The Indian-origin American astronaut, Sunita Williams, arrived at Ahmedabad on Thursday, the September 20, 2007, for a six-day visit to her native Gujarat, the first since she returned from her historic six-month sojourn at the International Space Station.
She was accorded a tumultuous reception by people who turned up in large numbers at the Ahmedabad airport.
She began her visit by paying homage to the 'Father of the Nation' at the Sabarmati Ashram. There she attended a prayer meeting. She interacted with a large number of school students. She told them about her experiences in space an d how the earth looked like from the window of the space station.
Ms Williams told the gathering that "borders" between the nations were all "creations of the mind" of the people and from outer space, the earth was a single "borderless" entity. She said India looked the "most beautiful" from space.
Excerpt from the news report of Manas Dasgupta in The Hindu of Sep.21, 2007.
Grateful thanks to Manas Dasgupta and The Hindu.
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