New Delhi, March 19
Sunita Williams’ safe return to Earth after unplanned and prolonged nine-month stay in the space has brought immense joy to her relatives and villagers in Jhulasan, her ancestral village in Gujarat's Mehsana. As the news surfaced about her safe return, the villagers broke into celebrations by bursting firecrackers and dancing.

An Akhand Jyot (eternal lamp) that has been burning continuously for the past nine months in the local temple was lit up to pray for her safe return. Now that she is back on Earth, the family is set to immerse the lamp in a special ceremony.

Talking to IANS, Sunita’s cousin, Naveen Bhai Baboolal, expressed his emotions: "Sunita visited us in 2007 and it was a joyful occasion. She came to the local temple and participated in a wonderful program. Since then, we believed that there was divine power in our village, and it became clear that Sunita was destined for great things."

"During her third space mission, she took the idols of both our village deities with her. The sweets we prepare here, including the ‘Sukhdi’ and ‘Ganapati’s Ladoo’, were sent with her to space," he added.

Naveen further shared, “When Sunita left for space, we had no idea she would remain there for nine months instead of a few days, due to technical difficulties. We were deeply worried, but we believed that our divine deities would protect her. That’s why we kept the Akhand Jyoti burning in the temple, praying for her safe return. And today, she’s finally back, so we’re celebrating her safe return with a village procession."

He informed that villagers have planned a celebratory procession in her honour, accompanied with fireworks to create an atmosphere like Diwali and Holi.

“A procession will be taken out from the village school to the temple where the ‘Akhand Jyot’ has been kept. The 'Akhand Jyot' will be immersed after the procession reaches the temple,” he said.

Another family member, Dinesh Pandit, said, “The Akhand Jyoti was lit specifically for Sunita, as she faced challenges with her spacecraft during her mission. When we heard about the problems with her aircraft, we feared that her chances of returning were slim. But we prayed to the goddesses, and we had full faith that they would bring her safely back. This is not the first time we’ve done this; we’ve kept this tradition whenever she’s gone on her space missions, and it has always worked out."

Dinesh added, “We are all part of one big family, and Sunita is like a sister to us. Our bond with her is very special, and our prayers for her have always been strong.”

Meanwhile, Sunita Williams and her fellow astronauts, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth on Tuesday evening aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.

The spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Florida just minutes before 6 p.m. local time. The astronauts were greeted by recovery teams, and Williams emerged third from the capsule, smiling and waving after a safe return.

Sunita Williams’ ancestral village celebrates her safe return, to take out celebratory procession