delight in her connection to “our” land, celebrating her as a “shining instance of our shared heritage and aspirations”. As quickly as a SpaceX capsule carrying Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore splashed down close to the Florida coast within the US after their nine-month keep on the Worldwide House Station (ISS), the villagers erupted in pleasure, bursting firecrackers, dancing and chanting “Har Har Mahadev”.
#WATCH | Mahesana, Gujarat: College students at CP Gajjar Excessive Faculty in Jhulasan, astronaut Sunita Williams’ native village, carry out Garba to have a good time her secure return to Earth pic.twitter.com/lo2dwaTItK
— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2025
The villagers had organised a ‘yagna’ praying for Willaims’ secure return. They mentioned their happiness knew no finish and hoped to see Williams go to her ancestral village quickly and encourage college college students who’re already stuffed with curiosity and observe in her footsteps. College students of the native authorities college gathered to have a good time the event by performing Garba, a conventional Gujarati folks dance and took out a procession with Williams’ picture to the close by temple of goddess Dola Mata.
#WATCH | Mehsana, Gujarat | Individuals categorical pleasure and burst firecrackers in Jhulasan – the native village of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams after the profitable Splashdown of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Crew-9 at Tallahassee, Florida
NASA’s astronauts Sunita Williams and… pic.twitter.com/fKs9EVnPSf
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025
Because the procession made its approach from the varsity premises to the temple of goddess Dola Mata, the scholars danced and sang and distributed sweets on their approach. Faculty academics and locals mentioned the goddess heard their prayers and introduced Williams dwelling safely. The procession, and the prayer that adopted on the temple, was a strategy to thank her for her blessings, they mentioned.
#WATCH | Mehsana, Gujarat | Individuals categorical pleasure and carry out aarti in Jhulasan – the native village of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, for her secure return to Earth.
NASA’s Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, together with two others, have undocked from the… pic.twitter.com/gLASnb369n
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2025
Principal of the first college, Vishal Panchal, mentioned that your complete village is ecstatic and stuffed with delight upon Williams’ return. “The daughter of our village is the delight of the world. She stayed in house for such a very long time and got here again secure. We carried out garba, burst firecrackers and distributed sweets. Our happiness is aware of no finish,” he mentioned.
When Sunita Willaims left for ISS on June 5 final yr and her mission was delayed, the villagers got here collectively to mild up an ‘Akhand Jyot’ right here on June 27 and took out a procession carrying the everlasting flame to the temple of Dola Mata, praying for her security, mentioned a neighborhood resident. “We’re very proud and pleased that she is again on earth. We’re from the identical household. Sunita is a superb inspiration for the kids, who all need to develop into like her,” he mentioned.
Villagers chanted prayers by inserting Williams’ picture close to the temple goddess and distributed sweets as ‘prasad’, the providing to the goddess. As Williams’ touchdown neared within the early hours of Wednesday, all eyes have been on her, with Jhulasan residents gathering at one place to view the occasion stay on a tv display screen. Quickly after the splashdown, residents celebrated the second by bursting firecrackers, dancing and chanting “Har Har Mahadev”.
At the same time as Williams was on her approach again, the villagers carried out a ‘yagna’ on the temple and provided prayers. They mentioned that they had been performing a ‘yagna’ and had saved the ‘Akhand Jyot’ aflame on the premises for her secure return. Jhulasan, generally known as the ancestral dwelling of Williams’ father Deepak Pandya, was alive with pleasure ever because the information of her proposed return, after a delayed keep on the ISS, trickled in.
Navin Pandya, her cousin, mentioned that the villagers have been praying for her security, taking good care of the ‘Akhand Jyot’ that was lit up for her secure return quickly after she went to house over 9 months in the past. He mentioned the villagers are wanting ahead to inviting Williams to go to Jhulasan.
Williams has visited India at the very least thrice, together with in 2007 and 2013, quickly after her house missions and has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2008. By way of a put up on X, CM Patel expressed his heartfelt congratulations to “our very personal Sunita Williams and the Crew9 astronauts on their secure return to Earth after a rare nine-month mission aboard the Worldwide House Station”.
“Their unwavering dedication and resilience have been a beacon of inspiration for tens of millions. We, in India, take immense delight in Sunita’s connection to our land, celebrating her as a shining instance of our shared heritage and aspirations,” he mentioned in a tweet.
Training Minister Praful Pansheriya mentioned individuals from all faiths prayed for Williams’ return and in addition remembered the late Kalpana Chawla, the primary Indian-born lady and the second Indian particular person to fly in house.
“Williams has despatched a constructive message for girls empowerment internationally and has given tempo to astrophysics and a want to know the cosmos,” he instructed reporters. Her father, initially from Jhulasan, migrated to america in 1957. Williams’ house mission was initially scheduled to final seven days however bought prolonged as a result of a technical glitch. Her SpaceX capsule splashed down within the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday early morning.
