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Sunita Williams needs no introduction - her space odysseys speak volumes of her courage and conviction.
Sunita Williams needs no introduction – her space odysseys speak volumes of her courage and conviction.
Soaring above the skies, Sunita Williams is the second woman of Indian heritage after Kalpana Chawla who was picked up by NASA for a space mission.
According to her father, Sunita has always been the adventurous type. After her induction into NASA in June 1998, she had to undergo rigorous orientation briefing, shuttle system and flight training and survival techniques to meet the requirements of an astronaut candidate.
Sunita holds three world records for female space travellers thus far. She has been holding the undisputed record for the longest space flight, which stands at 195 days, four spacewalks – the highest for a female astronaut till date and also for the highest total number of time spent on space walks (29 hours and 17 minutes).
Sunita also holds the record for running the first marathon run by an astronaut in orbit while her sister and fellow astronauts completed the marathon on earth.
Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India has hailed Sunita to be an inspiration to all women whose dreams know no limit. She was also bestowed with a number of awards and honours. She received the Navy Commendation medal twice, Humanitarian Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Medal for Merit in Space Exploration and the Padma Bhushan.
Why we find her inspiring:
– For following her heart and achieving her dreams, no matter how tough the going got
– She believed in making the most of the opportunity, having run a marathon in space because she wanted to participate shows her will to mould the situation as per her wishes
– For being brave enough to take up an offbeat career – one that has very few Indian women
– For being a worthy role model for young girls in science and technology
*Photo credit: Rediff
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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