Suni has always remained very modest about her achievements. She says she is humbled when she thinks of her parents, both of whom come from struggling families. It is perhaps thanks to their influence that Suni has grown up to be a spiritually oriented person with a strong sense of right and wrong. Although raised a Christian, Suni's father used to take her to a lot of meetings with visiting Indian swamis in Boston to get her acquainted with different religious thoughts.
When Suni went to space in December 2006 for her six-month celestial sojourn, she carried with her an image of Lord Ganesh, an English translation of the Bhagavad Gita -- both given to her by her father -- and a St Christopher medal her grandmother had given Bonnie's cousin, who mailed it to her.
"He told her that grandma would love it if she were to take the medal. He said, 'When you are up there, you will be closer to her,'" says Bonnie Pandya, her eyes glistening with tears.
Image: Sunita Williams in a playful mood, her heart firmly set on India.
Photograph: Courtesy the Pandya family
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