Sunita Williams, the Indian origin astronaut with record-breaking spacewalks and months orbiting Earth, recently visited India. On her trip to the nation, she talked about her late father and his lasting legacy.It is absolutely true that no matter how high a person reaches in terms of career, family roots dig deep, significantly influencing who we are, no matter the altitude.
Williams’ recent India trip wasn’t just a speaking gig; it was a heartfelt return, eyes misty with memories of her late father. In sharing stories from orbit, where she’d scan for familiar lands below, she bridges her worlds.
Sunita Williams (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
It’s a reminder that pioneers like her carry more than suits and helmets; they proudly carry heritage, resilience, and quiet pride.
Sunita said that she looked for ‘home’ from space
During a fireside chat at New Delhi’s American Center, retired NASA astronaut Sunita Williams opened up about scanning Earth for home from space. “One of the first things you do when you get to space is that we all want to look for our home, like our immediate home. I grew up in Massachusetts. My father’s from India. My mother’s from Slovenia. I’m obviously looking for these places to call home,” she shared, according to Hindustan Times.
She talked about her father, Deepak Pandya
She remembered her father during the conversation, Deepak Pandya from Jhulasan, Gujarat, who was a renowned neuroanatomist and died in 2020 near Boston at age 88.Deepak began higher studies with Intermediate Science at Gujarat University in 1953, earning his MD in 1957. He arrived in the US around then, joining Case Western Reserve University’s Anatomy Department as a postdoctoral fellow in 1964. His work on brain connectivity influenced neuroscience worldwide, training experts and authoring key texts used in universities.
A family built on strength and love
Sunita’s mom, Ursuline Bonnie Zalokar, lives in Massachusetts and showed immense resilience when her daughter’s 2024 ISS stay stretched long. “It’s what they do. They like doing this, and they are honoured to be able to go up on a long mission like this and, you know, they feel great about it,” she said to NewsNation.
Sunita Williams (photo: X)
Deepak met Ursuline in 1957, soon after arriving stateside. Sunita married Michael J. Williams, a Federal Marshal, after meeting at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Their friendship turned to love pre-NASA, with a private wedding for close ones.
Connecting with India’s space family
In Delhi, Williams met Kalpana Chawla’s mother and sister, honoring the first Indian-origin woman astronaut who lost her life due to the failure of her aircraft during its re-entry into Earth’s orbit.