Gujarat’s Jhulasan Village Prepares Grand Celebrations for Sunita Williams’ Return

Jhulasan, the ancestral village of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, is preparing for Diwali-like festivities on Wednesday morning to celebrate her return to Earth after a nine-month mission at the International Space Station (ISS).

For months, Williams has been in the villagers’ prayers, with special offerings made at the local Goddess Dola Mata temple. An Akhand Jyot (eternal flame) was lit for her safety and will be offered to the deity upon her return. According to Williams’ cousin Navin Pandya, a grand procession will take place, featuring prayer chants and fireworks, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Diwali and Holi.

“The entire village has been eagerly awaiting this moment. We organized a procession with her photograph and performed a ‘dhun’ (prayer chanting) at the temple. The Akhand Jyot will be offered to Goddess Dola Mata after her safe landing,” Pandya shared, adding that the villagers are keen to invite Williams to visit her paternal village in the future.

Williams’ father, Deepak Pandya, migrated from Jhulasan to the United States in 1957. Her connection to the village has long been a source of pride, with residents closely following her space missions.

Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are returning aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule after a dramatic, extended mission. Originally planned for seven days, their stay stretched over nine months due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This marks Williams’ third journey into space, during which she accumulated over 62 hours across nine spacewalks — a record for female astronauts.

The village’s excitement is palpable, as they look forward to welcoming their star back on Earth and, hopefully, someday in Jhulasan.