SUNITA WILLIAMS IS GUJARAT'S MOST ADMIRED PERSONALITY
Ahmedabad (India), 27 September 2007 (IANS)

She arrived here a week ago as an astronaut and on Thursday flew to Hyderabad as one of the people most admired in Gujarat. Sunita Williams, who has created history with a twin record of longest stay in space as well as longest space walk done by any woman, was the toast of the people in the state for a week. She won the hearts and minds of the people, mostly youth, with her smile, simplicity and cheerful spirit. People from Rajkot, Bhavnagar and other places in the interior of the state travelled to Ahmedabad to catch a glimpse of her.

School and college youth did not mind sweating out for hours together in the harsh sun and sticky weather throughout Sunita's stay in the city. They looked at her with awe. And wherever she went she was mobbed, and thanks to mobile technology revolution countless number of digital cameras clicked away. It can be safely said that almost every household will have at least half a dozen of Sunita's snaps if not more.

Countless more were deeply disappointed that they could not get the astronaut's autograph as it was officially declared that under the regulations of the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA), signing was not permitted. It was also made known that she will not accept any mementos or gifts.

After seeing off his daughter at the Ahmedabad airport (Sunita is participating in an international aeronautical conference in Hyderabad), D.K. Pandya said that the ace astronaut would fly to New Delhi before heading back to the US. Asked whether Sunita will meet the prime minister, Pandya told IANS: "Hopefully yes". Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had paid tributes to the astronaut and called her an inspirational role model for women. He had also invited her to New Delhi for a meeting with him.

Pandya said: "Every moment that she stayed turned out to be unforgettable. She told us last night over our dinner table that she would cherish the wonderful experience forever and share it with her friends back in the US. She said she was truly overwhelmed by the warmth and affection that was showered on her." He also said his daughter thoroughly enjoyed Gujarati cuisine. "The dhal, the rotis, the kichidi, the pickles stole her heart."

Another significant moment for the astronaut was visiting a holy shrine in her ancestral village Jhulasan, about 50 km from Ahmedabad. The village regards the presiding deity as the "Dollar Mata". At Jhulasan she joined the traditional garba dance for a fleeting moment. Later, she said culture and tradition full of colour and gaiety are very invaluable for the society and constitute the "additional things that one puts on the table." Her visit to Jhulasan has resulted in one important gain. The library in the village, which the Pandya family helped in establishing, is being refurbished.

Dinesh Patel, the sarpanch (village head) of Jhulasan said: "Dr. Pandya has assured us that the single-storeyed library will have another floor. Also, new books are being procured. It will also have new furniture. The library currently has on its shelves about 5,000 books, mainly in Gujarati language."

Asked whether anything more is planned for the village, the sarpanch said: "Sunitaben's visit was hectic and there was hardly any time to talk about other matters. However, there is hope that Dr. Pandya will visit the village again before returning to the US in November. During that visit perhaps some new programmes may emerge."

At the dinner state governor Nawal Kishore Sharma hosted in honour of Sunita Williams, 25 prominent people from Jhulasan village were also invited as part of Pandya's family. The other notable interaction the astronaut had was with 12 students who are pursuing a postgraduate course in space science at the Gujarat University. During the interaction, Sunita familiarized herself with the different subjects being taught.

She was told the emphasis of the course was on remote sensing and satellite communications and the students were undertaking research projects both for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Physics Research Laboratory (PRL). After inquiring about what the aspirations of the students were, the astronaut said by way of counseling: "One may or may not get an opportunity to become an astronaut. But the important thing is to strive and shine in one's chosen discipline of study."

The other intangible gain from Sunita's visit is that there is a discernible fervour in favour of studying science while Gujaratis have traditionally been inclined towards commerce and management.