AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It is a rare bit of lovely news. Two astronauts returned to Earth this week after more than nine months in space after their weeklong mission went awry. They landed in waters off Florida as dolphins played all around their capsule.
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SANDRA JONES: And splashdown. Crew-9 back on Earth.
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CHANG: And thousands of miles away, in India, there were other celebrations, as NPR's Diaa Hadid reports.
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DIAA HADID, BYLINE: One village in particular celebrated as NASA welcomed back Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth, residents of Duluma (ph), the ancestral home of American astronaut Suni - or Sunita - Williams. In video by the Indian agency ANI, they set off fireworks to celebrate her arrival. The day before, villagers performed a special prayer, an arti, for her safe return.
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HADID: Williams' cousin, 84-year-old Dinesh Rawal, lives in the nearby city of Ahmedabad. He says the family is so happy that she's back.
DINESH RAWAL: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: We met Rawal at his home.
Namaste.
As we sit down, he pops milky sweets into our mouths to celebrate Williams' return.
Are you going to feed me, too?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Laughter).
RAWAL: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: All right. Go on.
Rawal says they really began to worry about Williams, as her eight-day space mission had become...
RAWAL: Nine month, 13 days.
HADID: Rawal says his uncle, Williams' father, migrated to the U.S. in the '50s as a student. But he never lost touch, and Williams came back a few times as well.
RAWAL: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: He says, as a kid, she liked running after the village goats. On her recent trips back, she was fated as a prominent astronaut with Indian heritage. In one photo, residents place an honorary white turban on her head. He says all Indians are proud of Williams, including the prime minister, Narendra Modi. He congratulated her on X, saying she was an example of, quote, "grit, courage and the boundless human spirit." And she's testament to the success of Indian migrants in the US. Rawal says Williams' father was invited to the U.S. in the '50s to study medicine.
RAWAL: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: On the taxpayers' dime, he says, so I ask if the investment has been paid off.
RAWAL: (Laughter)
HADID: Rawal says he hopes Williams will visit India soon. Of course she'll be celebrated, but mostly, Rawal wants to see her.
RAWAL: (Non-English language spoken).
HADID: He says he knows Williams will come and visit while he's still alive. India, after all, is closer than outer space.
Diaa Hadid, NPR News, Ahmedabad.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHANCE THE RAPPER SONG, "CHILD OF GOD") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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