Guj: Sunita's hometown cries for her safe return

Jhulasan, Gujarat, June 16: Eversince the news of Sunita William's delayed arrival back to earth came, the temple bells at village Jhulasan, her ancestral hometown in Mehsana district, have not stopped ringing and so is the earthen lamps that are burning in the temple in a silent prayer.

''The lamps will burn until the space drama comes to a happy ending,'' said Dineshbhai Patel, sarpanch of Jhulasan Village.

''The prayers are on and a 'havan' will be held on Saturday and Sunday to propitiate the Goddess to come to rescue the daughter of our village,'' he said.

Perhaps few might be aware that Sunita Williams, the Indian-American astronaut, belongs to Jhulasan village in Kadi taluka of Mehsana district. Sunita's father Dipakbhai Pandya had lived and studied at their ancestral home in the village, which is still there though in a dilapidated condition. He left the village and settled in Falmouths in USA some two-and-half decades ago.

Sunita's grandfather Narmdashankar Pandya was the head master in a local CP Gajjar High school. A library building Rambhaben Narmadashankar Pandya library even this day gets regular donation from the Pandya family.

This morning, about 300 boys and girls of the CP Gajjar High school assembled in the hall and prayed for the Sunita's safety. An equal number gathered in the temple, many had observed fast.

According to the principal of the high school, A P Prajapati, ''The boys and girls of the village have the same feeling of affinity for Sunita as for their own family members.''

''We have been deeply shocked by the news of the failure of the computers controlling the base station on earth,'' said Ranjitsinh Vaghela, President of Jhulsan Kelavani Mandal, the neighbour of Dipakbhai Pandya, Sunita's father in Jhulasan. Better known as NRIs' village, one-fourth of Juhulsan's 7,000 population had settled in USA.

The prosperous village of Kadi taluka looks disturbed. Young and old alike are anxiously waiting to hear what will happen next.

According to village Sarpanch, Dinesh Patel, ''I have never experienced such an anxiety as it is prevailing during the last few days.'' Since the news of the Atlantis delay arrived here, the village has taken in by the grief.

An earthen lamp has been kept burning round the clock in the temple. Special prayers are being offered. Similarly, 'prabhat feries'(morning marches singing devotional songs) along with 'bhajan' and kirtan are taken out in the evening. Special 'aarti' too has been performed every evening.

''Sunita's father Dipakbhai has promised the villagers to get her back to the village of her ancestors as soon as she comes back from the space,'' said Mr Patel.

UNI