Sunita Williams: Indian village prays for astronaut’s safe return

Jhulasan, a village of 7,000, is filled with memories of Williams’ ties. A library named after her grandparents still stands, though in poor condition, as is her father Deepak Pandya’s ancestral home. Pandya, a neuroscientist, died in 2020.

A school, which Williams’ had donated funds to during one of her visits, has a picture of her grandparents in the prayer hall. When Williams was felicitated at the school in 2007, her relative Kishore Pandya got a chance to meet her.

“I went to her and said with my limited knowledge of English, ‘I am your brother’. She shook hands with me and said, ‘Oh! My brother!’ I still cherish that moment,” he said.

Williams’ father moved to the US to pursue higher studies in 1957. There, he met and married Ursuline Bonnie, and they had Williams in 1965.

Seven years later, the family visited Jhulasan for the first time since Deepak Pandya had left. It was a moment of celebration for the village and they gave a warm welcome to the family by taking them around in a procession.