Science and faith are often presented as opposites but you seem to integrate them beautifully in your life. You were carrying copies of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads with you when you went to space for your last mission. Your well-wishers were chanting the Hanuman Chalisa for your safe return. How do you feel about the role of faith in your life?
Sunita Williams at the Kerala Literature Festival 2026. (Courtesy KLF)
I would like to thank them for their kindness. I think that my approach to faith definitely comes from my parents. I grew up seeing them as two wonderful people who were different, religiously speaking, in terms of their practice, but they were able to accommodate each other.
Having a Catholic mother from Slovenia and a Hindu father from India really opened the doors for my brother, my sister and myself to understand that there are potential differences but, all in all, we are sort of the same. On a spiritual plane, we are one. We have to find common ground.
Having spirituality with me while I was in space helped me find my place in the universe a bit more clearly. We tend to get so mired in our troubles but, when we step away for a minute, and understand that there is a bigger picture, our troubles seem to sort of disappear a little bit.
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Your life and achievements have served as inspiration for children’s books such as Arthy Muthanna Singh and Mamta Nainy’s Suni Goes to Space (2022), and Aravinda Anantharaman’s Sunita Williams: A Star in Space (2014) before that. How does it feel to be a role model for young people who are going to shape the future?
It is quite intimidating, honestly, but also very humbling, I must say. My husband always threatens me, “You better not screw up!” (laughs) But all joking aside, being a role model is a great opportunity. If I could inspire even one child to pursue a career that would help them be productive in space exploration, medicine, or whatever, it would make me really happy.
What was it like for you to be away from your dogs when you were in space? How would you describe the place that they have created for themselves in your life?
I love this question! My dogs have a huge place in my life. Unfortunately, I lost my Gorby in 2017. He was almost 17 years old by then. As long as he was with us, he was part of our family. My other dogs, Gunner and Rotor, are my little buddies and I adore them. When I left for space, I told my husband, “I will be away only for 10 days. Don’t worry, I will be back soon. I will walk them once I return. I realise that they are my responsibility.” Well, things didn’t exactly work out that way (laughs). He got to enjoy them much longer than we expected. He was wonderful with them. Not that he wasn’t part of their lives before that. But during my time in space, he really bonded with both of them. I was not surprised because my dogs are really cool.
Anybody who has a dog as a pet, or a cat for that matter, knows how much fun it is to just sit and watch them. They have unique personalities. They are all troubleshooting, figuring things out, and trying to be nice to you when they want something. They are a little manipulative, I must say, just like children, but they do love you and a lot. Every time you come home, they are right there to greet you, and they sit next to you especially on days when you don’t feel so good.
Of course, I missed them tremendously when I was in space. I was very lucky that I got a couple of packages up there when cargo spacecraft came up. I received some Indian food in one of the packages because I hadn’t had any until then. The second package had 3D printed versions of my dogs. It was fun to watch them floating around even though I had pictures of them. I didn’t get to talk to them over phone calls or video conferences but I got reports and updates from my friends. They told me how my dogs were doing, and also had them over as visitors every now and then.
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The Supreme Court of India has issued stringent directives to remove community dogs from public spaces and institutions, based on the argument that these animals are dangerous for human safety. What are your thoughts on this matter?
I don’t know all that much about the legal developments but I read a snippet in the newspaper. What I can say is that, as human beings, our priority is to take care of ourselves first. Everybody wants a good, safe place to live. But I understand that things can get tricky and problematic. From my own experience, I would say that this situation is partly our own fault as human beings. We have created an environment where animals cannot be in their natural surroundings. We must let them have their own space so that they do not interfere and harm humans. When I was in space, I could look back at planet earth and see that every person, animal and plant had their own place in the scheme of things. We must give each other space to be.
Chintan Girish Modi is a writer, journalist, educator, artist, literary critic and tree hugger.
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