In an address made to the villagers in English, but translated in Gujarati, she thanked the village for praying for her safe return from space.

She said, "I feel happy to be from Jhulasan, part of Jhulasan, through from my father and a part of Gujarat and a part of India. I am also a citizen of the world and the universe. And you too are and can be citizens of the world and the universe."

And the crowds exploded with delighted appreciation. She also added, "I hope you know that I am getting a little bit older and we need some new astronauts and I think there are new astronauts in this crowd here. So come and join us."

Her speech, though short, was a stirring one.

She spoke about boundaries (between countries and places) being something created in the mind and not visible from space. And that the limits of one's achievements were created in the mind and in reality did not exist.

From Jhulasan, Sunita and her family made their way to Nadipur, which is her ancestral village and where her grandfather had a home. Here too, the audience was much into sloganeering. "Sunita didi, welcome… Sunita Didi, welcome."

Her rural trip into Gujarati countryside wound up with a short visit to Kadi, where her dad went to school. Again hundreds of youngsters and school-kids waving flags or dressed in traditional brightly-hued Gujarati costumes at a decked-out high school there gave the Gujarat ki beti a warm welcome to remember.