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Sunita Williams says space erases borders at Kerala litfest
In her inaugural address in Kozhikode days after announcing her retirement from NASA, the veteran astronaut told a packed audience that seeing Earth from orbit reveals a shared planet—and a shared responsibility beyond nations.
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Pranavi Sharma - Thu, 22, Jan 2026
- 09:24 EST
- 24
Sunita Williams keynotes inagural session at ‘Kerala Literature Festival’ on Jan. 22. / New India Abroad
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams told a packed audience in India that viewing Earth from space dissolves national borders, as she delivered her inaugural address at the Kerala Literature Festival on Jan. 22 in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Speaking during the evening session at the festival venue, Williams said the view from the International Space Station reveals “the place where all of us live,” underscoring a shared responsibility that transcends nationality. Her remarks came days after she announced her retirement from NASA.
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Williams opened by reflecting on the contrast between space and the ground beneath the audience, describing the setting as far removed from orbit yet inseparably connected by the same planet. She noted that while the space station itself is small, it represents multiple countries working together.
Referring to recent spaceflight, Williams mentioned Indian astronaut Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who flew on the Axiom 4 mission, saying his impressions echoed her own. From orbit, she said, national boundaries vanish. “You don’t see the countries,” she said. “You see the place where all of us live.”
She described Earth as a single, shared system, sustained by the same air and water that support people, animals, plants, and marine life. That perspective, she said, makes conflict difficult to comprehend. She recalled telling reporters earlier in the day that it was hard to understand why people argue when “we are here on one planet with each other.”
The core message of her remarks, Williams said, was the importance of listening. Every individual’s viewpoint is shaped by where they come from, she told the audience, and understanding begins with paying attention to those differences.
Williams also acknowledged the range of voices gathered at the festival, which she described as a convergence of disciplines. She said she was honored to share the stage with athletes, actors, artists, and authors, adding that the diversity of speakers reflected the breadth of perspectives needed in the world today.
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