bhagwad gita in space. when it will come to hindu homes.

European Pressphoto Agency

Sunita Williams addressed students at the Science City in Kolkata, April 2, 2013. Ms. Williams, who is on a weeklong trip to India, has also held talks at the Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai and the National Science Centre in New Delhi.

A pendant of Hindu Lord Ganesha, a copy of Hinduism’s holy book, the Bhagavad Gita, and a box of samosas, are some of the items NASA astronaut Sunita Williams brought with her on expeditions to outer space.

Last year, when the American astronaut ventured into space for the second time, she carried a copy of the Upanishads, a Hindu scripture.

“This helps me feel closer to home,” says Ms. Williams, whose father was born and raised in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

“It’s a reminder of who I am and where I belong,” she adds.