NRI Corner 2

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<b>Williams to call Indian PM from space</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Williams, cousin of late BJP leader and State Minister Haren Pandya, is one of the crew on board NASA space shuttle Discovery.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Told you <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->We are proud, but at the same time anxious for her safety. We are keeping our fingers crossed,’’ said Williams’s paternal cousin Dinesh Raval. Soon after Discovery’s successful launch, Sunita’s father Deepak Pandya called up the Pandya family in Ahmedabad. ‘‘He told us that Sunita will be speaking to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a month’s time, i.e., once the telephone connection is established with the space station,’’ said Raval.

Meanwhile, a rally was organised at Sunita’s ancestral village, Jurhason, Mehsana district, said Raval. ‘‘The entire village has been ceaselessly praying for her safety,” said Raval.

There has been an adventurous streak in Sunita since childhood. We know that with the kind of inner strength Sunita possesses, her mission will definitely be a success. I still remember the day she triumphantly came home in Boston after finishing a 26-mile marathon. She was barely 12 or 13 years old at the time,” he said.

Raval recounted the time when Williams and her family had come down to Gujarat in the mid-seventies. ‘‘She created quite a stir in Jurhason when after a camel ride she insisted on taking a camel back home with her. The villagers talk of the incident even now,’’ he said.

‘‘Soon after the visit, Sunita was selected to join NASA. She was so excited... That was in 1998. But now that she is on her journey to outer space, we can’t help but feel a little anxious,’’ said Raval. Sunita’s parents, who are in Florida currently, will be moving to Hawaii in a couple of days.

Vitthal Pandya, <b>Sunita’s paternal uncle, said that special pujas are being offered at his place as well. “We have complete faith in the Almighty and we are sure he would bring our Sunita back safely,”</b> he added.
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